When the Football League was originally launched in 1888, half of teams came from the Midlands and half from the North of England. There were no teams from south of Birmingham. The sport was essentially a game for industrial England.
As The Economist points out in its latest issue, outside of Manchester (once designated as the ‘northern powerhouse’) and Liverpool, northern clubs are in decline. The most successful last season, Sunderland, finished 17th.
When the Football League was originally launched in 1888, half of teams came from the Midlands and half from the North of England. There were no teams from south of Birmingham. The sport was essentially a game for industrial England.
As The Economist points out in its latest issue, outside of Manchester (once designated as the ‘northern powerhouse’) and Liverpool, northern clubs are in decline. The most successful last season, Sunderland, finished 17th.
Newcastle United were relegated and Leeds United seem to be stuck in the Championship with their revolving door of managers. The case of Leeds is particularly at odds with its status as a regional capital.
Elite players tend to prefer London, or at least Manchester with its Cheshire suburbs for rich footballers, to other northern towns.
In 2014-15 Sunderland had the sixth highest attendance in the league, but only the 15th highest revenue. Clubs in London make more from ticket sales and corporate hospitality. Chelsea, who had a lower average attendance than Sunderland, earned six times as much from each match day. This year Sunderland cut their season ticket prices.
All the three teams promoted to the Premier League this season are from the north. The new television deal will further reduce the reliance of clubs on matchday revenue, helping teams in less prosperous regions to catch up.