Finance at the lower level of Football

Jack Metcalfe

Finance and money in football is a heavily debated topic not only in the sports world but in society itself with a lot of people saying that footballers make too much money whereas another side will say that there is a lot of money in football anyway so why shouldn't they get paid a lot. But this topic is mainly centred around the largest names and leagues in football and in the lower leagues it’s something people don’t want to speak about. There is a huge difference in money dependent on what league you are in and in this article we will speak about how clubs are trying to stay afloat, what the government and the FA could do to help them and the difference in money when comparing leagues.

It has recently been announced the Nation League sides will receive a total of £12.6 million over the next three years. This works out at around £58,000 per club each season. Now this isn’t all the money as the money can still go into the club from owners, ticket sales and other things that clubs sell but this overall is so little when you look at the larger clubs in the country. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United contract saw him pick up a whopping £500,000 a week and that is just from one player at one club.

We spoke to Danny Bloor who is the manager for National League South side Eastbourne Borough. When asked about the key things he believes would help smaller clubs with money he said: “Well the main thing I can say is to not waste the money given to you.” There are many different things off the pitch that can help smaller clubs stay afloat. When asked about which things clubs should invest in he said: “Well I would say that they should be investing in their facilities, perhaps not on their players and staff but on their facilities.” He added: “They need to get their off the field activities correct as well.” Clubhouses can be a key component in helping a smaller club financially as they bring a real community and family feel to a club. This is what he said: “Clubhouses are definitely an off the field activity that clubs should invest in.” When asked if the FA and government can help clubs that are struggling he said this: “They should just be supportive. Each club is different so it’s good to have that support there.” We then asked him what he feels about the money that goes into smaller clubs. He said: “I don’t really know for all the clubs but I only worry for my club, Eastbourne Borough. We just need to do things in the right manner.”

Clubs are struggling after covid and now with the cost of living crisis affecting them again we will likely see clubs dissolve left, right and centre. Clubs need backing from the FA and other governing bodies but they also need to make sure they are spending money wisely and on the right things to make sure they don’t go under.