The Football Association has advertised the post of Group Finance Controller. On offer is a six figure salary plus benefits which is no doubt the going rate for a job that requires ACA qualification and considerable management expertise in an organisation with an annual turnover of £300m.
The Football Association has advertised the post of Group Finance Controller. On offer is a six figure salary plus benefits which is no doubt the going rate for a job that requires ACA qualification and considerable management expertise in an organisation with an annual turnover of £300m.
What the job is undoubtedly about is tightening up financial controls and forward planning at the FA which has had arguably made some financial mistakes in the past in relation to Wembley Stadium and the move from Soho Square. They are also now going ahead with the St.George’s Park national football centre to be built at Burton-on-Trent. This post forms part of a new finance structure being built within the organisation, and not before time.
The advert states that the FA ‘continues to develop as an effective and representative governing body fully equipped to lead, develop and govern the modern game.’ The phrase ‘continues to develop’ is significant, implying that it is not quite there yet. My view is that it has not been effective, a concern shared by successive governments, and is possibly too representative.
What I mean by that is the balance between the professional and grass roots game in its structure. As a vice-president of a non-league club, I value the grass roots game. It gives youngsters the chance to develop their football and other skills and enjoy playing the game, contributing to their physical health and keeping them out of trouble. Non-league clubs are often deeply rooted in their communities and rely on an army of volunteers: the ‘Big Society’ has been in operation in grass roots football for decades. It also gives players who have not made the grade in academies to carry on playing and, in a few cases, re-build their careers.
But there is a more negative side to non-league football, the ‘blazer brigade’ of directors and club officials who strut about full of their own self-importance. Let me emphasise that not all directors are like this, thankfully not at our club but we encounter them with some visiting sides. These are the committee men who often serve on county associations and too many of them are self-satisfied and have a narrow vision.
What the Football Association needs to do is to sort out its internal structures so that it is respected by government and can stand up to the Premier League when necessary. It should also stop giving the impression that it sometimes views fans as a bunch of dimwits who just need to be parted from their money.