Authorities must sort out the money or the real fans might walk away.

I wonder if there is a possibility that the halcyon days of English Premier League football could be in danger of losing its place of importance in society? I truly hope not, but I fear that it could be possible.

I love the game and I always have. Even in the dark days of the 1970s and 1980s I was in love with the game despite the small crowds, poor pitches, poor football and violence on the pitch and in the crowd.

Credit crunch

What worries me now is that with the general public feeling the pressure of the ‘credit crunch’, ‘credit squeeze’, ‘hard times’ or recession, depending on which newspaper you read, the ridiculous money in the game may just start to alienate the fans.

It is a long time since the big clubs put the fans first but up until now, the paying public has been prepared to go along with it because of the entertainment levels provided.

Empty seats

Watching the Premier League games this season there seems to have been a few more empty seats in the stands. Not too long ago it would have been almost impossible to get a ticket for a Premier League game, but now, in all but a few grounds, there are usually free places.

The only reason I can think of for this is the money aspect. When Championship side Queens Park Rangers are putting their prices up so that it could cost fifty pounds to watch a game in tier two of the league, things have surely begun to go too far. Some teams have refused to buy tickets for their away game at QPR in protest at the prices.

How long before other clubs follow QPRs lead and how long before the fans turn their back on going to live games?

Increase in violence

People say that almost everything goes in cycles. I have noticed a small but significant increase in crowd violence, a small but significant increase in violence on the pitch and as I have discussed, a small but significant increase in the number of empty seats. The pitches are still good and the quality of the football is probably the best ever, but there are enough signs of a potential return to the bad old days to raise the alarm.

In the past, football was the working man’s game and the fans knew that whatever they were suffering in life, the players were going through the same things. Nowadays, at the top level, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Fans will walk away

A fan is now faced with increased fuel bills, food bills and utility bills and is being asked to pay fifty pounds to watch a club who are paying their players thousands of pounds a week. The equation does not add up and unless something is done soon, I fear that the fans may start to walk away.

If the fans walked away the glamour would not be so associated with the sport and the big money men might just walk away and look elsewhere as well. Can you imagine what would happen to Chelsea if Roman Abramovich decided he he’d had enough?

I am talking about a doomsday that is a long way away at the moment, but one that I truly believe could arrive quicker than the powers that be realise if action isn’t taken about the amount of money in the game.

Prawn sandwich

Football is not about Roy Keane’s infamous ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade, or those awful people who miss the first ten minutes of the second half whilst they finish their glass of bubbly. It is about the people for whom football is important. For whom it is a passion and for which they are prepared to part with a sizeable chunk of their income.

The football authorities must understand that and must take heed of the fact that they need to look after the ‘real fan’ now more than ever.

When Rupert Murdoch loses interest in football and the ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade move back to Polo or three day eventing or whatever corporate event they decide is the current vogue, football will be left with the real fans only. They might not have the money of the corporate section but they are the very life’s blood of the game.

Real fans

The clubs need to start to recognise and reward their real fans. Whilst they are serving luxurious four course meals to their corporate clientele, they are charging exorbitant prices to the real fans and offering them a choice of cold pies, burgers or mars bars for twice the price they would pay anywhere else.

I don’t mind paying a ridiculous amount of money for my cold pie, but I might start to object if players who don’t seem to try too hard are being paid thousands of pounds, including my pie money, and not even caring about the club.

Sensible and realistic

It is time for the authorities to step in and bring financial matters within the game back to a sensible and realistic level.

Unless things change, the real fans might just move elsewhere. It is no coincidence that attendance levels at semi-professional and amateur football are on the up.