FFC Rewards: When Saturday Comes

The latest issue of When Saturday Comes, The Half Decent Football Magazine is available for just 295 points in the FFC Rewards Redemptions...

Editorial ;

Thaksin Shinawatra, a law unto himself

Newswatch & Webwatch Karren Brady quizzed, while transfer talk intensifies; Euro 2008 builds up online

Shot! The FA Cup semi-final crowds at Wembley

Sidelines David Sullivan’s TV grilling, somewhat underdone; summer football, heading for Wales; the ever-mysterious Johan Cruyff Fulham & Chelsea Mohamed Fayed’s faded dream; why Avram Grant is a national hero in Israel

Points Deductions Leeds battle to reclaim their 15 points, while Bournemouth struggle to stay afloat

Corruption in Italy Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus executive, goes on trial

Match of the Month Stoke City meet Bristol City, with a Premier League place at stake

Shot Archive Park football to a backdrop of Manchester’s cooling towers

TV Tantrums Ian Wright quits the BBC; Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady square up in Dublin

Football Franchises A Mexican club owner’s global plans combine football and cola, plus Ajax’s South African offshoot chase a title

As Good As It Got Leyton Orient are promoted to the top flight for the only time – so far – in 1962

Sticker Dilemma An excerpt from a new WSC book on African football charts the problems in assembling a Cup of Nations Panini album

Letter From Belgium where the good times are back in Liège after 25 years

Reviews Willie Miller the winner; Jules Rimet robbery; West Ham’s American idols; tough old Tommy Smith

Letters Dear WSC, I really have to say...

Season In Brief Argentina, 1991, where River Plate are the first winners in a new league format

FFC Survey: Grassroots Football

We're running a short survey touching on some areas of grassroots football (defined by UEFA as "all football which is non-professional and non-elite").

We'd appreciate your insight and there's an opportunity at the end of the survey to make suggestions for future surveys in this area.

Click here to take part

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team

FFC Survey: The Standing Debate

For the last 6 years we've been tracking whether fans feel they should be given the freedom to stand or sit inside football grounds.

The results have consistently shown that the majority of supporters would like to have the option to stand and as a follow up, we've been asking fans - In an ideal world, which sections of your ground, if any at all, would you like to see as standing areas?

The survey will be closing shortly and the results will be shared with organisations like the Football Supporters Federation (FSF).

It just takes a minute to complete, clubs that have currently retained standing areas are included and there's also an option for fans who don't wish to see a return to standing to register their opinion as well.

Simply follow this link if you haven't already taken part.

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team

FFC Survey: Destination Vienna

With England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales failing to qualify for the European Championships this year - which national team will you support....?

This research is being conducted for Nuts TV who are presenting a new football show - Destination Vienna - a definitive guide to all of the teams participating in the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland this summer, airing now, during the Nuts TV football slot - 9:00 - 11:00pm nightly.

Click here to take part

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team

FFC Results: Football Rivalries Report

Football Rivalries, they underpin the game. Even when we're not playing each other, many of us take great pleasure in seeing our rivals take a tumble. Bragging rights secured - or lost - on derby day can make or break a season. But where does rivalry come from and which are the biggest rivalries in English football?

We hooked up with the stats folk at The New Football Pools to take a look at football rivalries, is it simply because clubs are near-neighbours, is it jealousy at another club's success? Are there social or economic reasons that are simply mirrored by the football clubs?

6,000 FFC members across all 92 League clubs took part in the study to identify who they thought were their biggest footballing rivals.

Having found out who those rivals were, we then asked why they were their biggest adversaries, to understand whether it was because:

• they are neighbours
• they have always been rivals, for whatever reason
• they're jealous, because their rivals have been more successful
• they meet regularly in the league
• or because the rivalry goes much deeper than football

Armed with those answers, statisticians at The New Football Pools then put together a league table of the top rivalries using a complex formula based on:

• the survey responses of both sets of fans
• the respective league and cup records of the two clubs
• the regularity of league and cup meetings between the rivals
• the two clubs' records when playing each other
• the impact on attendances when they meet
• transfers between the clubs, and fans' reactions to those transfers
• off-the-field factors, such as media coverage of the rivalry
  

Some of the results may surprise you, but we hope you enjoy debating it.

