Non-League Upside Coming

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 1, 2014

As we all know the current football business model is flawed and relies heavily on the Sky / BT Phone packages. These guys will have a greater influence on our game and, as the FA and clubs become more & more reliant on their money, the cost of the contract will fall. This, I predict, will send football into a tailspin financially.

The cost to "customers" will rise yet further and push the genuine fan away from their clubs due purely to affordability.

When I look at the cost to us, as a family, season tickets, travel, match day extras, without any away days, it must cost close to around £1,000 a year?

When I go to watch Arundel we don't get to see Vincente, Bent or O'Grady(TFFT) we get to see a group of lads who graft like made to get a win. Lads the boys either know or are happy to connect to. This costs us about £15-£20 per game max, incl all drinks, food, entrance etc. If you follow a couple of sides you get a match every Saturday too! I can walk there, grab a couple of pints and choose where I watch from.

If the non-league clubs really start to gain some traction from the current league fan base there could be huge opportunities for them to make a bit of money whilst providing a much closer and meaningful football experience.

If, and I except it's a big if, you took the rights to non-league football and created a channel showing non-league matches I feel it'd get a reasonable audience? ...... and so the circle to destruction would start again!!

Based on this I cancelled my Sky TV package yesterday; the saving from that step alone would give me FREE football next year if I watched Arundel, Barnham & Wick or any other local team and, of course, the £800 or so on season tickets at The Amex would put me even more in pocket.

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 3, 2014

I can only blame myself for starting a football related thread!

What's your favourite sandwich?

horshamite · Dec 3, 2014

It would be Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner. Ouch!!!

Return of the Rev · Dec 3, 2014

What fruit would you grow inside your head! :moo:

JUST TRYING TO PULL IN A FEW PUNTERS ON THIS THREAD!

Return of the Rev · Dec 3, 2014

Watched around 20 non league games this season and only two brighton games! :moo:

Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews · Dec 3, 2014

Lower leagues do get a showing, FC United executed a successful boycott a few years back at Ashton Utd(?) when the kick off time was changed at short notice. Guernsey show all their matches on line. I even saw Peacehaven get turned over last night thanks to facebook!

Return of the Rev · Dec 3, 2014

Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews said:
Lower leagues do get a showing, FC United executed a successful boycott a few years back at Ashton Utd(?) when the kick off time was changed at short notice. Guernsey show all their matches on line. I even saw Peacehaven get turned over last night thanks to facebook!

Watched the Guernsey v Burgess hill on the big screen at leylands park!

Leekbrookgull · Dec 3, 2014

Non-Lge is what it is all about. In your face Football.

GreersElbow · Dec 3, 2014

I follow a few teams in the conference, conf. south and ryman. I enjoy it, been to a few Lincoln games and went to their derby against Grimsby in September. Great atmosphere and some good football too.

Some Grimsby player though, his diving was spectacular, makes most premier league players look like amateurs.

Chinman3000 · Dec 4, 2014

Buy the same ideaology, why not simple save yourself the £15-£20 a game watching Arundel / Wick ect and go down a local park on a Sunday morning? You can watch arguably entertaining football down there for free and you may even get a punch up to boot.

Win Win.

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 4, 2014

Chinman3000 said:
Buy the same ideaology, why not simple save yourself the £15-£20 a game watching Arundel / Wick ect and go down a local park on a Sunday morning? You can watch arguably entertaining football down there for free and you may even get a punch up to boot.

Win Win.

Indeed, you're right, the only problem is it feels like you're being unfaithful to your Mrs (The Albion) having a dalliance with some non-league floozy! Watched this year:

Arundel
Bognor
Wick & Barnham
East Preston
Littlehampton
Arnold Town (Notts)

All good fun and, as you say, a lot cheaper.

Arthur · Dec 4, 2014

Tim Over Whelmed said:
If, and I except it's a big if, you took the rights to non-league football and created a channel showing non-league matches I feel it'd get a reasonable audience? ...... and so the circle to destruction would start again!!

Don't Setanta (or whatever it's called now) have the rights to the conference??

Whilst I admire your sentiment I can't say I agree. This football will eat itself and push your average Joe Punter away argument has been doing the rounds for yonks but attendances keep rising. Granted they maybe the new age of fans but football has evolved and attracts that kind of person now. However there are only a handful of people I know of that have turned their back on the game. That may well change next season but that say more about how poor we've been this season.

