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Posts tagged ‘Arsenal’

May 13

Bakuthenet

“Back of the net” one might shout, if either a Chelsea or Arsenal supporter, with delight on securing an Europa League Final ticket. Well, there’s little surprise that this is no mean feat.
The wisdom of UEFA sending our fans ‘off the beaten track’ to Baku shows once again the interests of loyal supporters are right at the back of the queue. Each of these English Clubs get a mere 6,000 allocation.
Well atleast due diligence must have been done on the suitability of Azerbaijan to host such a flagship event? Think again! The BBC website announces: “The most direct route to drive from London to the Baku Olympic Stadium passes through a closed border crossing and an area of eastern Ukraine in which Russian-backed rebels are confronting Ukrainian troops along a mainly static frontline. To avoid those issues, one option is to travel via Istanbul, as with this route, a journey estimated to take 59 hours of driving time”. Appealing, eh?
There is a 68,700 capacity in the Olympic Stadium in Baku. Surely the excessive UEFA/FIFA entourage could have taken less to allow the hard pressed fans of each team to follow their respective clubs. 6,000 each is pitiful – especiaslly having gone through war trodden zones in the name of loyal support.
To top.it all: “Arsenal and Chelsea fans face an arduous 2,500 mile journey to watch the two London teams battle it out for the Europa League title in Baku.” Estimated costs per person for a two-day trip are £1,400.
Whoever said the fans come first?

Oct 25

Spondulas

A new report states that the average cost of admission (adult) has rocketed in the top four divisions of English football by a startling 11.7% in the past 12 months – more than five times the rate of inflation.  Good job some signs of the recession being curtailed. 

At least County has tried some promotions in BSP to address sales promotion, recruitment of the next brethren and support for disadvantaged. The BBC Sport Price of Football study illustrated a rise in the mean (literally!) £19.01 to £21.24. I would be surprised that a similar added value could be witnessed in supporters’ benefits.  Bet you didn’t know the most expensive away fixture for ‘pie eaters’ is Kidderminster.  Some interesting stats are apparent for benchmarking.

The PKF Football Industry Group’s Leagues Apart Survey has been published recently also.  This showed: “Two out of every three English and Scottish clubs (sample 62 FDs)  face significant cash-flow difficulties with a majority preparing to sell players or seek support from a benefactor before the end of this season.”

More money coming in – particularly daunting futures.  All in all suggests a somewhat ‘leaky bucket’! Given the background it’s not strange to learn, as we did today, that Arsenal will not be competitive untill another two years have lapsed.  First things first – financial viability and sustainability are an imperative. Let’s await the emergence of Fair Play.