Click here to download the report.

FFC Results: New Football Pools Fanzine Awards Shortlist

The votes are in and the shortlist is up for the New Football Pools Fanzine Awards, check them out here

FFC Rewards: When Saturday Comes 255 May 2008

The latest issue of When Saturday Comes, The Half Decent Football Magazine is available for just 295 points in the FFC Rewards Redemptions...

Issue Details;

Editorial The nightmare plan to rename Mansfield after Dream Team’s Harchester United

Newswatch & Webwatch Player dissent and the fretting press; Ebbsfleet, the internet club, reach Wembley

Sidelines Grand Slam Sunday again; Gillingham’s ground plans; FA Cup ticket cock-ups; another points deduction for Rotherham

Shot! A day in the life of the Tranmere physio

Playing the Game Pitfalls of a new scheme to boost the grassroots game; plus England flop at five-a-side

FIFA Football’s governing body are bottom of an international league table and they’re in trouble over alleged corruption

Match of the Month Promotion contenders West Brom visit fading Charlton who can only hope for the play-offs at best

Shot! Archive West Ham players at the end of the pier in 1925

Ken Monkou The Dutch defender looks back on a decade in English football

Media Matters The changing face of football magazines for kids; the BBC loses live football

Gretna & East Stirling Struggling clubs at either end of the Scotish league, plus the rapid rise and fall of Colne Dynamoes

As Good As It Got The Saarland, whose national team nearly upset the future World Cup winners

Reviews Two takes on Best; the Corinthian spirit; football murder in Scotland; ball games in British history

Season In Brief The Premier League 1997-98, where Arsène Wenger made an immediate impact

FFC Survey: New Football Pools Fanzine Awards 2007/2008

The list of nominations is up and the Voting stage of the New Football Pools Fanzine Awards is underway.

Click here to find out which fanzines, blogs, editors and writers have been nominated in 9 different categories;

Nominations / Vote Now

There is some outstanding work being put into the publications across the land, in print and online, so please get involved and help show your appreciation!

As a thank you for anyone who has taken part, our sponsors The New Football Pools are offering a Free Play on the new Weekly Predictor Football Game, Premier 10. Click here for more details.

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team

FFC Results: 85% Not In Favour of The 39th Game

A national survey of 4,102 football fans was conducted by the Football Fans Census between 7th and 12th February 2008.

The survey was conducted online and supporters of 141 teams were represented including all clubs in the Premier League and Football League. 51% of respondents follow Premier League Clubs, 45% follow Football League Clubs and 5% follow other teams. 50% of respondents were season ticket holders.

• 85% of fans said they were not in favour of the idea, only 10% were in favour, with 5% "don't knows".
• Despite widespread discontent over the spiralling costs of tickets, 69% of fans are totally opposed to the idea of Premier League games being played abroad, even if it meant a cut in ticket prices.
• 87% were not excited by the prospect of playing games in Asia, the Middle East and North America.
• Even if money and other commitments were no object, 73% of fans stated that they did not like the idea of attending games on another continent.
• 80% felt it was important that the Premier League consult fans.

The results are covered in today's edition of The Sun newspaper, backpage and page 68.

Coverage in The Sun Online

Fans Doo Not Like That

85% of fans say "no" to plans. David Beckham has joined 85% of fans who are against playing abroad...

FIFA president Sepp Blatter reacted with fury to the plan and warned the proposals could wreck England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup.

The full results were as follows:

FFC Survey: Nuts TV

This survey is being conducted for Nuts TV, to support new docu-drama Football Hurts, which follows the progress of A.F.C Wimbledon (founded by fans in response to the franchising of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes) in their quest to regain their place at the summit of British football.

