The European Superleague Plan highlights a problem at Sheffield Wednesday

[@owlstalk]

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

[WhiteOwl91]

Yep. Club hoped they could ignore this, just go for the here and now and get to the prem, then they’d sell out most weeks and grow through that so who cares 

 

Only that foolish gamble didn’t work. And now we’re a million miles away, with all the problems you’ve mentioned. 
 

A long way back from here. Be interesting (if we’re at the same level in 10 years time, or maybe only a couple!) to see who’s drawing bigger crowds between us and the pigs.

 

And I fear the worst on that. 

[doubleo]

30 years ago we took our boys on holiday to the States. As a treat I took them to a baseball game. The stadium, the facilities, the car parking, the whole experience was like being on a different planet compared with Hillsborough, which was, in those days remember, one of the best stadiums in the country. So unless you go to somewhere like Spurs or Man City you’re faced with a 1960’s experience. Let’s face it the toilets at S6 are appalling. It might not bother the 70 year old who used to work down a pit or in the steelworks, but my grandkids wouldn’t think much to it.

 

[Ian]

3 minutes ago, doubleo said:

30 years ago we took our boys on holiday to the States. As a treat I took them to a baseball game. The stadium, the facilities, the car parking, the whole experience was like being on a different planet compared with Hillsborough, which was, in those days remember, one of the best stadiums in the country. So unless you go to somewhere like Spurs or Man City you’re faced with a 1960’s experience. Let’s face it the toilets at S6 are appalling. It might not bother the 70 year old who used to work down a pit or in the steelworks, but my grandkids wouldn’t think much to it.

 

Baseball isn’t about sport though is it....it’s a day out where American families have a competition as to how much they can eat whilst the most mind numbing “sport” ever invented is going on behind them

[Guest T Hardy]

19 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

Yep, and don’t forget us charging students a fiver more than United did for tickets. An easy way to win fans for life there, and so many students will have ended up picking United over us because it was a fiver less.

 

I think most of us follow Wednesday because we always have, we inherited it, it’s ingrained into us, but I can safely say in my lifetime, there’s probably been 4 years in total where I would say it has been fun. The rest of the time, it has been miserable and felt like a chore. Who wants that?

[Guest T Hardy]

2 minutes ago, Ian said:

Baseball isn’t about sport though is it....it’s a day out where American families have a competition as to how much they can eat whilst the most mind numbing “sport” ever invented is going on behind them

Save your cheap digs against US sports, the point is about facilities and experience 

[vulva]

It boils down to the quality of the product on the pitch. Everything else thereafter falls into place. 

[owl_83]

Football is also too boring now and too expensive. I struggle to afford to take myself to matches never mind my children as well. There are just cheaper (and more fun) days out now. 

[Guest T Hardy]

1 minute ago, owl_83 said:

Football is also too boring now and too expensive. I struggle to afford to take myself to matches never mind my children as well. There are just cheaper (and more fun) days out now. 

I’m starting to think this too, especially us obviously, but in general also 

[Rogers]

The buzz has gone; who wants to watch a crap team lose in a silent atmosphere, whilst it’s weeing down and cold. 
 

At the end of the day, it’s having a chance to win and progress that brings the people back. 
 

With no plan, no money, and inability to sign any player that will excite or at least give 100%; where do you go? 

[vulva]

2 minutes ago, owl_83 said:

Football is also too boring now and too expensive. I struggle to afford to take myself to matches never mind my children as well. There are just cheaper (and more fun) days out now. 

It’s boring here. Premier League grounds are full every week. Not boring there. 
 

Football isn’t about quality hot dogs, and the fan experience. Or at least that shouldn’t be the priority. The majority of football fans would stand on a grass bank in the rain if the team were top of the league. 

[toooldforthis]

The thing that interested me about this whole ESL business was the outpouring of passion for grassroots football and the contempt for those running the huge clubs. It mirrored what fans have thought for many years now.

 

You outline well the symptoms of a sick and outdated business model at SWFC but it could be that the whole structure of football has grown in a direction that means the ESL was inevitable but premature. I think it will still happen one day just like cricket shunned Kerry Packer in the 70s with his World Series Cricket only for it to be the catalyst that modernised the game and draw in millions of viewers as it has today. Boxing went through a similar process.

 

The top clubs in world football will form a structure of franchises in the next 5 years. The current model, like at SWFC, means that fans spend very little on a matchday and club revenues suffer. Sure we can all point a finger at what's on offer and standards, but in truth, we wouldn't spend very much more week in week out at a game if they improved (well, I wouldn't). With a franchise, you take Man Utd v Real Madrid to Singapore and fans would spend fortunes for a once in a lifetime experience. Very high ticket prices and millions on merchandise. So that's what is driving these owners...the rewards are too small in the current structure.

 

Also, everything is too short term. Transfers are huge costs and the club often gets nothing at the end...it's a write-off. Every 'top' club in each division overspends and gets into trouble...Brentford have a great model as do Norwich (there are others)...but they have owners that are lifelong fans.

 

I think the leagues need slimming down, clubs need to merge and fans need to be made to feel that they own their clubs. There is no football league without its fan base...we've had over a year to see that now. Clubs need experienced business people to run them and the EFL need to concentrate on support rather than sanctions.

 

This has come as a shock to the footballing world but any good Chairman/CEO will see this as a chance to review their rationale for owning a club. If it's just profit then they will see their investment wither and atrophy...slowly and painfully (as we have). If you are a fan then you will run it like a strict parent...with love and compassion...and tighter purse strings where income matches expenditure.

 

As a lifelong fan I've enjoyed, in the most part, the journey with the Owls. I've never thought we were massive or even big...we're like a kid with hand me down clothes that look too big on us. But we can be a Leicester or Everton if we are well managed and plan for the long term...but we all know we won't be because we aren't managed or run by fans...so this is what we will get because it's what we've always had.

 

 

 

 

[Big Jack]

30 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

Agreed but its the whole of football a major needs a reset  

[Ronnie Starling]

Its all online innit?

[Silkstone Owl]

Money has completely transformed the game, with businessmen’s fixation on ‘growth’ year on year.  
 

it should be about financial sustainability.

 

The heroes comment - this is complete perspective.  The players do a fair amount of community work, and I would say more so than other clubs therefore the club are achieving this ‘good PR’; it’s impact is measured on whether the fans actually give a throw about them turning up to support less fortunate members off the community, e.g. sick children

[vulva]

Wage cap is the only thing that will save the game. Unless that gets dealt with, everything else is irrelevant. 

[Basement Jack]

Short termism and extortionate match day prices 

We’ve lost a generation of fans

[Inspector Lestrade]

Take your kids to the games they love it, especially as it allows them to feel special as its dads day out, and they are allowed to join in.

 

 

[Plonk]

Not just the kids mate. Football is just not the game it was anymore. The number of times I’ve read on forums ( and not just this one) that people just don’t love it like they used to. I think a year away could be disastrous for clubs like us because people are realising there are things to do. 

[Jeffjohnsonmyhero]

49 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

The fact is they pay the players too much money and the cost is on a ticket prices .I have 2 sons took them to Hillsborough 5 yrs old onwards ,Youngest will go with me ,Oldest both working mind says too expensive .The clubs wanting a breakaway  Real Madrid £450 million in debt ,Barcelona £1.5 billion because they pay silly money ,For me there should be a wage cap on your budget is your season ticket money ,Does anyone think POTG next year in Lg one will be less than £30 ? Its too expensive !