To say No to football handouts

[blagaaw99]

Aibu to say No to football handouts?!

It's not just a handout to keep a game going and likely isn't aimed at Premier league clubs. It will be lower league clubs who all have staff and the result of no fans at games will ruin them and they might not come back from it.
I heard yesterday on the radio about Premier league clubs supporting them but I don't see why the government shouldn't.
It is a viable business as once things are allowed to go back to some normality they will be full again.

Absolutely agree -each premier league player can adopt several small clubs and keep them going with their vulgar salaries they get for kicking a bag of air round a field. Football.as awhile has more money than it needs. There’s millions of better places the government can put money.

@Ihatefish

Absolutely agree -each premier league player can adopt several small clubs and keep them going with their vulgar salaries they get for kicking a bag of air round a field. Football.as awhile has more money than it needs. There’s millions of better places the government can put money.

Sounds like a good plan. Fans could support their clubs too?

Grass roots football is really struggling. The clubs get money from people going to watch, which as a result of government restrictions cannot happen.

These clubs provide jobs. They are just a deserving for government help as other entertainment/arts who are also struggling due to government restrictions.

You know PL already have a long, long list of ways they give back, right?

www.premierleague.com/news/1647358

But sure, paying for half of everyone's Nandos was a brilliant use of cash.

@Ihatefish

Absolutely agree -each premier league player can adopt several small clubs and keep them going with their vulgar salaries they get for kicking a bag of air round a field. Football.as awhile has more money than it needs. There’s millions of better places the government can put money.

Beyonce can give away her money to help struggling singers Jimmy Carr can give away his money to help struggling comedians Tesco can give away the majority of their profits to help struggling businesses You can give away a load of your savings to help struggling neighbours/friends Why stop at footballers?

Except fans can't support their clubs... They're closed to many / all spectators, depending on league.

Most season ticket holders have bought for a year they don't expect to go to any matches.

Football clubs are a lot more than premiership players with obscene salaries. Grassroots clubs, lower league clubs all add a lot of employment, support and facilities to their community.

Don't let the money at the top levels deceive you.

I might suggest my boss gives me one of his buy to let flats. Or his VW camper van.

Grass roots football for children and young people - yes.

Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea etc. no.

@blagaaw99 I think you need to go and do some research about lower league clubs. Hugely important community resources providing employment, community support etc. No gate receipts means no income. You may not care about sport but many many people do, and in a society where obesity is a ticking time bomb, it's more important than ever.
My DH and DCs support a league 2 club. They have bought their season tickets even though they may not get to go to any games, bought their new shirts etc, because the club needs them to. The local premiership club has also provided financial support. But it may not be enough.
The club's charity provides all the sports coaches at several of our local primaries as schools don't have the budget to fund it themselves.
But yeah, fuck 'em.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Except fans can't support their clubs... They're closed to many / all spectators, depending on league.

Most season ticket holders have bought for a year they don't expect to go to any matches.

Football clubs are a lot more than premiership players with obscene salaries. Grassroots clubs, lower league clubs all add a lot of employment, support and facilities to their community.

Don't let the money at the top levels deceive you.

Exactly. 2 years ago Hartlepool were saved, partly by Middlesbrough fans, who bought tickets to repay the time Hartlepool let Boro use their ground. Their own was locked due to financial issues. You can't do any of that with corona.

@blagaaw99

And if you think we should support do you pay tax?

Most people pay tax?

@blagaaw99

And if you think we should support do you pay tax?

Anyone who buys anything in a shop pays tax. But that's not what you really meant is it? You meant 'are you on benefits?'.

Yes, I do support football clubs being bailed out. They are employers, just like shops, restaurants and other businesses who have received assistance. Obviously, this thread is borne of your dislike for the sport or perhaps a dislike for your husband's love of the sport distracting him from 'faaamily life' for three or four hours per week.

Why doesn't Queen Dame J.K. Rowling donate some of her millions to struggling bookshops?

I’m not a football fan but I am a rugby league fan. They are a sport which has teams in the top flight who are struggling with a season with no match day income. All the players have taken a pay drop to be able to keep playing and hopefully keep the clubs afloat.

They where hopeful that around now they would be able to get fans into the ground in small numbers but now that hasn’t happened then the financial issues become even harder to deal with.

And the knock on effect on clubs in every league is going to be similar.

Every sport is going to be having similar issues because one of the major funding sources has been taken away with no sign when it will be back at all let alone being able to operate at full capacity crowds.

The issue isn't with the Premier League due to the tv revenue. The problem really is with the League 1 and 2 (and below) sides who are far more reliant on gate income than the top 2 tiers.

The league 1 and 2 clubs are limited to 60 and 55% of wages as a percentage of turnover whereas the championship average the other year was a very sustainable 107%.

The smaller clubs are now asking for governmental or Premier league support because they are at risk of going out of business due to the lockdown and the likelihood that crowds are not likely to be back in grounds any time soon.

Although the finances of the Premier League are obscene, I don't recall seeing FTSE 100 companies being asked to bail out smaller firms. I don't see big bands bailing out small bands so is football being singled out?

I'm fractionally more for governmental support as once this is over, clubs will survive. But it must be as loans to be repaid or at the very least equity stakes in clubs to protect the loans.

If the lower leagues had the same insane outgoings as the Championship, I'd say no. You can't protect bad management.

Well obviously I wouldn’t want tax payers money going to the uber rich clubs like Chelsea, Man U etc.

But I wouldn’t mind if it went to small clubs in small leagues which don’t have sponsorship/tv deals but are important in their communities.

@blagaaw99

And if you think we should support do you pay tax?

I do thank you and yes I do believe we should support them

You're entitled to not want to bail out businesses. Why you would single out a certain sector and not others is presumably based on your own prejudices though. I'd argue the sports industry is better for the population at large (by encouraging and facilitating kids to be active) than many other hospitality/entertainment sectors.

Anyway, the bottom line is that it's bad for the economy if too many businesses fail. That's why we bail them out.

Why does football get such a bad press all the time? Grassroots is really struggling, they have no money. Livelihoods, mental health depend on sport. I never hear anyone ask F1, golfers, musicians, hedge fund managers to bail others out. Such snobbery.

Say whatever you like, it's not up to you.

I pay tax.
I see no reason why struggling football clubs and their employees shouldn't be supported.

@blagaaw99

Aibu to say No to football handouts?!

OP are there any other industries that you don't want handouts being given to?

@blagaaw99

And if you think we should support do you pay tax?

Yes, I do, and in the UK. And I'd like a percentage of that tax to go towards keeping people in their jobs.

Agree with ZoeTurtle, read the title thread and I was expecting to get a free football.
Nice to read mostly measured views about the subject though.