Monday, 25 May 2009
The mourning after
So, following my team's relegation from the Premier League yesterday, along with the two other accompanying teams, one inevitably has to ask: what happens next? In strategic terms, relegated Premier League clubs face some challenging decisions: do they continue to behave like PL clubs in the hope that they can achieve promotion after only only season in the Coca Cola Championship? Or do they confront the new financial realities of playing football at a lower level, cutting costs by selling players, and focusing on reconfiguring their business models (again, hoping that the club is promoted quickly, while acknowledging that a failure to gain promotion is a possibility)? Perhaps some clubs might accept that their market and strategic positioning should be conceived of in terms of being a Championship, rather than a PL, team? At a time when off-field performance is becoming more important, could a club actually become more commercially successful following relegation, if it is managed correctly? Or is this simply wishful thinking, the PL being the only place one can signal on- and off-field success?
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You can increase your fanbase marginally still even when relegated, but you have to accept that your turnover will go down and your playing budget should accordingly with relegation clauses if you have been sensible enough to agree these.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at QPR we increased season ticket holders year on year after relegation marginally, then took big strides forward in the three years in League 1, so much so that we returned to the Championship with c.13k season ticket holders having left with c.5.5k. Granted the price per season ticket was lower, but the fanbase had increased.
Clubs should cut their cloth accordingly or risk doing a Leeds.