Non league attendances (and by non league I mean the amateur/semi pro game so most below the conference), with a few exceptions still get relatively poor crowds. I follow non league football every week and the biggest crowd at a game I've been at this season was circa 5/600ish. That was Lewes Maidstone and the majority of those were visiting fans. Maidstone are one of the exceptions I mentioned above but even for them for a relatively short trip to a town where you can have a decent drink I thought it was a poor following.

That said more people should go and watch their local sides. I think a lot of people would be surprised at the standard these days. Of course it's no where near the level of the professional game but that's not to say you can't find entertaining football and some very good players. The lad Burgess Hill just sold to Hull being a prime example. Plus you can watch the game with a beer in your hand!!

stripeyshark · Dec 4, 2014

Arthur said:
Don't Setanta (or whatever it's called now) have the rights to the conference??

Whilst I admire your sentiment I can't say I agree. This football will eat itself and push your average Joe Punter away argument has been doing the rounds for yonks but attendances keep rising. Granted they maybe the new age of fans but football has evolved and attracts that kind of person now. However there are only a handful of people I know of that have turned their back on the game. That may well change next season but that say more about how poor we've been this season.

Non league attendances (and by non league I mean the amateur/semi pro game so most below the conference), with a few exceptions still get relatively poor crowds. I follow non league football every week and the biggest crowd at a game I've been at this season was circa 5/600ish. That was Lewes Maidstone and the majority of those were visiting fans. Maidstone are one of the exceptions I mentioned above but even for them for a relatively short trip to a town where you can have a decent drink I thought it was a poor following.

That said more people should go and watch their local sides. I think a lot of people would be surprised at the standard these days. Of course it's no where near the level of the professional game but that's not to say you can't find entertaining football and some very good players. The lad Burgess Hill just sold to Hull being a prime example. Plus you can watch the game with a beer in your hand!!

At least 800 down at Dover v Torquay on Tuesday.

Arthur · Dec 4, 2014

stripeyshark said:
At least 800 down at Dover v Torquay on Tuesday.

At step 1 is that even that great especially given they were playing a recent ex league side??

Plus to be honest as I mentioned in my previous post based on the sides the OP was talking about I was mainly talking about sides below the conference. Luton were getting 10k a week in that division last season and Bristol Rovers still get 6/7k this.

stripeyshark · Dec 4, 2014

Arthur said:
At step 1 is that even that great especially given they were playing a recent ex league side??

Plus to be honest as I mentioned in my previous post based on the sides the OP was talking about I was mainly talking about sides below the conference. Luton were getting 10k a week in that division last season and Bristol Rovers still get 6/7k this.

long way for the 200 torquay on a tuesday night!

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 4, 2014

Arthur said:
Don't Setanta (or whatever it's called now) have the rights to the conference??

Whilst I admire your sentiment I can't say I agree. This football will eat itself and push your average Joe Punter away argument has been doing the rounds for yonks but attendances keep rising. Granted they maybe the new age of fans but football has evolved and attracts that kind of person now. However there are only a handful of people I know of that have turned their back on the game. That may well change next season but that say more about how poor we've been this season.

Non league attendances (and by non league I mean the amateur/semi pro game so most below the conference), with a few exceptions still get relatively poor crowds. I follow non league football every week and the biggest crowd at a game I've been at this season was circa 5/600ish. That was Lewes Maidstone and the majority of those were visiting fans. Maidstone are one of the exceptions I mentioned above but even for them for a relatively short trip to a town where you can have a decent drink I thought it was a poor following.

That said more people should go and watch their local sides. I think a lot of people would be surprised at the standard these days. Of course it's no where near the level of the professional game but that's not to say you can't find entertaining football and some very good players. The lad Burgess Hill just sold to Hull being a prime example. Plus you can watch the game with a beer in your hand!!

Hi Arthur,

I appreciate it's been doing the rounds for some years but I do feel there is now the emergence of this feeling around Sky money, football clubs reliance on it and I also feel that there will be downward pressure from Sky / BT / Virgin in terms of contract costs as they settle and rework their business models as people move away from paying for TV and use more Freeview style channels of TV.

