OT - let's bring it home

[Bazza]

Football as we used to know it was a local community matter. Let's bring it back home!

[Fredxx]

Has this been thought through?

Having at least 51% fan ownership is trivial, where one foreign owner can provide 100% fan ownership.

[anon]

The reason football isn't a local community matter any more is because pitches and changing rooms which used to be provided by local authorities for the numerous local leagues were found to be uneconomical to run. And so were all shut down Same as the sale of school playing fields.

As to the 0.001% of football played by the 6 or so top clubs, nowadays often featuring foreign players earning millions of pounds per year these have

*never* been a local community matter. Their wages nowadays are paid by TV, generated by screening matches worldwide. If you want community football then support local teams in the lower leagues. Unless you're claiming every football supporter lives in Manchester Liverpool or London

As to the top clubs while many started as church or works teams as soon as they joined professional leagues stadiums were required which required large scale investment from businessman hoping to make a profit.

Two of the clubs still signed up for this "uncompetitive greedy ESL" are Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both of which are owned by their supporters. The reason they support the ESL is because in the absence of a sugar daddy, both are in danger of going bust.

As to all the demonstrations, the spoiled supporters of the top six clubs are always blaming the owners if they lose more than three matches on the trot. Pathetic isn't too strong a word for them.

michael adams

...

[jon]

I have never willingly watched football, seems silly like bat and ball.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

• 1

[SH]

I really cannot see the entertainment value in watching a white spot bounceabout on a green TV screen for 90 minutes.....

I actually find watching paint drying far more interesting!

[Tim Lamb]

Me too. Although I can admire the skills shown during TV highlights. Supporters? Some basic human instinct/need not ideal for the world where sharing resources so important.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Can we get it off national TV, then? Back to subscription TV where it belongs? So only the fans pay the vastly inflated salaries?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I've tried all sports as spectator sports. As spectacles, they are all pretty dire. Only if you actually know something about the strategy, tactics or technology is there any interest.

Sadly there seems to be no technology or strategy in football, and very few tactics.

Cricket is massively strategic. Rugby is massively tactical. Motor racing is massively technological.

Sailing is tactics and a little technology.

Snooker is all tactics, given the skill.

These are all things I can bear to watch.

Athletics - well its mostly pure skill, and having the right body to start with. Yawn. I'd rather watch hot chicks on a catwalk.

If you want a spectacle, go to an airshow.

[Bazza]

The aim is to get it discussed and to have the current system changed to stop money being "exported" and fans being exploited.

What has happened over the last 20 years is that big clubs get taken over by foreign "investors" who heap debt on to the books after they extract squillions in dividend. The club then has to service that debt.

The German model of 51% fan ownership means this exploitation does not happen. The retained earnings are invested in better facilities, training and development. On Germany ticket prices are less than £20. Over here the fans get ripped off for £95 a go. Then there's the shirts - they are uip to £95 each and they change them every year at least one for both home and away strips.

Now ask yourself which is the most successful team in Europe over the last 10 years - it's one from Munich.

In terms of "Community", ownership by fans would probably see money trickle down to smaller teams to fund better facilities and training. Legislation could also be put in place to have clubs support the wider local community. THat way the money goes around locally, rather than go to the likes of the Glazers, Fenway Sports, Stan Kroenke and Abramobitch

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

on 28/04/2021, Dave Plowman (News) supposed :

+1 :-)