Today in football, teams in the Premier League are being run primarily as businesses, rather than the main focus being on the football itself. Emphasis is now firmly placed on financial matters such as sponsorship, TV revenue/coverage and merchandise, in an attempt to gain a global audience for teams. Tom Hicks (co-owner of Liverpool FC) proved this problem by stating that Liverpool's main problems are the lack of sponsorship, not maximising revenue and the fact that they are not yet a global brand and need to attract the Far East more. He failed to mention anything about the team, players, coaching staff or the fact that Liverpool have not won the Premiership since it became the "Premiership".
This is in stark contrast to the Football League, which concentrates on football first, as well as the business side of the game. The teams in these leagues have a far more loyal fan base, who have supported the club for years in comparison to many Premier League fans who may attend a game a season. The business side of the Football League is not directed towards being a brand name, but to survive as a club and improve the standard of football.
Some may also agree that the competition provided in the Championship, League One or Two can be just as exciting as the premiership, if not more so. The last day championship game on Sunday was a prime example of this, where 14 or so teams could still achieve promotion or suffer relegation.
The Football League provides greater value for money than the Premier League and in comparison each team provides more entertainment for the league they are in. In my opinion after watching the F.A Cup final in 2007, I enjoyed watching Dagenham and Redbridge beating Aldershot F.C to gain promotion to the Football League in May 2007 far more.
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