English Debate: Does English Football Still Have A Soul?

A ruthless influx of Russian/ American/ Arab takeovers are turning the Premier League into a playground for the wealthy elite, and the foreign investment has been cited as one of the key reasons as to why English football is losing it's soul.

Is the footballing spirit summed up at boardroom level though? No.

British-based supporters, love them or hate them, have long been known for their passion for the global game but Premier League-enforced politics are endangering the traditional working class fans' ability to attend regular fixtures, let alone enjoy them.


Yes, these are rules that England's top division have imposed upon all top flight sides that stewards at each club follow through with as much tenacity as a speed-gun armed traffic cop on a recently downgraded stretch of clear motorway in the early hours of Sunday morning, desperate for their jobsworth.

There are, in most stadiums, designated areas for standing, but these account for a minor percentage of the overall capacity of each ground. Likewise the away support is not as regulated as the home crowds.

As if sitting down on your tush and trying to refrain from uttering mild expletives whenever the zeitgeist pantomime villain from the opposition took a touch was not enough to suck the spirit out of you, you are now not even allowed to warm your cockles during these cold wintry days with a yard of ale or four fingers of whiskey unless you are in the designated areas behind the terraces and toward the canteens.

Alcohol is forbidden when you take to your seat. And, on a Champions League night, the bars will not serve any alcoholic sauce even though the competition is sponsored by a well-known boozer!

Pricing Out The Everyday Fan

The real killer though is matchday ticketing. The working classes are being priced out of attending games and are being replaced with camera-happy tourists looking for a day out at one of the top four clubs that they have seen so much of on television, which is not a bad thing per se, but is perhaps testament to the gargantuan marketing campaigns that have been launched here, there, and not forgetting everywhere.

The average seat for one fixture at Arsenal's relatively new Emirates home will cost £42 rising to £70 depending on the magnitude of the game. A season ticket will likely set you back over one kay (£1,000), which for a lion's share of north London locals will be too great a price to pay considering the same season ticket at their former Highbury residence 20 years ago would have fetched £230.

Comparatively, if you want to see Wycombe Wanderers - a League Two side (three divisions lower than the Premier League, and the bottom rung of the English league system before you head into the conference) you will have to depart with 25 nicker. Twenty five nicker! They can play ball at Wycombe, but most of their opposition like to employ a tactic that is only slightly superior to what can best be described as kick and run. Stop me if I am being a scurvy knave but how can that justify the price tag? I mean gag me with a spoon before I gauge my eyes out with it, but it can be cheaper to go and see London Wasps - a European heavyweight rugby team who are housed in the same stadium in south Bucks as the Chairboys: Adams Park.

Premier Politics

Despite these political forces that try to rain down on the Premier League parade, British-based fans, for the most part, will not let it get to them. When the Glazers completed their take over of Manchester United some supporters objected so heavily to the hostile foreign invasion that a fraction rebelled and organised a breakaway club called FC United of Manchester. They are one of the most ardently supported teams in non-league football and during their first three seasons the club witnessed promotion after promotion after promotion. Their fans also embody a remarkable spirit, as the video below shows. The clip was filmed during a match against Halifax Town, pre-season I hasten to add, where around 400 fans clap and sing non-stop, and carry on chanting before, during, and after converting a penalty.




Their other favoured songs of choice include this particularly charming number, sung to the tune of 'Lord Of The Dance':


Higher up the league ladder you might expect that the rules imposed by the Premier League might nullify English passion but this is not the case. Chelsea recently hosted London rivals Arsenal but succumbed to a 2-1 loss despite initially taking the lead. The Gunners are, by tradition, often ribbed for their lack of vocal support. Their former ground Highbury was nicknamed 'the Library' for instance but their loyal travelling fans (like most away supporters in Britain) follow their side up and down the country, and through the thick and the thin. The clip below shows just what the aforementioned result meant to the Arsenal firm as they took the train journey home from Fulham Broadway in west London and back to the Seven Sisters road in north London.





Despite the invading foreign investment, despite the Premier League politics sapping a section of fun out of the game, and despite the increase in match-day and season tickets, the football on the pitch no matter what standard, is still clearly something that the Brits help to keep alive with their jovial spirit, and I for one applaud it.



European pricing:

1,
Eredivisie's top sides (Ajax, PSV) will cost about a score (£20), a fiver less than what Wycombe charge.

2,
France's Ligue 1 is a similar price to the above.

3,
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich go even cheaper. Upwards from £8 will get you seated.

4,
La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona charge between £30 - £100.

5,
Boca Juniors in Argentina go as low as just £5.

6,
While in Italy the top clubs can charge as little as £20 or as much as £175 depending on club and game.


Alan Dawson, Goal.com