Sir Bobby RIP

Very sad news that one of the games greats finally lost has battle with cancer today.

Sir Bobby will be sorely missed.

One of his legacies is the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation which raises money for the early detection and treatment of cancer. Anyone wanting to donate to this worthy cause can do so via this link.

Many thanks for some great memories.

News: The European Supporter Awards - Entries open

The FFC team are proud to support the fifth annual European Football Supporters Award which rewards supporters developing positive initiatives in or around football stadiums... with a prize of 6000 € for the winner.

Information from the organisers on the Award as follows;

Established in 2005, the European Football Supporters Award is supported by UEFA and its president Michel Platini. It aims to reward a group or association of supporters that create positive developments in the game on an annual basis.

The deadline for 2009 applications is 31 October 2009.

In four years, the European Football Supporters Award awarded alternately groups who have protested against racism in all its forms - advocating tolerance on the stadium terraces, which had gone out of their way to extend hospitality to away fans, who had worked for the education of young fans and, finally, who had facilitated the integration of disabled supporters across the country.

EFSA previous winners

2005. La Peña Multicolor (Spain)
2006. The Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs (Northern Ireland)
2007. Genoa Club for Children (Italy)
2008. The National Association for Disabled Supporters (England)

Who will win the crown this November? Perhaps this is an opportunity for your organisation, so why not make an application to take part in EFSA 2009?

The award criteria outlined by the organisers are as follows:

• Respect for others, irrespective of nationality, race, culture or religion.
• Respect for the moral and physical integrity of all players of the game, which excludes all forms of violence, including verbal abuse.
• Compliance with the rules and accept decisions of the referee.
• The promotion of fair play, as the life skills of athletes.
• The size of the festive and friendly sport, brotherhood between fans before, during and after the meeting, communion in the same passion, which also implies the acceptance of defeat calmly.
• The training of young generations of audiences through the dissemination of the principles of sports ethics.
• Solidarity with minority groups, motivated by the same passion for football.

Applications must be sent before 31 October 2009:
European Football Supporters Award
5, avenue du Col-Vert
B-1170 Brussels
BELGIUM
Or by mail to info@supportersaward.com

The application, if possible, should take up no more than twenty lines; clearly explaining the action taken by the entrant under the the criteria listed above or describing exceptional gestures of fair play undertaken by a group or individual.

Please detail the location, dates or circumstances of the activity as part of the application together with details of the group or the candidate (e-mail and telephones). The organisers may wish to call on witnesses to confirm particular facts or actions.

The winner of the European Football Supporter Award will receive a prize of 6,000 euro’s in cash and a trophy that will be awarded on the pitch of his/her favourite team.

For more information, visit: http://www.supportersaward.com/

Contacts

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS AWARD
+ 32 (0)2.426.64.66
info@supportersaward.com

Best of luck

The FFC Team

FFC Results: The Big Issue

The latest FFC survey results appear on page 64 of this months edition of FC Business magazine. You can read the online version by clicking on the image above, the FFC article is also reproduced below. Many thanks for your support. The FFC Team

The Alienated Majority? by Jon Busk

Fans across the Premier League and Football League have deep routed fears for the future of the game, according to the latest survey polled by the Football Fans Census.

The survey, conducted at the start of July, covered just under two thousand fans and asked what they felt were the biggest issues, and also the single biggest issue facing football at the moment. The results give a stark picture of terrace attitudes to the modern game. The biggest issues worrying fans across the divisions are the financial stability of the game, and the spirit in which it is being played.

The single most important issue to the fans surveyed was the level of debt in football, while financial concerns generally dominated the findings. Just under thirty per cent of fans polled listed either the levels of debt, the wealth gap or players wages as the biggest issues facing the sport.

Tim Gentles, MD of the Football Fans Census, commented “This might be painful reading for the football community but it is clear that there are deep routed fears about the financial future of the game on the terraces. On the one hand, venerable clubs like Southampton are clinging on for dear life, and on the other, transfer fees and wages are rocketing, fuelled by the cheque books of the Real Madrids and the Man Citys. These tensions have clearly been transmitted into very real fears for the regular football supporter”

Not surprisingly, there is a difference of opinion between the Premier League and the leagues below. The biggest issue for fans of Premier League clubs, according to the survey, is the level of players’ wages, with 12% of fans surveyed citing this issue above all others. For fans of clubs in the Football League the wealth gap between clubs and the divisions was the top ranking issue, polling 14% of the fans in the survey.

