Football West’s Post

August is the time that University #clearing campaigns collide with the #football #transferwindow. The team UCFB has been unbelievable in their efforts - some of the best campaigning I've seen in #HigherEducation (check out their channels). The alignment means a trip to #Salford to work with the BBC Sport team, to unpick what has been a complex transfer window so far. Of course influenced by; ⚽ Regulation ⚽ Concern over what happened last season for Everton Football Club & Nottingham Forest. ⚽ Reduced cash flow, and ⚽ A lack of true value. For once we are now seeing clubs balance their books. Selling before buying and, for some clubs, finally #negotiating properly. More on the 'Art of Negotiation' with VSI Executive Education in #September. The key timestamp is 5m and 25seconds (if you want to avoid my bit). https://lnkd.in/enJY7Ezk

Coincidence or the benefits of the non-league pathway? Last night was another memorable evening for Hertford Town U18s as they defeated Category 3 Academy opposition once again in the FA Youth Cup, following up their 1st Round win over Cambridge United Football Club with victory over Bristol Rovers Football Club (Official) in the 2nd Round. Every member of their starting line-up has played senior football at either Step 4 or 5 of non-league football this season, accumulating thousands of minutes and regularly impacting games, often against ex-pros almost twice their age. A number of these players were also previously in the academy system (many at Category 3s) before being released. Consequently, they have embarked on an alternative career trajectory of playing as many games as possible in senior football at a young age, instead of a further 2-3 years in a professional academy with no senior experience. Are these results then simply the magic of the cup or, by reaching the 3rd Round against Arsenal F.C, are Hertford Town demonstrating that the non-league pathway - senior football between the ages of 16-18 - has given them the edge over their full-time academy opposition? #NLG

This is certainly worth watching if you are interested in finding ways to improve your academy, grassroots club, and especially your players. Scottish football evidently lacks creative players and players who are comfortable with the ball. I can only speak from personal experience, but watching Scottish Premier League matches where a team has a 52% pass completion rate and believes they played well demonstrates that our game has not progressed like other countries. Clubs are filled with mediocre foreign imports, but more concerningly, they are considered superior to those coming through academies. I believe there is an air of arrogance in Scottish football, despite the fact that there is not much to be arrogant about. We have failed to qualify for a World Cup since 1998, and considering the quality of the under-19, under-17, and under-16 teams, we could easily go another 25 years if we do not change our approach to the game. It all begins with the foundations. What we do at the grassroots level and in academies at the pre-foundation and foundation levels has an impact on everything above it. https://lnkd.in/ef2P3hMw

FA Cup rant 2/2 Having highlighted how the finance can be a lifeline to some clubs, that is secondary to the chance of holding one of the big clubs and then getting a second crack, be it home or away. The announcement, as if it's doing the EFL a favour, that the FA Cup Final will be on the penultimate weekend of the season with no EPL games on that day is also a nonsense. What happens if a Championship club gets to the final as nearly happened today? Put all the Championship games back a week or tuck the Cup Final away on a Thursday night and ignore it? How, in the words of Kevin Keegan, I would "love it" if next season two Championship clubs reach the final. "OK lads, St George's Park, pitch six and we'll kick off in five minutes. No-one's interested as it's not Premier League clubs." Maybe the answer is for the EPL to become a closed shop and staging matches all around the world. I believe the so-called "39th game remains on some people's agenda - maybe the Community Shield or perhaps the FA Cup Final. Veteran (sorry) journalists Brian Glanville and Rob Shepherd have renamed the Premier League the "Greed is Good League" and the "Greed is God League" respectively. The FA and Premier League have been uncomfortable bedfellows but someone from the FA needs to have a wird to remind them who runs the game in the game in this country. Are they afraid to? The sooner the football regulator is created and appointed the better. I know what should be top of the "In-tray". #FACup #replays #FootballAssociation #PremierLeague #EPL

Office premier league predictions are back…⚽⚽ The Euros are a distant memory, the EFL has started and the league cup got back underway during the week, now the Premier League is back 🏆 Always a bit of fun to predict the scores each week, and see how wrong you can be 😂 Predicting a tough start to life in the Premier league for #Ipswich (Sorry guys) and #VAR to be the major talking point after the weekend with all the new rule changes 🤦♂️ #Premierleague #football #predictions Full Time Solutions 🌐https://lnkd.in/eZi8EJG6

FA Cup replays being scrapped means less income for smaller clubs: There is little that has been so loved as the plucky underdog fighting above their weight successfully. The smaller clubs who fight to secure a draw at bigger clubs in the cup is one of the most inspiring stories most fans would agree, the income from the replay has been a lifeline for smaller clubs and a joy for their fans. Except in a new development, which will disadvantage the lower leagues further, those FA cup replays are now to be ‘scrapped’ here, due to an agreement between the Premier League and The FA, were the EFL clubs consulted even? https://lnkd.in/eVBsjy4m In La Liga (Spain) they scrapped the replays but implemented that all first and second round games are played by the top tier clubs away at the smaller clubs. At least that takes into account the financial needs of lower tier clubs, this decision in England is a genuinely disappointing development: #benmcfadyean #fussball #facup

