drew
Drew
I suppose it depends how you want to run the sport/club really. Is football a sport, or a tourist attraction? If it's a tourist attraction then you make it shiny with wi-fi and a 'day out' sort of event, with tourist attraction prices because if these individuals don't come back they'll be replaced by other tourists (which is great). If it's a sport you focus on that, and those that want to come will do so week-in, week-out, pretty much regardless (which is great). What you can't do is have it both ways round - you cannot charge people 'once a year' prices every week.
The FA seriously need to look at the point of their existence. If their aim is to have a strong national team capable of winning the World Cup, which World Cup are they aiming for? What is their plan to create a team that can do it? What are they putting in place to make it happen, and when? How are they going to measure the intermediate success to see whether they're on track or not? If their purpose is something else, what is it?
Why is football trying to have its cake and eat it? And why are we surprised when this fails every 4 years?!!
The FA govern the game from top to bottom in this country. Whether that be kids playing at the weekend or the national team. They are not there to exclusively ensure the success of the England Mens team. Perhaps if people opened their eyes and saw the wider picture they might not be so blinkered in their condemnation. Unfortunately, at the top end of the game, the FA have ceded a massive chunk of power to the Premier league but then we all know money talks.