Skip to main content

The north-south divide in football

League football started in the North of England.   But in recent years it has been tilting towards the south according to an analysis by The Athletic and there is no sign of 'levelling up'.

The most northern-based Premier League season was 2008-09, featuring four north-east sides in Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull, with Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan also still knocking around in the north west.

Meanwhile, it’s notable that several north-west clubs who competed in the Premier League in recent memory have shown absolutely no sign of bouncing back. Blackburn and Bolton were both relegated in 2012, the former briefly dropped down to League One, the latter as far as League Two — something they share with Blackpool, relegated in 2011. Wigan have been relegated to the third tier three times since they won the FA Cup in 2013.

Going back further, Oldham were a Premier League outfit in the 1990s, but have spent the past two seasons near the bottom of League Two.

J James Reade, head of economics at the University of Reading, not only demonstrated that clubs in the north contributed a particularly large percentage of supporters throughout the 20th century, it also suggested southern crowds were flakier and more likely to stay away if their side wasn’t performing well. 

In recent years, significant stadium builds have all been in the south. The five newest grounds in the Premier League are those at Arsenal (2006), Brighton (2011), West Ham (2016), Tottenham (2019) and Brentford (2020). And although most football supporters would rather attend matches at historic grounds such as Molineux or Goodison Park, the economic benefits of a new ground are considerable.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...
1 comment
Read more

Spurs to sell minority stake

Tottenham Hotspur is in talks to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value it at up to £3.75 billion and pave the way for Joe Lewis and his family to sever ties with the Premier League football club. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is seeking an investment that values the club at between £3.5 billion and £3.75 billion, including debt. While the terms of any deal have not been finalised, City sources expect Spurs to sell about 10 per cent. The club is being advised by bankers from Rothschild on the sale. Tottenham wants to raise fresh capital for new player signings and to help fund the development of an academy for its women’s team, as well as a 30-storey hotel next to its north London stadium. The financier Amanda Staveley, who brokered the deal for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to take over Newcastle United, is understood to be among the parties to have expressed an interest in Tottenham. Staveley’s fund, PCP Capital Partners, has raised about £500 million to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Millwall punch above their weight

Millwall’s season was overshadowed by the tragic death of owner John Berylson following a car accident. The American had been an exemplary owner, beloved by the fans for his leadership, passion and generosity. Millwall’s finances had been pretty good during his tenure, which we shall explore by looking at the most recent accounts from the 2022/23 season, when the club narrowly missed out on a place in the play-offs after finishing 8th. Millwall’s pre-tax loss slightly reduced from £12.6m to £12.2m, as revenue rose £0.8m (4%) from £18.6m to a club record £19.4m and player sales improved from a £0.1m loss to £2.5m profit. However, other operating income dropped from by £1.1m from £1.3m to £0.2m, while operating expenses increased £1.7m (5%) from £31.6m to £33.3m. The main driver of the revenue increase was broadcasting, which rose £1.1m (12%) from £9.1m to £10.2m, though match day was also up £0.4m (7%) from £5.8m to £6.2m. In contrast, commercial fell £0.7m (19%) from £3.7m to £3....
Post a Comment
Read more