Letter from the Brentford FC boardroom, 8th September 2007
Dear Supporters,
I was honoured to represent the Club at the recent England under 17 international at Griffin Park, where the English FA were not only represented by England legends Sir Trevor Brooking, Ray Clemence and Stuart Pearce but also senior representatives of the County Football Associations.
The County Football Associations are independent bodies, affiliated to the FA, but responsible for running all aspects of the game at the local level. Many of these Associations have been in existence for more than a century.
In the past the FA has attracted considerable criticism in the way it ran the professional game and, in particular, the role the County Associations had in this. Partly in response to the criticism the FA then became party to setting up the Premier League. Since then the power of the Premier Clubs has grown and the balance of power now seems now to lie with the League itself, albeit with some power of veto from the FA.
The League and FA have perpetuated the focus of the professional game on the top division. This has resulted in huge amounts of outside money being directed on a relatively small part of the game, bringing to life that old phrase, “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” It is true that with the latest multi-billion pound broadcasting deal (£2.7bn over 3 years) more money is being distributed outside of the Premier League. From this year a new payment, known as a “solidarity package” will see £90m distributed to the 72 Football League Clubs over 3 years. Some of it will go direct to clubs whilst a proportion of it will go to Clubs’ youth development and community programmes. The new payment does not include the £11.2m currently paid for two seasons, to the relegated clubs from the Premier League as parachute payments.
Brentford FC will receive a very welcome additional, and unbudgeted, £70K this season. The reality is that that the additional money that is distributed to the whole Football League represents just 3% of the overall total revenue. Compare that to before the Premier League was set up when 50% of TV money went outside of the top division and you will see just how much the power base has shifted.
Journalist Brian Glanville christened the Premier league as the “Greed Is Good League” and it is easy to see why. The FA who where involved in the setting up of the League should reflect back to the setting up of their own organisation with its County Football Associations and remember their purpose, to foster “the game” at all levels.
What the FA seems to have forgotten is that at the heart of the game is a dream, the dream of being a professional player, the dream of representing your country, the dream of playing for your club, the dream of your club being a “giant-killer” in the cup, the dream of promotion, the dream of your club making it to the top-flight….
The great thing about those dreams in the past is that they could and did happen. The real Wimbledon was a memorable example of a Club who brought that dream alive whilst Ian Wright’s rise from park footballer to England striker is a great example of an individual.
The huge sums now involved in the Premiership make achieving that dream for a Club outside of the top-flight more and more difficult. Similarly for players themselves there are fewer English players in the Premiership. Take away the possibilities and you kill that dream and with it the heart of the beautiful game disappears.
People are bemoaning the inaccessibility of the Premier League through increasing costs. There is also widespread debate about the lack of in-depth English talent in the game and it can be no co-incidence that the Premier League is importing talent from abroad in increasing numbers. This again is distancing the general public from our game.
As guardians of our game I would like the FA to see what is happening and do something to restore the financial balance in the game. Some would say the most recent monies show there is recognition of the problem whilst others would argue it is too little too late.
I say it is a start, which we are grateful for, but there is a serious threat to our game that the FA, as the game’s custodians, needs to deal with. If they don’t it won’t just affect the professional game but football at all levels. The FA must stand up for the interests of all football in this country and not concentrate on the 20 clubs in the top division. If they don’t they are likely to let that dream die and ruin football in this county forever!
Let's work together!
Jon Gosling
Comments can either be sent to me on or directly via comments page.
19th September 2007