footballnomics

lemonjelly

I've noticed on a number of football forums (not just relating to my own team) that less people appear to be going to matches, especially away games. It seems that a lot of clubs are returning unsold tickets to the opposition nowadays.

Now, I can't afford many home games, let alone £40 for an away ticket, plus £50+ travel, plus food/drink/programme etc. £40 can quickly become £200 in a day.

Which got me wondering whether this is just football & the glamour starting to wear off, the recession, bit of both...

Then I see this story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8931026.stm

16.25%! Wish I got that on my savings!
Combined with the financial difficulties which so many clubs are in - Liverpool may come into the ownership of RBS.

Are we seeing austerity becoming the preserve of consumers? Is this wider than football?

thoughts....

Really2

Or we could do a "Should Americans be able to buy Football (not soccer) clubs" thread.

Generali

AIUI, only 4 Premiership clubs sold out their season ticket allocation this year, Blackpool among them natch.

chucky

it probably has a lot to do with the Premier League not being the dominant force in Europe and by default not being the best league in the world anymore.

you can lose players like Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo who people would pay to go and watch. there aren't that many grade A players in the Premier League anymore.

wymondham

Sorry but I have to rant whenever football and money creep up!! Not exactly on topic and I do apologise!!

I strongly object to the ridiculous amounts of money paid to players and clubs. How can anyone justify the amounts paid for just playing a game (ie it does not matter if the game goes ahead, they win, or they lose?). People on that sort of money should be those that bring benefit to society directly such as those who save lives etc... what an odd society we live in where people who play games get more than those who save lives and run whole countries!

The recent England performance proves that these players live the life first and play football secondly (or thirdly!). Their mind is fixated on their next exotic holiday, fast car or wag girlfriend.

I would personally not want to feel I've contributed to these wages at all, which is why I don't subscribe to Sky, or go to football matches. I know people feel pationately about football and that's fine that they feel the need to pay their hard earned money to the players with their season tickets etc

chucky

wymondham wrote: »

The recent England performance proves that these players live the life first and play football secondly (or thirdly!).

i'm not sure - England are simply not good enough (hear me out please)

the Premier League product of wanting to be the best league in the world with the best players isn't compatible with the Team England brand being succesful and being an organisation that can afford coaches like Fabio Capello or my 'hero' Sven.

you can't have the best players in the world in the Premier League and not give the best English players the opportunity and also the chance to nurture and grow in to wannabe World Champions.

it doesn't work.

purch

Blackpool among them natch

in the smallest ground in the Premier League.

tawse57

I suspect the recession is the major factor - also been reading about people cancelling their Sky subscriptions.

I suspect it is also disatisfaction with the way England played in the World Cup - even the most gullible English footie supporter by now must realise that many of the English players are have wage packets that their talents cannot match IMPO.

The courts seem to have been bending over backwards this Summer not to close footie clubs despite the taxman being owed vast sums.

Some footie clubs took on massive debt in the credit boom and I don't see how most of them survive.

Really2

I am not 100% sure how reliable this season ticket thing is IMHO.
Some clubs have waiting lists of 5 years+ ?

Masomnia

wymondham wrote: »

Sorry but I have to rant whenever football and money creep up!! Not exactly on topic and I do apologise!!

I strongly object to the ridiculous amounts of money paid to players and clubs. How can anyone justify the amounts paid for just playing a game (ie it does not matter if the game goes ahead, they win, or they lose?). People on that sort of money should be those that bring benefit to society directly such as those who save lives etc... what an odd society we live in where people who play games get more than those who save lives and run whole countries!

The recent England performance proves that these players live the life first and play football secondly (or thirdly!). Their mind is fixated on their next exotic holiday, fast car or wag girlfriend.

I would personally not want to feel I've contributed to these wages at all, which is why I don't subscribe to Sky, or go to football matches. I know people feel pationately about football and that's fine that they feel the need to pay their hard earned money to the players with their season tickets etc

No one would be willing to pay the billions in extra tax to pay doctors, nurses, firemen etc all the extra money.

purch

you can't have the best players in the world in the Premier League and not give the best English players the opportunity and also the chance to nurture and grow in to wannabe World Champions

It works in Spain, and has in Italy.

What neither of those countries do, is fill their mid table and bottom feeders with unknown and/or average foreign players.

Rooney, Gerrard, Terry, Cole playing against Torres, Ronaldo, Tevez, Vidic, Vermaelen etc etc will only make them better players and improve Englands team, but playing against Gael Givet, Ludovic Silvestre, Mamady Sidebe or Marek Cech does nothing for them.