Fair Game calls on Government to act to save football’s crumbling pyramid
“The £100m transfer has become normalised, meanwhile clubs in League One are struggling to pay their energy bills, having a paid kit manager in the National League is now considered a luxury, and community programmes are being slashed.
“S
ince the start of the Premier League, 64 clubs in the top four divisions have gone into administration.
“Football needs a financial reset. The time is now to introduce Tracey Crouch’s Transfer levy.”
Niall Couper, CEO, Fair Game
FAIR GAME has today (Monday 4 September) called on the Government to immediately introduce a transfer levy to help save the football pyramid in England and Wales.
The call from the organisation which campaigns with clubs and supporters to make the beautiful game sustainable follows the closing of the transfer window.
Premier League spending - not involving EFL clubs - reached an astronomical £2.78bn over the last 12 months. And the era of the £100m transfer has become normalised.
Meanwhile, in a bid to compete, clubs lower down the pyramid are making deep cuts. Backroom staff are either being made redundant or seeing their pay frozen, community programmes and academies are seeing their funding cut, and important ground improvements are being postponed.
The levy – effectively a 10% stamp duty on transfers between Premier League clubs and Premier League clubs and overseas club – would see 278m ringfenced to support clubs outside the top flight.
The concept of a levy was a key recommendation of the Fan-Led Review chaired by the former Conservative Sports Minister Tracey Crouch.
Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said:
“The figures are beyond comprehension. The siren call of the Premier League has created a culture of gambling with centuries of history and tradition being put at risk.
“The £100m transfer has become normalised, meanwhile clubs in League One are struggling to pay their energy bills, having a paid kit man in the National League is now considered a luxury, and community programmes are being slashed.
“Since the start of the Premier League, 64 clubs in the top four divisions have gone into administration.
“Football needs a financial reset. The time is now to introduce Tracey Crouch’s Transfer levy.”
If a 10% levy had been in place over the last 12 months, it could have paid for:
A kit manager for every League Two side (£20,000 a year x 24)
Refurbishment of Bradford City Community Hub (£30,000)
A senior physio at Watford’s academy (£30,000 a year).
The Head Groundsperson at Norwich City (£45,000 a year).
New floodlights at Maidstone United (£40,000)
Medical supplies for Chesterfield (£75,000)
A chief executive for every League One club (£90,000 a year x 24).
A first-team coach for every Championship side (£120,000 x 24)
Shrewsbury Town's annual energy bill (£180,000 a year).
Leeds United’s annual travel bill to away games (£390,000 a year).
Cambridge’s Category 3 Football Academy (£865,000 a year).
Stewarding for all National League sides for a season (£800,000 x 24)
A 3G full-size football pitch for the 72 National League sides (£1.1m x 72).
Accrington Stanley’s new hospitality suite (£2.5m)
Swindon Town's Community Foundation Park (£2.5m)
Exeter City’s new state-of-the-art training complex (£3m).
Harrogate Town's new stand and bar (£3.5m)
Charlton’s award-winning League One community programme (£5.4m a year).
Grimsby Town's new training ground (£6m)
AFC Wimbledon’s top-of-the-range 9,000 all-seater stadium (£32m).
And there would still be £115m left to spend.
