An unfair game

[silent majority]

If you have the time, a great little film on the unfair pricing of tickets in the English game;

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/opinion/an-unfair-game.html?smid=go-share&_r=0

[albie]

Ticketing is just one example of the unfairness in football. The concept of fairness went out of the window long ago, in pursuit of the wedge.

This summary of the parachute payments in the Championship is a telling tale about another form of biasing outcomes (sorry if it has been posted before);
http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2013/05/27/how-the-120m-championship-final-play-off-prize-adds-up-270501/

Basically, the Championship is resource rigged in favour of the relegated from the Prem. One division, but really 2 different competitions going on!

[PDX_Rover]

True. The parachute payment rewards failure, and sets an unfair precedent, as Albie says, effectively creating two competitions in the Championship.

Relegated clubs should cut be forced to cut their cloth accordingly. If you get relegated - renegotiate contracts or players leave.

There should be no safety net to soften the blow IMHO.



 

[wilts rover]

You would expect this would be true about the parachute payments, but it is quite often not. Look at last season. None of the promoted teams were receiving parachute payments. Of the ones who were, two of the three with the largest Bolton, Blackburn are still here, Wolves were relegated.

Quite often clubs who are relegated are in financial turmoil, QPR's reported debt is £90m, and with the players they have they must be loosing more weekly, despite their parachute payments.

The money generated by the game should be better distributed through the game. And the financial health of the club should be better regulated - and not allowed to get into the state it does for many clubs, with obvious results in the future.

But here you are up against why the PL was set up in the first place, for the 'big clubs' to take more money from the pot - or go set up their own league with no promotion or relegation. And how did they persuade the other clubs to agree to that, by offering them parachute payments.

[twinkletoes]

The last sentence on the video sums it all up. "The league without the fans would be nothing" so true but yet even after seeing how much we are all being ripped off we still keep injecting money into it.

[silent majority]

The opening post was about ticket pricing though, and whilst I sympathise with people's views on solidarity payments we need to fight the battles we can win first. Here's another example of Twentys Plenty making an impact;

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/newcastle-strike-deal-with-two-clubs-for-cheap-away-days-8884992.html

[graingrover]

agreed that it is best to concentrate on battles you can win but the war is on various fronts .
        with further massive sums ( 2 billion £) going into the Premiership coffers from Asian TV by 2016 it would be INSULTING to the fan base to charge more than £20 ...

               Even more important if the FA is genuinely concerned for the future of the game and the need to develop English players then this iniquitous parachute payment  policy needs to be re thought because the Premiership will continue to fish in International waters for the big fish players rather than support fish farms in the lower leagues 

[jonnydog]

The FA will do just that... FA!

I'm sorry for my lack of faith but they are as corrupt as FIFA and as long as they are on the make they will not give 2 shits about anything, least of all the well being of the 72 teams below the premiership.

[silent majority]

Unfortunately you're shooting at the wrong people, its not in the FA's control. The PL is owned and run by the clubs themselves, they negotiate their TV deals and decide how to distribute the income, nobody else.

[graingrover]

I"m shooting at the FA because they are the authority that sets the rules on financial fair play in the Championship.. and at the Premiership for their short sighted action which is helping to destroy the footall pyramud.

[silent majority]

Sorry Brian, the FFP is controlled by the FL for the Championship.

[PDX_Rover]

How can the PL not come under the governance of the FA?

[wilts rover]

PDX

Cos it says so on Wikipedia

All of England's professional football teams are members of the Football Association. Although it does not run the day-to-day operations of the Premier League, it has veto power over the appointment of the League Chairman and Chief Executive and over any changes to league rules.[1] The Football League, made up of the professional leagues below the Premier League, is self-governing.

The FA make the rules of the game, run the FA Cup and the England team. All the leagues are independent of them, although they do have a seat on the PL board and input into the amateur game through county FA's.

[silent majority]

Its been a very hot topic for the last 18 months or so, but I wouldn't expect most football fans to pay much attention, its normally only geeks like me who follow all the shenanigans that go off in the world of football politics. But football governance and the role of the FA has been talked about endlessly and if you follow the links you'll find most of it here;

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/130129-football-gov-follow-up-rpt-publication/

[Mr1Croft]

You would expect this would be true about the parachute payments, but it is quite often not. Look at last season. None of the promoted teams were receiving parachute payments. Of the ones who were, two of the three with the largest Bolton, Blackburn are still here, Wolves were relegated.

Funnily enough though Hull City, who had just stopped receiving their parachute payments were promoted, as were Reading the year previously...

When Reading were crowned Champions all 3 teams receiving the 'premium' parachute payments were 3rd, 4th and 5th. Middlesbrough who were in their final year of payments also finished 7th.