The Times They Are A-Changing

There were a couple of sporting events in Lancashire over the weekend which appeared to herald a new era. The old was ushered out and the new ushered in, or so it seemed.

Whether the results, have any long term significance only time will tell us, but it did feel watching them that something major was happening.

Unfortunately I didn’t see either live. I was at another football match when the text with the result came: Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6. In the old days, on the vidiprinter when I was a kid that would have been followed up with the letters and brackets that read (S I X) so you knew it wasn’t a mistake, but I didn’t get that, so didn’t know whether to believe what I had read or not.

And watching the highlights later that night didn’t make it any less fanciful. City seemingly murdered United, scoring at will as the Reds imploded towards the end. Sir Alex looked dumbstruck at the end, as if overnight, his “noisy neighbours” had won the lottery and moved into a much bigger house in a posher part of town that even he couldn’t afford.

The other seismic shift happened in a different sport, the day before, and my love of obscure rock ‘n’ roll meant I was in cold room watching a cult Canadian band instead of watching Scott Quigg fight Jason Booth for the British Super Bantamweight title.

I have written on these blogs before about my interest in – and admiration for – boxing and boxers and Quigg is one I have had my eye on for a while. Booth, by contrast, is a “veteran” who at nearly 33 has been a pro boxer for over 15 years. He has overcome alcoholism and last year put up a brave attempt for the World Title, losing to Canadian Steve Molitor on points.

I had studiously avoided the score for two days and watched the bout last night. It was a fight that was supposed to be difficult for Quigg, he was going the old dog that was going to teach the new pup some tricks. At least that was the theory. In practice it was anything but, Booth was dismantled over the course of seven rounds, always bravely trying even though the younger man was faster, stronger, fitter and shaper, before his corner pulled him out. It was all they could do.

As a Booth fan it was tough to watch, but Quigg is worthy champ.

In sport – as in life – nothing stands still. Whether it is Premier League, 5 a side football, boxing, cricket, music if you always do what you have always done then not only does the competition catch you, someone will better what you did. And dynasties go in cycles, whether its Australia in Cricket or Manchester United in football, things always, inexorably come to an end.

It is something we encourage our Franchisees to think about. Always be on the look out for new opportunities; always think about how you can improve.

As I say, it is too early to actually be sure if those results at the weekend represent the “changing of the guard.” But I will confidently predict right now that whoever finishes above Manchester City will win the league in May. And Scott Quigg will be a world champion by 2013.

Mark my words.

Is Soccer Really A Business?

So, is soccer a business. Or a game.

One or two of the lads in the Soccer Business Office support a team that is the subject of a takeover bid right now were chatting this morning – this is when they weren’t trying to work out a way to help YOU run a 5 0r 6 a side football league in your town.

And the tone of the conversation set me thinking, when did football stop being a game and become a Business.

The takeover bid might stall apparently, due to the chap who wants to be the new owner not bidding the right sum, and one of the Soccer Business staff said: “Well I can understand the owners wanting their money back, they came into the club to make money.”

And it’s a fact. Gone are the days of a philanthropic local chairman – the archetype of yore – barely any of the current owners of Premier League clubs fall into that category (possibly Dave Whelan at Wigan or Peter Coates at Stoke, and maybe at a push Bill Kenwright at Everton.)

Is that a bad thing? To be honest, I don’t know.

It’s easy to see it as a negative, but there can’t be too many Man City fans, for example who want to swap Sheikh Mansoor for Frannie Lee or Peter Swales and how many Chelsea fans are hankering to see Ken Bates back?

The problem surely comes when the owner appears to be totally unaware or uncaring regarding the history of the clubs they are custodians of. I am thinking here of Venkys (the Indian Chicken Magnates who bought Blackburn, or The Glazers at Manchester United. Both these consortiums made drastic changes immediately – in Venkys case to the management structure or in the Glazers example saddled the club with massive debt and whacked the prices up.

What surely is needed, like any relationship, is a bit of give and take and sensitivity. Its not a bad thing to make money out of football – of it was we wouldn’t be here. And whatever anyone might say it was ever thus.

But it is a bad thing when the marriage is the right one, if the sensibilities of the community are considered as well as the needs of the club (or the business).

And that, really, in a nutshell sums up Soccer Business. We want you to run community leagues, and we want you to benefit too.

Maybe that’s a lesson that certain chairman would do well to learn.