Interestingly, the standard of refereeing did not appear highly in the findings. Whilst the tabloids and pundits alike foam at the mouth at the man in black every new season, fans are clearly worried about other things in the game. The standard of refereeing did not even appear in the overall top ten issues listed by fans in the survey, while only 3.5% of fans in the Premier League who took part listed it as the major issue facing football.

So while Andy Gray and Alan Green are seemingly kept awake at night by the latest travails of Mike Reilly, fans, it seems, have a longer term perspective.

What the survey does also reveal however, is a significant concern over the character of the game. When asked to list the five most important issues facing football, the most cited one was cheating and diving, mentioned by 41% of fans in the survey, while 35% supported the notion that football is becoming a commodity rather than a sport.

The general picture then does not make great reading for those who actually run the game. According to Gentles, “There is a huge amount of anxiety and angst over what I’d call the soul of the game. A combination of the way it is being played – cheating and diving- and the way it is being run. This isn’t just the usual gripe from league clubs about the rich getting richer. This is a universal malaise affecting all levels of supporters. The game they love, as they see it, is under threat”

What fans will actually do in response to their fears is unclear however. The prospect of fans up and down the country forming their own equivalent of F.C. United is unlikely. That said, it is clear that the patience of fans through all the divisions is being tested to the limit by those in the game. The game they fell in love with is fast becoming unrecognisable.

What do you think is THE single most important issue in football at the moment? (one option only)

Top 10 – All respondents

Levels of debt in football - 10.1%
Wealth gap between clubs / leagues - 9.9%
Players' wages - 9.8%
Game becoming a marketable commodity rather than a sport - 9.7%
Cheating and diving - 7.1%
Lack of competition, too much predictability (big club dominance) - 5.5%
Ticket prices - 5.0%
Number of clubs facing administration - 4.3%
Not enough money redistributed by Premier League - 4.2%
Size of transfer fees - 3.7%

What do you think are the most important issues in football at the moment? (up to 5 options)

Top 10 – All respondents

Cheating and diving - 41%
Players' wages - 37%
Game becoming a marketable commodity rather than a sport - 35%
Wealth gap between clubs / leagues - 32%
Levels of debt in football - 31%
Ticket prices - 27%
Lack of competition, too much predictability (big club dominance) - 25%
Foreign owners - 23%
Size of transfer fees - 22%
Not enough money redistributed by Premier League - 21%

Many thanks to everyone who took part.

FFC Rewards - WSC 270 August 2009

Now available in the FFC Reward redemption store for just 795 points


Featuring

Match of the month:"There was a spirit about the game that almost vindicated the decision to award South Africa the World Cup"South Africa v Spain

Crisis clubs: Charlton: where did it all go wrong, Darlington: back from the brink

Around the world: Boavista broke, New low for Bolivia, Australia World Cup bid, Brazil's 1991 championship, the other national team in Italy

Plus: Martínez returns to Wigan, Steve Marlet: Fulham flop, Walsall's season to remember, the collapse of Setanta - ESPN examined, first match trauma

News: London Football Expo launches today

A new football show, LONDON FOOTBALL EXPO opens at 10.00 am today Friday, 24 July at Earls Court, London.

The show runs until Sunday 26th, it's FREE to get in, we're going along and it would be great to see some FFC members there.

You can check out the details at

http://www.londonfootballexpo.co.uk/

Highlights include;

- 33% discount on all DrillBoard Soccer Coaching Software and PlayBooks exclusive to the show
- Professional clubs attending with West Ham running free coaching sessions every afternoon
- Freestylers coaching kids
- The Carling Cup and Championship Trophy on display
- The David Beckham Academy running coaching demonstrations and sessions
- Onsite deals on kit, boots, bottles, balls etc
- A new computer game called Shootpad to try out

Loads to do, all about football, all for free.

If you fancy a close season football fix it's free to come along any day this weekend.

News: F.C. Business Magazine Issue 37 Free Online Edition

Online version of F.C. Business magazine Issue 37, includes FFC article on page 71. Click on image to view

FFC Survey: Football Omnibus 08 July

We're running a short survey on supporting football. It's just 3-4 questions long and will only take a minute or so to complete.

Click here to Have Your Say

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team