Some good points. The social element argument though is a non-starter. This isn't about putting forward an alternative, it's about finding a way to keep the clubs going while fans can't go to the games. Those clubs with fans who will only be interested in football if they are attending the games are as good as done.
Given the average league 2 clubs annual turnover is circa the average salary of a single PL player, then the game has a collective responsibility to ensure the survival of these clubs, that are key parts of local communities.
Agreed but your suggestions make it impossible. Businesses which make billions of profit face going under because of a couple of months of lockdown. You want PL clubs, which on the whole only break even each year, to cancel all games until September, but also increase the money they give to lower leagues. How does it work?
That's a whole other argument. If you are a fan of a lower league club then the first responsibility is with you in doing what you can to ensure it's survival - as in what I saw suggested, paying for live streaming. If you aren't prepared to financially support your club in new ways during a crisis then you aren't a real supporter,
The idea that streaming somehow solves the issue is for the birds, as it won’t. The game at that level is going to need bailing out, or it’ll collapse.
It wasn't suggested as a way to solve the issue. If it was that easy they'd be all over it. It was put forward as just one small way that fans could financially contribute to their club's survival. When your club's in trouble you get to see how passionate the fans are by what they are prepared to do to help. I agree with you that some sort of bail out is what's needed. Who by, that's another question.
On your last sentence i have to say imo the idea we have 100+ full pro clubs isn't & hasn't been sustainable for years .The unfortunate thing is that they will now be forced into it , possibly as phoenix clubs , in the worst possible way .
When this is over you also have to wonder how high football will be in peoples financial priorities in the recession that is hurtling towards us .
Most lower leagues clubs live hand to mouth and seek to operate with negative transfer spends to bolster the coffers. They rely on player trading to make up operating cost deficits in many cases. The transfer market will be absolutely dead this year, and so they’re going to lose that revenue stream as well. Local businesses throw thousands at clubs for pretty questionable advertising value, pitch boards, matchday, player and programme sponsorships etc. All of those contracts are due for renewal now, we won’t be spending a penny as we can’t afford it, and I’d imagine that’ll be replicated across the board.
Honestly, I can't see it altering. It will be as high in their priorities as it's always been and actually for those who have been thrown into real depression through lack of going to the games, it may well be even higher. If you look at LFC fan forums there are mixed opinions on how to end the season, for example, but the majority are gagging to get back to football and these are people who have lost their jobs or who know their incomes will be reduced. Never underestimate the passion of football fans. What I can see though is that football itself will be very different so we may not be going back to the same game.
When football comes back it will be behind closed doors. With a bit of leeway, everything you've mentioned could still happen but it will depend on how clubs intend to make money from those games. Given that fans won't be allowed in to those games then clubs will have to find a way of selling the game to make money from them. Hence the suggestion that the lower leagues could come up with live streaming as a small measure to try and raise cash. I believe in the overall premise no fans, no club. The PL (which is the only league I have knowledge on) will be okay short to medium term but even they will have to be creative longer term.
Sorry mate but that's bollocks, the fact that Liverpool fans all want the season to resume is nothing to do with passion for the game but self interest. Not saying there's anything wrong with that btw but let's call it what it is. Equally, don't mix up others not wanting the season resumed with a lack of passion for the game. Some of us are still very passionate about the game but are disgusted that it's trying to be forced through in such hollow circumstances.
No it's not self-interest. Liverpool are getting the trophy for this season no matter what. That isn't an issue to anyone actually running football, only the WUMs who like to pretend there's any doubt over it. Either football is "forced though" or it's finished. It might not be ideal but if you want football to exist anything like it currently does then it needs to work through this crisis.
Yep, but the streaming mechanism will presumably also allow additional donations. Look at YouTube, even without adverts they rake in money from people choosing to pay to "join the channel" or to have their chat messages displayed more prominently.
None of my post was about the game resuming. I don't know why you took it there.I made the point that Liverpool fans won't stop going to the game based on their finances once the virus is over. Their passion outweighs their wallet when it comes to football. If you read into that something that wasn't there about fans not being passionate if they didn't want football resuming, then that's on you not me because I didn't say that. Just for the record though, not all Liverpool fans want to resume this season.
Oh don;t get me wrong i'm desperate for any sport ,never mind football , but when the hard economics of being on UC etc hit home paying for football not only could but should slide down the priority list .
