Comments on: Manchester City Wins FA Youth Cup

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:16:06 +0000

That’s why I had “controversially”, Sean, calm down. My articles are long enough as it is, and the backstory behind Sinclair’s departure really isn’t relevant.

Chelsea would’ve signed him anyway, and not for a free, so I’m not sure what you’re referring to there. They paid $400,000 US up front, not 400,000 pounds, so maybe you should get your facts right.

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:43:42 +0000

Get your facts right… Bristol Rovers didn’t want to sell Scott Sinclair, they tried to make him stay but Chelsea took him for Free until a Tribunal ruled that Chelsea had to pay £400,000 for him with some add ons based on appearances. But basically Chelsea got a Bargain and Bristol Rovers were ripped off……!

By: kat kid

kat kid — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:07:59 +0000

Kyle’s reading comprehension is lacking. I was saying that the arguments listed were perplexing. That is why they followed this sentence:
“As an American I am often perplexed by the concerns of British football fans.”

Instead of trying to impress everyone by regurgitating the Econ 110 lecture you just got out of, maybe you could try actually reading what other people write before spouting off.

By: Simon Burke

Simon Burke — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:00:08 +0000

Bit harsh that last argument.
Prices for tickets are high for a family of 4 – I take your point about supply and demand of course as clubs charge these high prices because they can get enough people to pay it – in that sense your argument is robust. However economics rarely takes into account common decency and morality.
Football as morphed from Englands national pasttime into a financial pit which big business and chairmen gobble up.

I do think that the rich fan can go to football but shouldnt the clubs care a bit more about the poorer fan. I support Arsenal and to be on the priority ticket list you have to pay and that doesnt get you a ticket, thats paying for the privilege of getting advance tickets at full price – they also charge a pound for the merchandise catalogue!! In the past this was free but now you get to pay for the privilege of seeing Van persie and Hleb in daft sweaters which you can buy..

I cant attend games as I have moved to the States but when i am home I am often shocked at the costs involved for those who attend regularly.

The football audience has aged a lot, the median age is much higher than in the 70’s and I would suggest this is because younger folk simply cant afford to go.
If this trend continues who will fill the stadia in 20 years? Football will eat itself.

As for there’s too much money in football – well its hardly measurable but I will say there is a lot of negativity that has come from this financial boom. Player power has gone through the roof, ticket prices as well. THe increase in foreign labour to the Premiership is having a negative effect on the National team (though this can be argued against), the devaluing of the domestic cups as clubs concentrate on staying in the Premiership and Europe where there is more money to be made….

THats what one means by there is too much money in football.

I love the game but I loved it more in 2000 than I do in 2008.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:03:54 +0000

“As an American I am often perplexed by the concerns of British football fans. There is too much money in football, but there seems to be no major voices calling for the types of revenue sharing or salary caps in U.S. sports.

Prices of tickets are too high and there are too many foreigners in the game, but the sport is more watched and the product on the field, better than ever.”

1. Price of tickets are not too high. The number of available seats is dwarfed by the number of fans that would like to attend. Point blank, clubs have to ration seats. Not everyone that wants to will be able to attend matches in person. This is physical fact. And EPL clubs already employ systems of loyalty points that give priority to season ticket holders and fans that have attended the most matches previously. The “tickets cost too much” griping is universal to every sport, and is always spouted by the ignorant. How would you propose seats are rationed if not by price? Even if clubs gave seats away completely for free, that’d mean only the fans that had time to wait in lines for days would get to attend matches.

2. There is not too much money in football. The money in football comes from the fact that millions of people get enjoyment from it and through mass transportation and modern media can enjoy it all over the country/world.

The economic laws of supply and demand aren’t some idealized suggestion on how money ought to change hands, they’re descriptions of the way things actually function. Remaining ignorant of economic law is as prudent as ignoring the law of gravity.

If you want to lower the price of tickets and decrease the amount of money in football, convince millions of people the EPL isn’t worth following. Heck, for starters, you could stop following it yourself.