England, as the birthplace of football, should be excited to have such a strong second tier of football. No other second tier country in Europe can claim to be as strong financially or competitively when you start down the footballing leagues. The facts are there to be seen; the revenue generated by clubs in the Championship of £306 million reaffirms it as Europe's sixth biggest league. This means that the likes of Blackpool are helping their league to financially rival the Eredvisie and Ligue 1 and to beat Portugal's Primera Liga.
In football today, money is highly influential, and with the Premier League persisting as the richest domestic competition in the world, and with the Big Four having remained in the top ten of The Deloitte Football Money League since 2004/2005, money was bound to trickle down to rest of the English divisions. Take James Beattie at Sheffield Utd, for 18 months the former England striker plied his trade in the Championship, he was able to do so because of the parachute payment system that stabilised United after their relegation. He was earning a reported £40,000 a week. That is a staggering amount when you consider that the average wage for most players at Championship clubs is less than £6000 per week.
But, it isn't just the money that makes the Championship such an attractive league for footballers to play in and for fans follow. Unlike the Premier League, Championship clubs are spread evenly across the country with four in the South West and Wales (Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City, Cardiff and Swansea), four in the Greater London area (Reading, QPR, Crystal Palace, and Watford), five in the West and East Midlands (West Brom, Coventry, Leicester, Notts Forest and Derby), two in East Anglia (Peterborough and Ipswich), five in Yorkshire (Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Barnsley, Doncaster and Scunthorpe), two in the North West (Preston and Blackpool), and Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the North East. Furthermore, the average ticket price for a Championship game is £21 for an adult and £12 for concessions. This means that the Championship, in contrast to the Premier League, is fan friendly. Wigan and Sunderland's half full stadiums spring to mind. The high levels of support in the Championship speak for themselves; 17 of the 24 teams in the Championship boast all-seated stadia with a 20,000 capacity or higher. All but two (Blackpool and Scunthorpe) have capacities of over 15,000. Fifteen have Premier League experience, with Swansea, Scunthorpe, Plymouth, Peterborough, Doncaster, Cardiff, Bristol city, Blackpool and Preston being the exceptions. It is also worth noting that ten League One clubs have spectator capacities of 15,000 or higher, and six teams have Premier League experience, how many other third tier leagues across Europe can boast such a record? None.
For the 09/10 season, Plymouth are charging their fans £450 for an adult season ticket and newly promoted Leicester are requesting £320, but QPR are bucking the trend by charging £650. It is possible that the era of sold out stadiums in the Championship about to end, as clubs become even more desperate to make money.
With the Premier League mostly consisting of the footballing powerhouses of Greater Manchester and Greater London, there is little left for much of the country in the way of a local top flight side, this is where the appeal of some the Championship teams comes into play. The rivalry and sheer competition that exists within the Championship is so intense because every section of every club, from the fan to the chairman, strives for the dreamland of the Premier League. Recently promoted Burnley, for example, are now financially set for the next ten years. This security, alongside the prestige of playing in the Premier League, is what fuels the competition of the Championship.
It becomes clear, when watching the football of the Championship and experiencing the stadia that it is played within, that we should be happy to have such a diverse and strong league helping to make the Premier League, and ultimately England, a stronger force in the world of football.
In football today, money is highly influential, and with the Premier League persisting as the richest domestic competition in the world, and with the Big Four having remained in the top ten of The Deloitte Football Money League since 2004/2005, money was bound to trickle down to rest of the English divisions. Take James Beattie at Sheffield Utd, for 18 months the former England striker plied his trade in the Championship, he was able to do so because of the parachute payment system that stabilised United after their relegation. He was earning a reported £40,000 a week. That is a staggering amount when you consider that the average wage for most players at Championship clubs is less than £6000 per week.
But, it isn't just the money that makes the Championship such an attractive league for footballers to play in and for fans follow. Unlike the Premier League, Championship clubs are spread evenly across the country with four in the South West and Wales (Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City, Cardiff and Swansea), four in the Greater London area (Reading, QPR, Crystal Palace, and Watford), five in the West and East Midlands (West Brom, Coventry, Leicester, Notts Forest and Derby), two in East Anglia (Peterborough and Ipswich), five in Yorkshire (Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Barnsley, Doncaster and Scunthorpe), two in the North West (Preston and Blackpool), and Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the North East. Furthermore, the average ticket price for a Championship game is £21 for an adult and £12 for concessions. This means that the Championship, in contrast to the Premier League, is fan friendly. Wigan and Sunderland's half full stadiums spring to mind. The high levels of support in the Championship speak for themselves; 17 of the 24 teams in the Championship boast all-seated stadia with a 20,000 capacity or higher. All but two (Blackpool and Scunthorpe) have capacities of over 15,000. Fifteen have Premier League experience, with Swansea, Scunthorpe, Plymouth, Peterborough, Doncaster, Cardiff, Bristol city, Blackpool and Preston being the exceptions. It is also worth noting that ten League One clubs have spectator capacities of 15,000 or higher, and six teams have Premier League experience, how many other third tier leagues across Europe can boast such a record? None.
For the 09/10 season, Plymouth are charging their fans £450 for an adult season ticket and newly promoted Leicester are requesting £320, but QPR are bucking the trend by charging £650. It is possible that the era of sold out stadiums in the Championship about to end, as clubs become even more desperate to make money.
With the Premier League mostly consisting of the footballing powerhouses of Greater Manchester and Greater London, there is little left for much of the country in the way of a local top flight side, this is where the appeal of some the Championship teams comes into play. The rivalry and sheer competition that exists within the Championship is so intense because every section of every club, from the fan to the chairman, strives for the dreamland of the Premier League. Recently promoted Burnley, for example, are now financially set for the next ten years. This security, alongside the prestige of playing in the Premier League, is what fuels the competition of the Championship.
It becomes clear, when watching the football of the Championship and experiencing the stadia that it is played within, that we should be happy to have such a diverse and strong league helping to make the Premier League, and ultimately England, a stronger force in the world of football.
The Championship is the most competitive league in England. Plus it has one of the most lucrative games in football, (Play-off final). Anyone can beat anyone in this league. It’s full of ex Premiership teams fighting to get out of the hardest league in the world. However the ticketing looks soon it will become like the top flight, with teams like QPR charging silly money for season tickets. And them being one of the richest clubs in the league, they don’t need to charge that amount.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Sean. It's good to see wide awareness of the Championship's importance.
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