The world of football is ever evolving and has developed in to the product that is now watched by thousands of people in stadiums & millions more around the world on television every week. The fans have had to evolve too. The catalysts for modern football outlined in part 1, the introduction of all seater stadiums, the greater availability of games on television and the development of the Premier League and Champions League have changed the football experience for fans, both at the stadium and in life in general.
The Importance of the Armchair Fan
The armchair fan – a fan who sits at home watches all their teams games on television buys the latest replica shirt and other assorted merchandise, but has rarely if ever actually been to their teams ground. This type of fan is often derided by fans who regularly attend matches, however the armchair fan is now more important to teams than the thousands that pour through the turnstiles every week. In the last set of published reports (2012/13) only two premier league teams made more money from match day income than they did from television rights Manchester United and Arsenal, however they are likely to join the rest as this year’s report will include a new television deal and neither has expanded its stadium. It is reasonable to suggest given these numbers that the fan who sits at home in his replica shirt and pays their Sky subscription is far more important to teams than the average season ticket holder. Tottenham Hotspur who finished 5th and qualified for the Europa League that year made £33million from gate receipts and £57million from television and media. Manchester City who competed in the UEFA Champions League made £48million more in television than they did in match day revenue and Aston Villa (who finished 15th) made £46million in TV money compared to £13million from matchdays.
Customers Not Fans
At a recent game v Hull City, Liverpool Fans displayed a banner that read “Fans not Customers”. It is a nice sentiment but is naïve. Football is a business and is run as such. With teams traded on stock markets, balance sheets are as important as team sheets and a big part of that is the money brought in from fans. A clubs support is now its customer base with merchandise and match day tickets marketed as such. Clubs take advantage of what is extreme brand loyalty as fans tend not to change the clubs they support.
Ticket prices have become a huge sticking point for many fans with some priced out of going to see games live, however teams are unfazed as they can still fill their stadia as those who can afford it are still willing to pay. Arsenal, whose highest ticket price is £97, had an average attendance of 59,487 in 2013/14 in a stadium that holds 60,272, showing that there are people willing to pay premium prices to watch football, and even if a few choose to boycott in protest there are others willing to take their place.
The Golden Age of Football
Some fans who have become disillusioned with modern football hark back to a previous era where football was not so much a business, however many of these fans either look back with rose tinted glasses or were not even there to see it in the first place. People who look back to football in the 70s and 80s seem to forget the bad things from those eras hooliganism and stadium tragedies are among images that are glossed over.
In reality this era is footballs golden era. Is it perfect no, however never before have more fans been able to watch their team from anywhere across the globe. Players are fitter and as a collective more skilful than ever before. Fans are safer than they have ever been and although the threat of hooliganism has not totally disappeared it is now a rare sight. Yes modern football has its issues and it is more expensive than ever to attend games, but football has always had issues and its controversy its part of its appeal.
The world of football has evolved and so has the football fan. There is no longer an average fan. Fans come in all shapes sizes and from all over the globe and that is part of what makes football the game it is.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert. Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow my Twitter account – @LWOSRob. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans atr/football.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
