Here’s an interesting statistic I heard the other day on TalkSport: In the seventies, 80% of football fans going to all live games were aged between16 and 24 years old. Nowadays however, that figure has fallen to 8%, while the average age for a supporter at a league game has more than doubled to 44. The immediate response is to obviously point the finger at Sky. They have ‘ruined football’ by showing more live games on TV than ever before, and allowing those fans who for whatever reason, are unable to get to games, the chance to watch their team. Unfortunately, the prevalence of this televised coverage has supposedly led to the majority of young people feeling that watching a game on TV is the same as actually going to the match, and many of them have genuinely never seen their club live.
One of the decisions the MLS made last year had a direct impact at Kit Aesthetics HQ: the MLS chose to have Adidas as the sole uniform provider for the entire league. Why did they do this? Well, the league higher-ups lining their pockets with sweet German cash marked with three stripes was probably the main factor.
A look at the latest news in football business, with Liverpool in their normal starring role. Wyn Grant runs us through the Anfield news, the purpose of Bolton Wanderers, administrators and the financial situation of the clubs in Scotland's second city.
It's windmills, the Red Light District and Total Football in the latest installment of Bill Turianksi's maps - yes, the Netherlands. Bill takes a somewhat different approach this time, with interesting results. The focus is less the relative size of clubs, instead it's info. Lots of it!
Since becoming hooked on non-league I have had a longing to watch Sheffield FC. Their home in Dronfield may not be the geographical birthplace of football, but it is certainly the spiritual one. Sheffield FC has been a Mecca for me all season, luring me, like a call to prayer, to make the pilgrimage across the Pennines.
Chris Ketcham is back with the second half of his look at Spanish soccer uniforms. From the green and black of Racing Santander to the submarino amarillo of Villarreal, with a gaggle of Reals in the middle, Chris brings us nothing but the most discerning of uniform analysis.
What club owner is building the world's largest yacht? And now owns the world's largest...drill? Sound mysterious? A bit of James Bond? something fishy's going on in Stamford Bridge. Gavin Finney explains.
The latest in Bill Turianski's country map series, this time focusing on the home of calcio - Italy. Club emblems from the top two divisions are displayed across a map of the country, each emblem sized by the club's attendance.
Wyn Grant takes a look at the problems of benefactor clubs like Gretna, who currently survive on life support after the withdrawal of their financial backer Brooks Mileson. But without such benefactors many, many clubs would not survive. Therein lies the delimna.
Scott T. Shepherd runs through the career of Johan Cruyff in the latest of his Playing from Amnesia series. The elegant Dutch maestro revolutionized the sport throughout the 1970s with Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team.
Gavin Finney goes over some thoughts about football as entertainment and looks back on the departures of both Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, both let go despite repeated success on the field. It appears that it's not just about winning...
Here’s an interesting statistic I heard the other day on TalkSport: In the seventies, 80% of football fans going to all live games were aged between16 and 24 years old. Nowadays however, that figure has fallen to 8%, while the average age for a supporter at a league game has more than doubled to 44. The immediate response is to obviously point the finger at Sky. They have ‘ruined football’ by showing more live games on TV than ever before, and allowing those fans who for whatever reason, are unable to get to games, the chance to watch their team. Unfortunately, the prevalence of this televised coverage has supposedly led to the majority of young people feeling that watching a game on TV is the same as actually going to the match, and many of them have genuinely never seen their club live.