In the near future football admission to matches in the English Premier League may be completely free for the fans. That remarkable prediction was put forward by Dr Simon Chadwick who is director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre at the University of London on a plenary session sunday night.
Though the basis for the scenario is a rumour about the future plans of Manchester United, it seems likely in light of the development in English football over the years. While revenues from stadium entrance fees was the lifeblood of football clubs years ago, their importance has decreased as revenues from television deals has skyrocketed. And full stadiums are necessary to make a good broadcast.
- It’s a possibly new area where you go to football for free, because the club needs the atmosphere from the fans to get good tv-deals, Simon Chadwick explained after going through the evolution of football from ancient times to being working man’s relief from the anxiety and stress of working in the steel yards.
Is the working man’s contribution at the gates of no or less importance these days, there is no doubt that his contribution at the stands is essential to the stadium atmosphere. Which is why he could end up being the freeloading sound setting of the brave new media world.
16 responses so far ↓
1 Patrick Mendelewitsch // Oct 29, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Predictions of Professor Chadwick look quite strange. A brief look at business plans presently developped by”top notch” english Premier League clubs (to finance and build new, bigger, more comfortable stadiums with larger shopping areas in order to maximize revenues per seat…) leads to a very different story ! Especially when you keep in mind that, unlike continent’s situation, revenus generated by stadiums of “famous clubs” were comparable to TV rights just a few years ago. For example, ManU’s revenue split in 2002-2003was 41% from Old Trafford, 27% from commercial contracts and only32% from TV rights…
2 Guy Osborn // Oct 29, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Its an nteresting thought, and one that has been raised in past, especially in terms of advertising requirements and the need for passionate stadia rather than increasingly sterile atmosphere -the old ‘Highbury the Library’ comment springs to mind here and also ties into the notion that football is nothing without its fans - a point Sean Hamil finished his talk with yesterday. I think Simon’s point was a hypothetical one raising some of these issues.
3 MARCOS // Oct 30, 2007 at 1:06 am
I think that’s a wonderfull idea, go ahead with it.
I like stadiums plenty of crowd.
Soccer without fans is nothing.
But corruption in sports must be fight hardly.
4 Steve Greenfield // Oct 30, 2007 at 10:25 am
Bringing back safe standing and reducing prices would be a sensible start.
5 Simon Chadwick // Oct 30, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Re. “Predictions of Professor Chadwick look quite strange [and] ManU’s revenue split in 2002-2003 was…..” The start of 2002 to the start of 2008 is six years and two new TV contracts later. The split mentioned WAS correct but it has now changed and TV revenues are now heading rapidly towards 50% of total revenue for some clubs. As for giving fans free entry to games, it was simply one scenario, amongst a number of others, that someone asked me to comment on. That said, watch this space!
6 Steve Greenfield // Oct 31, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I wonder if Prof Chadwick has a ’secret fund’ to pay us to go and watch Middlesborough!
7 Guy Osborn // Oct 31, 2007 at 6:50 pm
It would need more than a secret fund to entice us up there!
8 Simon Chadwick // Oct 31, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Outwardly, I seem like a modest university academic, but secretly I am a Russian oligarch. I have hatched a plan to give all football fans everywhere free tickets to whichever game they want to see.
9 Steve Greenfield // Oct 31, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Dr Osborn i think you do the mighty boro a grave disservice
10 Simon Chadwick // Oct 31, 2007 at 8:41 pm
To get access to these tickets, people will have to consent to visit Middlesbrough at least 10 times each season to watch a game.
11 Magnus Hammar // Nov 1, 2007 at 10:31 am
Since they signed Mikkel Beck years back, Boro has seemed somewhat dubious to me. It must be a club driven by forces so devious, it’s beyond human apprehension to get a meaning of it.
12 Steve Greenfield // Nov 1, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Magnus i think you summed up ‘boro quite nicely. I like Prof Chadwick’s marketing strategy though fear it will attract the attention of the transparency network bods for it seems clear corruption. On the other hand for corruption to work someone must accept the bribe….
13 Sebastián Fest // Nov 1, 2007 at 12:51 pm
So, you mean that´s too bad for any fan? No free tickets chance for Middlesbrough then?
14 Simon Chadwick // Nov 1, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Mikkel Beck’s contribution to English football has been historic……he introduced hairbands into our domestic game. In addition, he now owns a very nice fish restaurant in West London. This was obviously inspired by his performances for the MIGHTY BORO, where he could be seen flipping and diving in the opposition’s penalty area.
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