As Richard Scudamore and The Premier League continue their campaign for a money spinning 39th fixture abroad, members of England’s Football League go about their daily lives, more concerned with the salient issue of survival.
In the same month the Premiership big boys drooled over the prospects of earning an additional £5m a season for playing overseas, AFC Bournemouth became the latest Football League club to enter administration. Such events serve as a painful reminder to all those who love the beautiful game, that never has the divide between football’s haves and have not’s been as great.
The latest Deloitte Football Money League revealed that six Premiership clubs generated revenue in excess of £100m during the 2006/07 season. That figure is set to grow in the next report, bearing in mind that 2007/08 marks the first campaign under a new television rights deal. Sky and Setanta agreed to a £1.7bn broadcasting contract last summer, which guarantees each team a staggering £28m a season until 2010.
In contrast, The Football League’s latest television package, sold to Sky and BBC in December, will be worth £264m between 2009 to 2011. This works out at just over £1.2m per Football League club per season, with most of that amount likely to go to Championship sides. The prospects for Leagues One and Two therefore, seem particularly grim.
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