When I was growing up as a young Crystal Palace fan, football was about …
- Wright and Bright
- Fly Virgin Shirts
- Cherry Drops and Bon bons
- A smoky haze in the Crystals bar before kick off
- Sitting in the top corner of the main stand with my mum, dad and sister.
To be honest, that was all I ever really associated with Palace, football in general.
It was a simpler time and although some match day rituals remain the same (I still attend matches with my mum, dad and sister all be it in the Holmesdale end), football itself is changing.
Football has evolved into a money driven multi-billion pound industry that at times seems to have forgotten where it came from.
The days where an unknown footballer playing down the park made it to the big time is a story you hear less and less. Footballers are rarely discovered, more produced on an assembly line. There was a time every young lad could dream of being plucked out of obscurity. There was always a chance, now not so much.
Crystal Palace still occasionally buck the trend and dip into the relatively unknown. It is amazing to think Dwight Gayle was playing non-league football only a few years ago. More recently we acquired the services of Keshi Anderson from non-league Barton Rovers. This is the type of story you hear of less and less, maybe there is a glimmer of hope? Can fairy tales can still happen?
Despite what people may say or think, football has always been about money it is only now that money seems to overshadow the football.
The Holmesdale Fanatics have recently highlighted the greed and wealth of the Premier League with a series of displays and protests. This has been greeted on the whole with a doff of the cap from fellow Palace fans and supporters of other clubs.
I for one salute their efforts. Most fans, myself included, do not generally highlight issues behind the scenes of football to such an extent. Bringing issues that matter to the forefront. I can only hope that their fantastic efforts continue to help raise awareness and maybe create change for the better.
The fact is there is a massive financial influence on the game. Television deals, ticketing, merchandising, sponsorship , things are inevitably going to change. Some of these changes maybe for the good. Some are not.
The Premier League has become the victim of its own success. The global televising of games has introduced a whole new audience to the English game. Let us not fool ourselves, football is a business. The object of a business is to make money so its no surprise clubs are cashing in off of the back of this.
With such high ticket prices there is an argument that stadiums are now packed with tourists instead of ‘real fans‘, some fans can no longer afford to go to a match. Whilst I understand this frustration, I do not begrudge anyone, tourists included, the chance to see a top flight match.
Going to a football match should be accessible to everybody. Fairer pricing structures have to be introduced in general to make sure we do not forget the games original demographic.
This week the point has been highlighted again with Palace fans being charged £43 to go to West Ham away. That is an awful lot of money to watch a football match. Some of the seats in the Boleyn ground have a rubbish view as I found to my detriment last season. Its also about 920 stops on the tube from Victoria.
Add to the fact that the game is televised this season, I decided not to go. This is not a protest, it is just not financially viable for me and many other fans.
If enough people keep bringing up the issue then eventually something has to give. Fans are integral to the game and that is something that will never change.
C’MON YOU PALACE!
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