The Differing Fortunes of English Football Clubs

The contrast in fortunes between the top English football clubs and those in the lower leagues seems to be getting bigger. And by the top football teams I'm not necessarily referring to all those in the Premiership as being financially healthy in the wealthiest of all the English soccer leagues.

Take the situation with Portsmouth F.C for example. The players received their December wages eight days late. And that was only after the club`s owners managed to get hold of a short-term loan so they could pay the money. This is the third time the club has been late with players` and other staff`s wages. Added to their problems the HM Revenue & Customs is threatening the club with a winding up petition. Their on pitch problems are just as serious as their off pitch ones as they languish in the bottom part of the Premiership.

Taking a look at a team which is probably quite typical of a side in the lower leagues, Rochdale, we see a side that is doing well on the pitch, where they are currently in top position in League 2.

Rochdale`s average attendance is around 3,500. No doubt success on the field is helping them to keep their supporters travelling to the games to watch them. But, getting in to the match is certainly not cheap, especially is it difficult during this time of recession.

The cheapest match day ticket will cost £14 for an adult, with concessionary tickets for children or pensioners around £9. Family tickets can help ease the burden a little. Then there`s the cost of food and drink inside the ground, and that is never cheap at any football ground. A programme is £3. Added to that is the cost of travel, which for fans travelling to other grounds can be horrendous. And for the die hard supporters who buy the kits, Replica shirts for adults are £37.99, Junior shirts £27.99, Shorts £14.99 and Socks £7.99. That`s about £100 per full kit.

And, if Rochdale are promoted at the end of the season they`ll have to come up with 20% higher wages for their players. Can they afford it? Will the supporters keep on coming through the gates, faced with possibly higher ticket prices to help cover greater costs?

At the other end of the spectrum Manchester City, one of the richest of all clubs, has reported a loss of £92 million for the year up to May 31st 2009. That`s a huge jump in losses from the previous year, when it was £32 million. Of course most of the increased expenditure was down to huge transfer fees being paid out for new players, and the higher costs of wages for some of the world`s top players.

But, where such high amounts of money are involved football club`s owners demand success, which is why Mark Hughes is now the ex-Manchester City manager, being fired after not winning enough matches.

The fact is that despite the economic crisis in England football is still in a reasonably healthy condition.

Manchester United is one of the most successful football clubs in the world. Their success on the pitch is mirrored by their success off it. They have the largest club stadium capacity in England, seating over 75,000 supporters. And, unlike the majority of clubs, they have no trouble filling it at their home games, as well as swelling numbers at their away matches too.

The price of tickets don`t seem to put fans off either, costing twice as much as they do for that of Rochdale. Hospitality boxes can cost from a little over £100 plus VAT for a low-profile match. A Carling Cup semi-final for example is £119 + VAT for the package, right on up to over £550 when the visiting team is one like Chelsea or Liverpool. Prices do include meal, free drinks, car parking, and programme however. Go for a top private executive box and the price for a season rockets to a starting price of £18,600. Usually it`s businesses who buy the executive boxes.

Geoff has written about Bert Trautmann and has a blog about Manchester United football club.