The Future of Football | Vital Football

The Future of Football

Old Poolie

Vital Squad Member
Well lower League and National League!
Going forward costs are going to have to be cut and the two obvious ways to do this are
- regionalise the league's "North and South"
- limit squad numbers and reduce the number of matchday substitutes to 2 (as it used to be)

As things stand too much money is expended on bloated squads of mediocre players, along with meaningless (,for supporters) games against teams at long distances away.

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/18421072.fans-wont-allowed-games-2021/
However, if this proves true then lower league football is destined to become just a memory.
 
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The latest developments are becoming all too worrying.
If clubs are unable to admit supporters within the next few weeks, I fear that many will be forced to fold.
 
I hope that the current problems will bring some financial reality to professional football but I'm not optimistic. Macclesfield Town have been forced out of business over debts of £500.000 which, coincidentally, will be the quoted basic weekly wage of Gareth Bale at Spurs. Think about it: one player is paid more per week than the total debts of a small club. I don't know which makes me sadder. Gareth is entitled to earn as much as he can and, presumably, Spurs accountants have calculate they can afford it even with no paying customers coming through the doors for the foreseeable future. So what's the point of supporters ? Clearly the Spurs supporters celebrating outside the training ground when he arrived didn't care.

I was actually surprised that MT's debts were "only" £500k. Most lower league clubs operate with debts of a million or more and have no prospect of ever paying it off. Or the "owner" carries the debt until he gets bored and wants his money back. Somehow the clubs seem to manage to continue in business but maybe now the reckoning is coming.

I hope this crisis sorts out a few financial home truths for the long term future of clubs like HUFC.
 
This is a BIG WEEK for the National League, if the government fails to provide financial support then I suspect that the season will be deferred with all the implications that will have for the member clubs.
Many of the smaller clubs in the League won't be able to survive financially without gate receipts.