Is this the future of football ?

[Ellis Rimmer]

33 minutes ago, modboy said:

It’s why we should go back to kids for a quid etc / giving free tickets away to schools etc like we used to. Not like we don’t have room is it! 
 

 

But then we will have loads of kids in the stadium

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

Unfortunately, it seems to be going that way.

 

I've noticed a few Al Nasser kits at my son's football training, and there are dozens of Argentina shirts with Messi on the back.

 

Then at the school I work at, plenty of kids say they support two teams - a local team plus Man City, Liverpool, Real Madrid etc.

 

[Tewkesbury]

 

 

[matthefish2002]

Reading this thread reminds me of what happening in Cricket and the various T20 Leagues that are being set up.

Where its all geared towards Indian TV and following players rather than you local club which you feel a connection.

Also like the 100 in England where the players are selected from a draft and club names are decided in a brain storming session in a high powered marketing company meeting.

The game itself is just part of the reason to go and the experience is added to by gimmicks such as pop music, fireworks and flashing lights.
It doesn't surprise Football also going down this road.

 

Always think though that a local 15 year old kid who supports say Chesterfield and goes to game with his Dad, makes friends his own age, maybe starts going to aways wen old enough on his own with mates gets a million times more out of the game then someone who supports Man U on TV.

But then I suppose I am Middle Aged slightly old fashioned bloke.
 

[owlinexile]

2 hours ago, Tewkesbury said:

 

 

 

Makes absolutely no sense to me.  That's not what football is about at all.

 

If you don't have that emotional connection to the club or the community it represents, at the end of the day it's just a bunch of millionaires playing a daft Victorian public school game.  What's the point?  

 

 

[Kopparberg]

Just now, owlinexile said:

If you don't have that emotional connection to the club or the community it represents

It probably therefore hurts a lot less - and that’s appealing 

 

I’m a Wednesday fan in my 30’s and I’ve been though the wringer way more than I’d have hoped 

[owlinexile]

1 minute ago, Kopparberg said:

It probably therefore hurts a lot less - and that’s appealing 

 

I’m a Wednesday fan in my 30’s and I’ve been though the wringer way more than I’d have hoped 

 

Yeah, but - what's it for, then?

 

Just to watch people be the best in the world at something ultimately pointless?

[matthefish2002]

10 minutes ago, Kopparberg said:

It probably therefore hurts a lot less - and that’s appealing 

 

I’m a Wednesday fan in my 30’s and I’ve been though the wringer way more than I’d have hoped 

 

I think a lot of the younger generation, student types for want of a better description are 'supporters' of clubs more as a fashion accessory rather than its part of who you are.

[Tewkesbury]

25 minutes ago, owlinexile said:

 

Makes absolutely no sense to me.  That's not what football is about at all.

 

If you don't have that emotional connection to the club or the community it represents, at the end of the day it's just a bunch of millionaires playing a daft Victorian public school game.  What's the point?  

 

 

It's entertainment.

 

There are no rules other than self imparted ones.

 

Back in the day it was tribal, you supported who you supported and that was that, because that was what everyone else did.

 

My daughter, if you ask her, supports Wednesday. Been to a few games, not massively bothered. A casual.

 

However, due to Man City being on TV all the time, she watches them. Or more precisely Ilkay Gundogan. He's her favourite player. She's seen way more Man City games than Wednesday ones and without a season ticket to Hillsborough probably never will.

 

She has a Wednesday shirt every year, but she also has a Gundogan shirt. This season she's getting a Barca shirt instead of a Man City one.

 

The rivalries, the tribalism, it's on it's way out.

There's so much choice, so many good teams, it's so accessible, why limit yourself? We started because it was the local club, the most accessible.

With the TV coverage now, small teams are getting less accessible and less relevant every day.

There are more fans of football than fans of football teams.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Tewkesbury

[owlinexile]

10 minutes ago, Tewkesbury said:

It's entertainment.

