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Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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In the USA it is common for pro sports teams to demand new stadiums every couple of decades or the owner will move the team to another city that agrees to build a new stadium. Seems like that is very rare in Europe. It also seems like teams rarely build a brand new stadium even when staying in the same city. My understanding is the teams still have a private owner so what is the difference?
In the USA it is common for pro sports teams to demand new stadiums every couple of decades or the owner will move the team to another city that agrees to build a new stadium. Seems like that is very rare in Europe. It also seems like teams rarely build a brand new stadium even when staying in the same city. My understanding is the teams still have a private owner so what is the difference?
Probably because a large majority of teams own their stadia in British Football, or invest in a publicly owned stadium (like the Etihad expansion).
It's not like the teams don't hold a stake in their stadiums. When you invest 10's of millions in your stadiums, it makes it harder to move. US franchises just move around willy-nilly because local and states governments pay off the franchises at tax payer expense.
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Location: Great Britain
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Quote:
Originally Posted by censusdata
In the USA it is common for pro sports teams to demand new stadiums every couple of decades or the owner will move the team to another city that agrees to build a new stadium. Seems like that is very rare in Europe. It also seems like teams rarely build a brand new stadium even when staying in the same city. My understanding is the teams still have a private owner so what is the difference?
Firstly the England & Wales Football Association (FA) and Scottish Football Association (SFA) are the governing bodies who run the game and not the owners, the FA can overrule the owners and lay down the law as they see fit.
Whilst every city in the UK already has at least one professional club with some cities have two or more. In London there are thirteen professional clubs, several dozen semi-professional clubs and several hundred amateur clubs.
Furthermore people generally support their local team and many local teams have long proud local histories (some clubs are over 150 years old), and a team being moved wouldn't therefore have much local support unless it was moved to an area without a club and given the number of clubs in the UK there are no such areas, as every populated area as clubs and a fan base.
The only large city that diudn't have a club was Milton Keynes, so the FA following an Independent report allowed Wimbledon FC to move to Milton Keyenes and to become MK Dons, a decision which was strongly criticised at the time. Thankfully AFC Wimbledon was then formed and is now building a new stadium in Wimbledon.
There are more football (soccer) teams in the top two national leagues of the England league system than there are in the NFL and AFL. Plus there are three more national leagues below that. Then there are another dozen regional below that, and even more below them. Other European teams are somewhat similar, although I can't speak for all.
Supporters are mostly very local or family based. Moving elsewhere is not an option, the fans would be in uproar and the team would lose most of their support without gaining many new fans from the new location. I'm glad that teams can't blackmail cities to get free stuff like they do in the US.
Firstly the England & Wales Football Association (FA) and Scottish Football Association (SFA) are the governing bodies who run the game and not the owners, the FA can overrule the owners and lay down the law as they see fit.
Whilst every city in the UK already has at least one professional club with some cities have two or more. In London there are thirteen professional clubs, several dozen semi-professional clubs and several hundred amateur clubs.
Furthermore people generally support their local team and many local teams have long proud local histories (some clubs are over 150 years old), and a team being moved wouldn't therefore have much local support unless it was moved to an area without a club and given the number of clubs in the UK there are no such areas, as every populated area as clubs and a fan base.
The only large city that diudn't have a club was Milton Keynes, so the FA following an Independent report allowed Wimbledon FC to move to Milton Keyenes and to become MK Dons, a decision which was strongly criticised at the time. Thankfully AFC Wimbledon was then formed and is now building a new stadium in Wimbledon.
No, that's just the English Football association. The FA of Wales is completely separate. You're getting mixed up with cricket (where the "England" one does represent England and Wales)? Yes there are a few English League teams based in Wales but there is a separate Welsh league as well.
Plenty of fairly large cities with no league football team:
Gloucester
Hereford (used to have one, went bust a couple of years ago)
Worcester
Canterbury
St Albans
Winchester
Chester (same as Hereford)
Wakefield
Durham
Lancaster (that one is strange- virtually every other town and city in Lancashire does)
Bath
Chelmsford
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Location: Great Britain
27,175 posts, read 13,455,286 times
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Originally Posted by Walshie79
No, that's just the English Football association. The FA of Wales is completely separate. You're getting mixed up with cricket (where the "England" one does represent England and Wales)? Yes there are a few English League teams based in Wales but there is a separate Welsh league as well.
Plenty of fairly large cities with no league football team:
Gloucester
Hereford (used to have one, went bust a couple of years ago)
Worcester
Canterbury
St Albans
Winchester
Chester (same as Hereford)
Wakefield
Durham
Lancaster (that one is strange- virtually every other town and city in Lancashire does)
Bath
Chelmsford
The Welsh FA mainly manages the International Team and the lower Welsh Natonal leagues which are usually on a par with the amateur leagues in England, whilst they also manage grassroots football in Wales.
The English FA is very much in charge when it comes to the professional leagues that teams such as Swansea and Cariff play in, whether it be the Premier League, Championship, Division 1 or Division 2.
As for the places you have mentioned they are not that large and are certainly not major cities, indeed many had teams in the professional football league at one time but now have amateur teams. There teams still survive in most areas and they still have the possibility of promotion from the amateur league back to the professional leagues, however many simply do not have the support or finances of some of the teams in the the higher tiers of the game and the moving of established and very historic clubs which are part of the very fabric of local communities to these areas with lower league or amateur would not be feasible or indeed desirable.
Every year teams win promotion tp the professional league or are relegated to the amateur league, such is the nature of the game.
Last edited by Brave New World; 11-27-2017 at 09:22 AM..
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,473,841 times
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In the USA pro leagues only have about 30 teams so most market areas outside the top 30 have no pro team unless the city was historically larger in the past. There are many US states with populations and land area larger than Wales that don't have a single highest level pro team in any sport. That explain the phenomenon of college sports being so popular here. Teams in the same locations for 100 years and historic rivalries are only found in college sports with few exceptions. Pro team fans tend to support players more than teams and if their favorite player leaves they root for another team.
In the USA pro leagues only have about 30 teams so most market areas outside the top 30 have no pro team unless the city was historically larger in the past. There are many US states with populations and land area larger than Wales that don't have a single highest level pro team in any sport. That explain the phenomenon of college sports being so popular here. Teams in the same locations for 100 years and historic rivalries are only found in college sports with few exceptions. Pro team fans tend to support players more than teams and if their favorite player leaves they root for another team.
That's fine and dandy. However as the thread starter, how does that pertain to your original question?
No, that's just the English Football association. The FA of Wales is completely separate. You're getting mixed up with cricket (where the "England" one does represent England and Wales)? Yes there are a few English League teams based in Wales but there is a separate Welsh league as well.
Plenty of fairly large cities with no league football team:
Gloucester
Hereford (used to have one, went bust a couple of years ago)
Worcester
Canterbury
St Albans
Winchester
Chester (same as Hereford)
Wakefield
Durham
Lancaster (that one is strange- virtually every other town and city in Lancashire does)
Bath
Chelmsford
All those places bar Wakefield(strong rugby league city) and Durham have teams further down the leagues.Indeed Chester is in the Conference one division below the Football league and Hereford are climbing leagues at a rapid rate and may well be in the Conference next season .Chelmsford too could end up in the Conference next season.Just checked and Lancaster City are two divisions below the Conference
Football doesnt finish with league 2
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