As I am off to the cup final, I thought I'd just say a few words about the FA (never a more aptly named organisation has existed). Football is our national game. Teams like Manchester United, City, Arsenal etc have multi million pound turnovers. At Wembley, I'll have to fork out nearly a tenner for a pint of beer and a coke for my son. Replica tops cost 10 times what they would if they weren't "Official" merchandising. In short, the whole thing is a rip off fleecing hard up parents.
The other side of the coin is Youth Football. How many of the gazillion pounds generated by the Premiership comes back to local teams, to encourage youngsters to take up football? How much of it is used to save playing fields? How often do Premiership Superstars visit schools to pass on ther skills?
David Cameron and Nick Clegg could do us all a favour and put a levy of 1% on premiership clubs turnover, to be put back into grass roots football. The one thing I would insist on. That the FA didn't get a penny of it.
Anyway, I hope it's a good game. Despite being a Manchester City fan, I've always had a soft spot for Stoke City FC. When I was a lad, my hero was Gordon Banks - I wanted to be the England goalie. They also had the mercurial talents of Tony Currie. I hope they win something soon (just not today).
The other side of the coin is Youth Football. How many of the gazillion pounds generated by the Premiership comes back to local teams, to encourage youngsters to take up football? How much of it is used to save playing fields? How often do Premiership Superstars visit schools to pass on ther skills?
David Cameron and Nick Clegg could do us all a favour and put a levy of 1% on premiership clubs turnover, to be put back into grass roots football. The one thing I would insist on. That the FA didn't get a penny of it.
Anyway, I hope it's a good game. Despite being a Manchester City fan, I've always had a soft spot for Stoke City FC. When I was a lad, my hero was Gordon Banks - I wanted to be the England goalie. They also had the mercurial talents of Tony Currie. I hope they win something soon (just not today).
5 comments:
Rog, Tony Currie (from Cricklewood, I believe) played for Sheffield United, not Stoke. Same shirt!
MikeL
You got two tickets (it would be nice to know how you got them) for the cup final, to see your favourite team and you're still miserable...
Life is short, enjoy the moment.
After winning I expect you went home and immediately played The Smith's "Heaven Knows I'm miserable now"
XIT53,
Got to say that of all of the comments I've ever had, yours is possibly the most bemusing.
Anyway, FYI - I bought two tickets from a mate of mine who has the Wembley debenture, through the official resale system.
As to being miserable after the match, what on earth made you think that? I wrote this prior to the game? Just because I had an evening out with Mozzer's guitarist, down't mean it was a miserable one, far, far from it.
Mike, thanks for the correction, you are of course, quite right. Some pre final befuddlement on my part.
Getting tickets for a Cup Final must be brilliant. I wasn't implying you got them in some some underhand way. I genuinely wondered how you got them as they are like gold dust. I didn't know there was a debenture resale system - that's something I've learnt.
My comment was just meant to be light-hearted, but text can be so easily interpreted in many ways. I really shouldn't comment.
XIT53,
No problem, apologies for drawing the wrong conclusion. And yes, it was absolutely brilliant
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