Own Goal?

Is the Premiership in danger of alienating the new breed of consumer it sought to replace the original terrace brigade?

To the average eighties football fan, his team were the champions for his local area and represented him nationwide, however, the club chairmen thought differently, realised the potential of their cash cows and made a decision that would revolutionise football, they formed the Premiership. The subsequent partnership with Sky and rapid escalation of transfer fees, player salaries and admission prices proved, to them at least, that they were correct.

However, the signs over the last few years have suggested all is not well, the die-hards who would travel to Shrewsbury on a wet Wednesday were pushed out in favour of the corporate pound, their children, unable to attend matches, have grown up without the same fervour or passion for the team. Whilst the corporates and success supporters have come to realise that up to fifty pounds a ticket when ‘their’ team aren’t winning isn’t that good a deal and are voting with their feet.

You don’t believe that football’s in trouble? Well look at Blackburn’s attempt to get fans back by reducing prices and think back a couple of weeks to the attendance of twenty six thousand at St. James Park. When even Geordies are starting to boycott the FA Cup then you know the game’s up.

Premiership chairmen should take note but fed on a diet of self-congratulation they won’t even notice. Only when they finally take their snouts out of the trough will they realise that they’re the only people left in the ground. If they then wonder where everyone’s gone then maybe they should look in the pubs first, because that’s where both the atmosphere and the real fans went.