Saturday, December 6, 2008

English Football and the Credit Crunch By Jason Towse

English football is a multi billion pound industry and has seen plenty of foreign investment in recent years. The global credit crunch has lead to uncertainty over whether the economic climate will affect English football. With job losses and rising prices, the humble supporter might feel the pinch worst of all.

Watching your favourite team can be an expensive business and there are many things which add up to the total cost of attending matches. The match ticket may be the obvious cost associated with football but there are additional costs such as travel to and from games as well as the purchase of food and drink. Those fans that follow their team away will have an even bigger outlay compared to home games.

If the cost of attending matches does get too expensive there are steps that English football clubs can take to entice supporters through the turnstiles. Many clubs offer reduced ticket prices on certain low profile games. There are also occasions where kids will be allowed admission for a vastly reduced fee.

For a father who attends football matches with his children, the mounting costs can be painful. These reduced price measures will help to keep fans interested otherwise they could be tempted to stay at home and get their football fix from watching live matches on satellite or cable television channels.

It seems that the more obvious signs of the credit crunch affecting English football are likely to be felt in the boardroom. Some of the wealthiest club owners, chairmen and directors have seen the value of assets and investments plummet during the economic downturn.

It is not the ideal time to be selling a football club or seeking fresh investment. Many clubs have built up large debts which they now struggle to service. It remains to be seen whether the spiralling transfer fees of recent times will be checked. And it may take some time for the affects of the credit crunch to filter through to the supporters.

For more articles related to football please visit English Football News where you will find the latest soccer news and comment from the premiership scene as well as English football in general.

The author is an experienced sports journalist and has a keen interest in sports betting, poker and financial trading you can see some of his work at Football Betting System which is a popular soccer betting resource for use on the betting exchanges.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Towse

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