The new programme premiers at 10.00pm on Valentine's Day, 14 February - Freeview 42 & Sky Guide 207. Nut TV want to hear from male football fans and we thought we'd show a bit of Nuts TV Valentine Spirit and see what our male members think! All results will be broadcast on the channel.

Click here to take part.

FFC Survey: The 39th Game

The 20 English Premier League football clubs are proposing to play competitive fixtures in cities as far flung as Sydney, Beijing, Miami and Tokyo.

Seeking to capitalise on the popularity of Premier League clubs abroad, the league wants to fit an extra 39th fixture - to be called the international round - into the calendar. The 39th game would give clubs the opportunity to advertise their brands in developing markets and it raises the prospect of, for example, Newcastle United playing Wigan Athletic in Sydney for three points.

The 10 overseas games could generate an estimated £240 million in extra revenue for the Premier League in terms of TV rights deals and the sale of match hosting rights to five overseas cities.

• Cities in emerging markets such as the Far East, Middle East and America would bid to host Barclays Premier League matches
• The weather would ideally be warm as the idea is conceived as the centrepiece of a two-week winter break
• Five cities would be chosen to host two games over a January weekend
• Seeding is likely when the fixtures are arranged in preseason to keep the most popular clubs apart. A draw could be made preseason or each club could be pitted against the one that finished ten places below them in the previous campaign.
• The season would be extended to 39 games per club and points would count as usual for the league table
• Clubs would undertake PR initiatives in the cities and loyal fans may be flown out from home
  Time zones mean that in theory UK television viewers could watch every match live
• Clubs based in the same cities would play each other back home in the next round of fixtures so that they would all have had the same journeys and level of jet lag
• The plan has yet to be approved by Fifa, the world governing body, which has the power of veto.
• A final decision on whether to proceed with the plan will be made by January next year and, if approved, the first games would take place in the 2010-11 season to coincide with a new broadcast deal. The clubs could make £5 million each and it is likely to be a minimum three-year experiment

The Football Association is reported to have given its provisional support to the plans and the 20 clubs voted unanimously yesterday (7th February 2008) to examine how the proposal might work.

"This is a huge strategic move, the biggest since the league started," Mr Scudamore said. "If we don't do it, another sport - or another football league - will do it to us. The league cannot stand still. We are either moving forwards or backwards."

There are fears that the integrity of the competition could be damaged if, for example, Arsenal beat Derby County 5-0 in their one-off game while Manchester United drew 1-1 with a stronger Aston Villa side. Imbalances could prove more costly at the other end of the table if a side is relegated having, say, played Manchester United three times in the season.

Mr Scudamore's response to this was "I admit it is a deviation, albeit a minor one, one thirty-ninth, from perfect symmetry but integrity is a different word," he said. "There are inherent unfairnesses in our league, like playing a team coming back from a long trip in Europe or with players injured or suspended. But that is not a lack of integrity. These will all be genuine matches in the middle of the season."

He said that the league had examined many proposals to take games abroad, such as staging a big match, say United against Arsenal, in New York. The organisation concluded that, in the interests of fairness, every club had to be involved.

While there are benefits for the clubs, the overseas audiences and the armchair viewer, many fans feel any steps toward football franchising is totally unacceptable and match going fans - many of whom make great sacrifices to attend all their teams games already - may well wonder what is in it for them.

Malcolm Clarke from the Football Supporters Federation was dismayed at "The idea that teams can play a league game in a place where their supporters won't be able to go and watch them"

Lawrie Sanchez, the former Northern Ireland manager said "Other national associations won't be happy about the Premier League coming into their game, taking sponsors, taking advertising, taking revenue from their game,".

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, called for careful consideration "English football is hugely popular around the world and I understand the Premier League's desire to take the game to new audiences but this proposal goes beyond the Premier League and careful consideration is needed before any decisions are made... Money and merchandising must not take priority over the interests of fans in this country. The Premier League brings great benefits to Britain, but it's success today is established upon local club support built up over generations. The game must never forget its roots".

But what do you think? Click the link to take part in our survey on the 39th Premier League Game.

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team