Martin, I may not always agree with you but this is shameful reminder of Footballs' attitude. How can Football progress if it doesn't include the fans? Football is about money, but it's also about social interaction ( which is where you and your colleagues come in). The only people able to kick it out are the fans. You cannot legislate ignorance/prejudice out: you have to get people to listen and be educated about how demeaning footballers, really brings us all down. At this time we need organizations to be inclusive, since everybody is suffering from the consequences of the Pandemic
Thanks Stephen. Appreciate that - one of the reasons for doing this was to try not to preach to the converted. And you make the point very well by saying football is about mone and about social interaction. Thank you for your supportive words.
An interesting piece. What concerns me, is the concept of fans as ‘stakeholders’. Wickapedia’s definition of a stakeholder is: a member of ‘groups without whose support, the organisation would cease to exist’. Now, we are all familiar with the famous ‘without fans, football is nothing’ quote, but is that really true anymore? Prior to the pandemic I would have said that it was inconceivable to routinely play top flight football in empty stadia. Nowadays, we have almost become conditioned to it. Even the appalling double standard that allows elite sport to continue, whilst grass roots sport is forbidden, is not really challenged. The injustice that allows top flight footballers to ply their trade, whilst the vast majority of us cannot, is somehow mitigated by the idea that they bring a unique and indispensable entertainment into our lockdown homes. Perhaps they do? The truth is, (as I’m sure you know), that it’s all about money. Which brings me back to my original point. It has now been proven, that top flight football IS sustainable without fans, at least financially. In fact, with huge increases in broadcasting subscriptions, there might even be more money coming into the game than ever! The reason fans were ignored in your piece might be because we are not really stakeholders at all?
Agree there are a lot of clichés and a lot of words like stakeholder and customer that make a lot of fans twitchy. For understandable reasons. But part of this is about saying "if that's how you want to address things, then do it properly".
Yes, the business of football is all about money. It's a business. But its value is based on the connections people have with it. And the spectacle it provides. I'm sure there are some people in football who would love to crack on without the pesky fans. But is it good business? Do empty stadiums provide the same spectacle and therefore commend the same value as full, vibrant stadiums? Do they provide as good a TV product?
Broadcasting income does hugely outweigh gate income. But will that hold up in the face of the twin threats of people feeling less connected with the sport, and emptier stadiums? There's a falsely worldly-wise approach that says "it's just about money and the fans don't count". The money comes from the fans. Football, unlike almost any other business, just finds it very hard to get some basic bits of customer interaction right. Especially when applied over the longer term. Making lots of money for now is Ok if you don't plan on being around that long. For us fans, the choice is a lifelong one.
Disappointed to read that supporters have been excluded again. The fans I know find the abuse of players, pundits etc abhorrent and the fact that supporters have been excluded because we are ‘all’ the problem is depressing. If it is simple that supporters were just ‘forgotten’ ... well is that even worse? I find it incredible that the CEOs of these organisations , who to have got to the positions they are at because they are, are in the main intelligent and respected individuals, can just forget about us. I realise I am just echoing what your article has already said but hopefully the work of the FSA and other fan groups will eventually change the way supporters are viewed by the game. Maybe I won’t hold my breath though...😔
Martin, I may not always agree with you but this is shameful reminder of Footballs' attitude. How can Football progress if it doesn't include the fans? Football is about money, but it's also about social interaction ( which is where you and your colleagues come in). The only people able to kick it out are the fans. You cannot legislate ignorance/prejudice out: you have to get people to listen and be educated about how demeaning footballers, really brings us all down. At this time we need organizations to be inclusive, since everybody is suffering from the consequences of the Pandemic
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Stephen. Appreciate that - one of the reasons for doing this was to try not to preach to the converted. And you make the point very well by saying football is about mone and about social interaction. Thank you for your supportive words.
An interesting piece. What concerns me, is the concept of fans as ‘stakeholders’. Wickapedia’s definition of a stakeholder is: a member of ‘groups without whose support, the organisation would cease to exist’. Now, we are all familiar with the famous ‘without fans, football is nothing’ quote, but is that really true anymore? Prior to the pandemic I would have said that it was inconceivable to routinely play top flight football in empty stadia. Nowadays, we have almost become conditioned to it. Even the appalling double standard that allows elite sport to continue, whilst grass roots sport is forbidden, is not really challenged. The injustice that allows top flight footballers to ply their trade, whilst the vast majority of us cannot, is somehow mitigated by the idea that they bring a unique and indispensable entertainment into our lockdown homes. Perhaps they do? The truth is, (as I’m sure you know), that it’s all about money. Which brings me back to my original point. It has now been proven, that top flight football IS sustainable without fans, at least financially. In fact, with huge increases in broadcasting subscriptions, there might even be more money coming into the game than ever! The reason fans were ignored in your piece might be because we are not really stakeholders at all?
Love your work. X
Agree there are a lot of clichés and a lot of words like stakeholder and customer that make a lot of fans twitchy. For understandable reasons. But part of this is about saying "if that's how you want to address things, then do it properly".
Yes, the business of football is all about money. It's a business. But its value is based on the connections people have with it. And the spectacle it provides. I'm sure there are some people in football who would love to crack on without the pesky fans. But is it good business? Do empty stadiums provide the same spectacle and therefore commend the same value as full, vibrant stadiums? Do they provide as good a TV product?
Broadcasting income does hugely outweigh gate income. But will that hold up in the face of the twin threats of people feeling less connected with the sport, and emptier stadiums? There's a falsely worldly-wise approach that says "it's just about money and the fans don't count". The money comes from the fans. Football, unlike almost any other business, just finds it very hard to get some basic bits of customer interaction right. Especially when applied over the longer term. Making lots of money for now is Ok if you don't plan on being around that long. For us fans, the choice is a lifelong one.
Disappointed to read that supporters have been excluded again. The fans I know find the abuse of players, pundits etc abhorrent and the fact that supporters have been excluded because we are ‘all’ the problem is depressing. If it is simple that supporters were just ‘forgotten’ ... well is that even worse? I find it incredible that the CEOs of these organisations , who to have got to the positions they are at because they are, are in the main intelligent and respected individuals, can just forget about us. I realise I am just echoing what your article has already said but hopefully the work of the FSA and other fan groups will eventually change the way supporters are viewed by the game. Maybe I won’t hold my breath though...😔
Progress in places. The FT has acknowledged it should have had some fan representation at its football summit after this piece raised the issue https://faninsights.co.uk/fan-engagement/football-business-is-footballs-business-so-where-are-the-fans/