The best run football clubs (men’s game) in Britain* are revealed in a study (link in comments) described as ‘the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-run club.’ Only two clubs from The English Premier League (EPL) make the overall top 10 by index score. Seven clubs play in Scotland, most of whom are dwarfed by their English counterparts. The tenth club is an English side playing two leagues below the EPL.   In its commercial wisdom, The Guardian (link in comment) chooses to present this body of work as a study of ‘the top seven divisions in English football’, and simply ignores the overall story. A case of Nothing to see here? Meanwhile, the erstwhile diurnal organ for Scottish football, The Daily Record, carries the story and its full scope, but leads with it being about Celtic FC being the best run club in Britain; not about seven Scottish clubs being in the top ten, and what that indicates about the state of the game in Scotland. Curiously, the story is tagged under ‘Celtic FC’, and doesn’t feature in its main football pages. That’s a digital equivalent of burying a story in the back pages. I wonder who that editorial team feels that they must placate today? These points -- and several other observations -- only serve up the question: are stakeholders (owners, directors, fans, media) motivated enough to do anything in response to what this study uncovers about long-term viability of the professional game? Or, is the protocol always going to be that as long as games are won, the status quo and the dubiety surrounding equity and fairness that accompany it, will largely be accepted? A question to my Malaysian network, if you've read this far: when your kids are (inevitably) choosing their favourite English Premier League team (EPL), will you guide them to support a club most likely to still exist when they’re adults?

⚽ New 3G pitch one step closer for Great Harwood Rovers as they gain support from Lancashire Bombers! Great Harwood Rovers have launched an ambitious bid to add a new 3G pitch to their provision, extending their capacity and allowing more people to use their facilities, in all weathers. This includes increasing their inclusivity by extending an invitation to partner sports clubs to use and train on their facilities, bringing new sports provision to Great Harwood and the surrounding areas. Lancashire Bombers are an American flag football team based in Oswaldtwistle, sponsored by Accrington business LANGTEC LTD based in Altham. American flag football is a non-contact version of American football where the players wear flags on their hips, and tackles are made by pulling off these flags. It is a faster-paced and accessible form of the sport that's gaining popularity in the UK and around the world. The game is open to all abilities, genders, and levels of experience, making it an inclusive sport that anyone can play without prior knowledge. The club are doing extremely well, with two adult teams and a mixed under-17 team who compete all over the country in the BAFA (British American Football Association) League and Cups. A few months ago, nine members travelled to Serbia in the GB squad for an international tournament, and one of their players attends the NFL Academy in Loughborough, where he is educated and trains full-time. Since Flag Football was added to the 2028 Olympics, Lancashire Bombers have seen an exponential growth in demand for this all-inclusive multi-sport. Their members have achieved impressive success, with two under-19 players selected for the full-contact GB squad, with six players from the under-17 and under-15 teams have been chosen for the Northwest GB squad. The under-17s team won all ten games in England, making them the number one seed. They were invited to play against the Scottish National Squad and won the Scottish Winter League title. The Lancashire Bombers are keen to support the 3G pitch bid for Great Harwood Rovers, and would be delighted to play and train there in all weathers. Russ Bury, Head Coach of Lancashire Bombers recently attended a special meeting at Great Harwood Rovers with Sarah Smith MP to discuss the progress of the £1m bid. See more on our website: https://lnkd.in/d4hvBsDa

Football Update! FA Cup replays are set to be scrapped from the first round onwards in the 2024-25 competition. All rounds, including the fifth, will be played on weekends, marking a departure from midweek fixtures in recent years. These changes are part of a new six-year agreement between The Football Association (FA) and the Premier League. The decision to eliminate replays from an earlier stage in the FA Cup comes amidst changes to the calendar driven by expanded UEFA competitions. However, qualifying rounds will still feature replays when ties are level after 90 minutes. EFL (English Football League) chief executive Trevor Birch expressed disappointment at the decision, citing its impact on revenue for EFL clubs, while stressing the growing financial gap between top clubs and those further down the pyramid. Clubs like Carlisle United FC have already condemned the decision. The agreement also includes changes to the scheduling of FA Cup rounds to avoid clashing with Premier League fixtures, with the final moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season. The Premier League will also increase funding to grassroots football by £33m. This a very damning move from the FA, with the association just tailoring the cup to the PL elite. For teams in League 1 and below, earning a replay becomes a huge financial boost especially against the bigger teams from the third round onwards. #FACup #PremierLeague #EFL #TheFA

𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐠? Over the last few years, we have seen a surge of US ownership enter the English Football space. And it's not just at the top level. Just under a quarter of League One and League Two clubs have some form of US ownership. But what does this mean for Football and clubs further down the pyramid? Some are saying the clubs in lower leagues could appeal more to new international ownership as a large investment may be better received by fans at that level. Others say there is a fine balance between creating a more level playing field with new investment and losing the heritage and traditions that fans want to keep. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑼𝑺 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝑭𝑳 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆? #football #soccer #englishfootball #sportsbusiness #EFL #sportsbiz