I also feel, even at Brighton, there is a feeling that the club and players have lost touch with the traditional football fan and more focus is placed on sponsors and higher priced season ticket / package holders.

Football is heading for a financial abyss .... maybe not this year and maybe not next but soon, IMHO.

Arthur · Dec 4, 2014

Tim Over Whelmed said:
Hi Arthur,

I appreciate it's been doing the rounds for some years but I do feel there is now the emergence of this feeling around Sky money, football clubs reliance on it and I also feel that there will be downward pressure from Sky / BT / Virgin in terms of contract costs as they settle and rework their business models as people move away from paying for TV and use more Freeview style channels of TV.

I also feel, even at Brighton, there is a feeling that the club and players have lost touch with the traditional football fan and more focus is placed on sponsors and higher priced season ticket / package holders.

Football is heading for a financial abyss .... maybe not this year and maybe not next but soon, IMHO.

Hiya Tim,

Firstly how refreshing to have a thread about football. Secondly also how refreshing to have two people disagree on something without it resulting in name calling. Ya wallybrain! :thumbsup:

I can't disagree with your sentiment about the club and players losing touch with the fans that has got to be down to the amount of money sloshing about in the game.

Regarding your last sentence I actually don't think it would be a bad thing if it did, it might be what is needed to get it out of the situation it finds itself in currently. FFP might have changed the game for the better but it was always going to abused by certain clubs and given the recent news now just appears to be a massive waste of time.

I disagree it will be soon though, it's a very sellable product (yes I said it) especially abroad. All that time is the case they'll still be astronomical television deals and therefore a game that is polluted with money.

FC United is probably the closest thing we've seen to fans standing up to the machine but even that was only a handful of people in the grand scheme of things and they were easily replaced at Old Trafford by people not really socking it to the Glaziers with a green and gold scarf so win win for them.

turienzo's lovechild · Dec 4, 2014

Tim Over Whelmed said:
If, and I except it's a big if, you took the rights to non-league football and created a channel showing non-league matches I feel it'd get a reasonable audience? ...... and so the circle to destruction would start again!!
.

setanta definitely showed conference football, as well as play off games for the conference north/south

don't think they got particularly large viewing figures

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 4, 2014

Arthur said:
Hiya Tim,

Firstly how refreshing to have a thread about football. Secondly also how refreshing to have two people disagree on something without it resulting in name calling. Ya wallybrain!

I can't disagree with your sentiment about the club and players losing touch with the fans that has got to be down to the amount of money sloshing about in the game.

Regarding your last sentence I actually don't think it would be a bad thing if it did, it might be what is needed to get it out of the situation it finds itself in currently. FFP might have changed the game for the better but it was always going to abused by certain clubs and given the recent news now just appears to be a massive waste of time.

I disagree it will be soon though, it's a very sellable product (yes I said it) especially abroad. All that time is the case they'll still be astronomical television deals and therefore a game that is polluted with money.

FC United is probably the closest thing we've seen to fans standing up to the machine but even that was only a handful of people in the grand scheme of things and they were easily replaced at Old Trafford by people not really socking it to the Glaziers with a green and gold scarf so win win for them.

Dear Mr Wallybrain! :wave:

I just feel that so much money has been borrowed on such much "jam tomorrow" thinking that any sign of the golden goose getting constipated and the confidence will take a huge hit and people may start calling their debts in. As much as I absolutely love Brighton it seems crazy to build a dream for £200m and know you'll need another £50-75m to realise that dream; and when does that sort of debt get paid back?

As soon as a club gets promoted the buy all all the Sanchez de Moneybagus they can find from obscure South American countries and then get relegated and rely on parachute payments and another "hope" of a future promotion. I just see the Football Industry as one of the biggest and most worrying hours of cards on the planet. One day they'll look for the next mug to bail them out and they won't be there or they won't have the cash.

But hey ho, until then ..... AL BEEE OOON, AL BEEE ON

Tim Over Whelmed · Dec 4, 2014

turienzo's lovechild said:
setanta definitely showed conference football, as well as play off games for the conference north/south

don't think they got particularly large viewing figures

Do you remember Sunday League football on C4, just fighting on Hackney Marshes really!

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