 

There are no rules other than self imparted ones.

 

Back in the day it was tribal, you supported who you supported and that was that, because that was what everyone else did.

 

My daughter, if you ask her, supports Wednesday. Been to a few games, not massively bothered. A casual.

 

However, due to Man City being on TV all the time, she watches them. Or more precisely Ilkay Gundogan. He's her favourite player. She's seen way more Man City games than Wednesday ones and without a season ticket to Hillsborough probably never will.

 

She has a Wednesday shirt every year, but she also has a Gundogan shirt. This season she's getting a Barca shirt instead of a Man City one.

 

The rivalries, the tribalism, it's on it's way out.

There's so much choice, so many good teams, it's so accessible, why limit yourself? We started because it was the local club, the most accessible.

With the TV coverage now, small teams are getting less accessible and less relevant every day.

There are more fans of football than fans of football teams.

 

Can't say that I agree tbh.

 

But then I don't think I've watched a Premiership or European match in 20 years.  Football has never actually been about the football - it's just a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around.

[Tewkesbury]

20 minutes ago, owlinexile said:

 

Can't say that I agree tbh.

 

But then I don't think I've watched a Premiership or European match in 20 years.  Football has never actually been about the football - it's just a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around.

That's the change though.

 

The kids now have watched far more Premiership and European football than Wednesday, due to it being on TV 7 days a week.

 

People say it's kids but it's more parents.

Most Wednesday fans are there because their parents are and take them to games.

 

Supporting teams the old way is passed down the generations. 

 

How many young fans do we have who don't have parents or close family taking them to games or actively supporting the club?

 

And why would they when there's so many options that, because they're on TV all the time, are cheaper and easier to access.

[mcmigo]

@Tewkesbury is right:

 

As an example I will say now that the ‘ Sidemen’ team of YouTubers will get a bigger crowd at their match in a few weeks time than any game we play this season . 
 

kids like city because of Haaland.  They don’t give a flying one that , for example, the manager is arguably the best of all time.  Most don’t even know his name .  
 

the best thing we could do financially as a club is sign a celeb of some sort and trade on it. 
 
 

[TheGaffer]

I started a new job this week in L**D's, finding out the lad next to me was from Sheffield I asked the obvious question....sadly he said the blunts but it was the follow up to it that actually shocked me

 

"I'm more of an arsenal fan though really, who's your premier league team?" 

 

To which I must have had the most confused look across my face ever.

 

“what you just support Wednesday, you don't have a premier league team too?“

 

I'm probably at 10 years older than this lad but a world's apart in this instance 

[owlinexile]

10 hours ago, TheGaffer said:

I started a new job this week in L**D's, finding out the lad next to me was from Sheffield I asked the obvious question....sadly he said the blunts but it was the follow up to it that actually shocked me

 

"I'm more of an arsenal fan though really, who's your premier league team?" 

 

To which I must have had the most confused look across my face ever.

 

“what you just support Wednesday, you don't have a premier league team too?“

 

I'm probably at 10 years older than this lad but a world's apart in this instance 

 

Has he not noticed that the Blunts ARE a Premiership team?

[Ellis Rimmer]

16 hours ago, Tewkesbury said:

That's the change though.

 

The kids now have watched far more Premiership and European football than Wednesday, due to it being on TV 7 days a week.

 

People say it's kids but it's more parents.

Most Wednesday fans are there because their parents are and take them to games.

 

Supporting teams the old way is passed down the generations. 

 

How many young fans do we have who don't have parents or close family taking them to games or actively supporting the club?

 

And why would they when there's so many options that, because they're on TV all the time, are cheaper and easier to access.

Wednesday in league one were on tv a lot more than PL in the 90s when I was growing up tbf 

[Tewkesbury]

2 minutes ago, Ellis Rimmer said:

Wednesday in league one were on tv a lot more than PL in the 90s when I was growing up tbf 

If you look on here, most of the supporters who didn't grow up in Sheffield 'found' Wednesday during the 90s, when we were on TV and competing. 

