But all 380 of the League’s live games are already sold to overseas broadcasters and if all matches, including those at 3pm on a Saturday, are allowed to be shown in the UK, then a tradition already under threat is likely to be damaged further.
The prices of tickets are also soaring and as a follower of my club home and away I have felt the pinch of ticket prices; but now West Ham are a Championship side the prices have fallen for me. That may be the only positive aspect of Championship football but it does make it bearable. I purchased a ticket for Reading away yesterday for £18 and a train ticket of £11 which means I have spent under £30 on an away game in the Championship compared to a visit to Chelsea and Tottenham that cost around £50 just for the ticket or a journey up to the north that has a train ticket of over £40 on its own.
Following West Ham has given me a clear indication of how finances are negatively affecting attendances and atmosphere’s around the country; as there were 5,000 away supporters at Hull last Saturday as part of a moderately small crowd and there will be 7,400 Hammers travelling to Coventry next weekend, a staggering support but showing the lack of interest from the home end by giving away such a large portion of the ground.
This could be due to the lack of Coventry support but the fact that the club knows it is a chance to make some money off the back of West Ham to pay off a stadium that is far to big and expensive for it’s tenants.
That with the price of petrol now-days and the cost of following your side around the country is extortionate. So, if your side are on Sky or ESPN you can’t say that you are not tempted to wander down to the pub to save the travel, cost and in my case disappointment.
The more games on Sky, the more empty seats that will feature in the Premier League and the FA and television companies must think about that before the average football supporter is priced out of following their club. The 3D football has not really taken off in England and that could be a good thing for football clubs but pubs are still packed out while the big games are on the television with empty seats in the ground.
There are of course some exceptions to the rule but the majority of attendances have fallen with prices rising and the amount of games of Sky and ESPN have made it possible to watch the majority of games without leaving your front room. Perhaps there should be less games on television but that would then harm the fans who genuinely cant get to the ground and so there must be a happy medium that we; the supporters; and the big wigs can find.
Written by Brad Pinard for FootballFancast.com.
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