[Ellis Rimmer]

14 minutes ago, Tewkesbury said:

If you look on here, most of the supporters who didn't grow up in Sheffield 'found' Wednesday during the 90s, when we were on TV and competing. 

I don’t think most of them are glory hunters! I’m not from Sheffield, Wednesday was my Dads team. He wouldn’t have let me support a different team, my sister once wanted a Liverpool shirt because she liked Michael Owen and he refused to buy it. Maybe parents of today aren’t aggressive enough with their grooming of their kid’s support

[matthefish2002]

11 hours ago, TheGaffer said:

I started a new job this week in L**D's, finding out the lad next to me was from Sheffield I asked the obvious question....sadly he said the blunts but it was the follow up to it that actually shocked me

 

"I'm more of an arsenal fan though really, who's your premier league team?" 

 

To which I must have had the most confused look across my face ever.

 

“what you just support Wednesday, you don't have a premier league team too?“

 

I'm probably at 10 years older than this lad but a world's apart in this instance 

 

I cant get my head round supporting two professional sides, a bit like having two women on the go at the same time.
You can support Wednesday and have a soft spot for a local non league side as they almost exist in different sports, this is like having a wife and having a innocent crush on someone at work
 

[darra]

On 02/08/2023 at 13:47, mcmigo said:

Occasionally I have the misfortune of watching one of the brain rotting videos my son ( 11) and his mates watch on YouTube when they are together .  They tend to be the usual shouting nonsense promoting prime energy drink and doing stupid challenges but the other day he was watching this video by ‘ the wingroves’ 

 

It really struck a nerve with me in lots of ways:  

 

1.  There is no love for the team they are watching, or the game.  They only care about one player as evidenced by the inane yelling for Messi only.  I don’t think the wingrove guy knows the name of any other players . 

2.  Football is becoming just another insta experience.  There is little interest in being there other than to show you have been there.

3.  Football is being reduced to a celebrity experience.  Seeing Messi live being the equivalent of seeing Taylor swift live.

4.  Getting a Messi kit / any interactions with Messi and the documentation thereof is more important than the game or result.

5.  The Saudis and Americans have probably got this whole thing right .  Pay massive money and get the people with massive money to pay massive money for these ‘ experiences’ to see Ronaldo/ Messi .  The team they are playing for or against is irrelevant.  It’s all about being there, or more importantly saying and showing you have been there:

 

I found it really sad, maybe a sign of age.  I will also say that , for my son and his mates, if I offered him a choice of meeting barry bannan and getting a selfie and signed shirt, or watching us play 90 minutes in an exciting win , he would pick the former as would all of his mates.  He would also pick seeing Ronaldo and getting a signed Ronaldo shirt for whoever he play for now for one game in Saudi over a season watching Wednesday.  
 

I am not sure how personally or as a society we can turn back the clock on this, or indeed whether we should or not.  Maybe it’s just evolution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This reminds me of something that happened a few years ago in Lincoln. A bloke probably in his late 30s in Man U trackie bottoms, Man U shirt arm full of cans of beer. Young lad kitted out in the full Man U kit. Another bloke presumably his mate shouted across "somebodies going to have a good afternoon" "Yeah I'm watching the match later to which his mate told him they kicked off 10 minutes ago mate

[mcmigo]

13 minutes ago, matthefish2002 said:

 

I cant get my head round supporting two professional sides, a bit like having two women on the go at the same time.
You can support Wednesday and have a soft spot for a local non league side as they almost exist in different sports, this is like having a wife and having a innocent crush on someone at work
 

I kind of do this nowadays.

I live down south with two very sporty kids who play football and do athletics every Saturday and Sunday morning, so it’s impossible to get to Sheffield for afternoon kick offs.  We go to swfc games when we can but also have season tickets at our local team ( mk dons) so the kids don’t miss out on watching live football which they both love.  Bit easier now they are in different leagues again.