The harsh reality of football.
The Premier League announced a record-breaking deal of £5.136bn for television rights to their fixtures with Sky Sports and BT Sport – yet while the top-flight of English football thrives financially, grassroots football funding is being diminished.
The top tier originally vowed to give grassroots football five percent of broadcasting revenue, yet this has fallen to below one percent – and this is inexcusable.
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The Mirror report that the league, the Government, and the Football Association have cut its donation from £20m per-year to £12m.
Amateur football teams have to tackle a rise in council fees to use pitches – with some clubs having had their fees quadrupled to £600 per-season – a price that could be covered at a blink of an eye by England’s most wealthy clubs.
Non-league football is largely reliant upon the help of volunteers, and while their work is admired by the club’s they work for, they urge English footballs’ most affluent to offer more help.
According to the Mirror the Premier League puts £168m towards community schemes and facilities – but this is a measly sum in comparison to the whole figure acquired.
Liverpool’s junior summer league secretary, Stephen O’Reilly stated that:
“Bill Shankley used to come out of Anfield and watch the kids playing football here. Those days are gone. The Premier League should be looking after these leagues, where your Gerrards and Rooneys all started,” as quoted by the Mirror.
“All our equipment is kept in the storage container. There are dogs running across the pitches. There are no toilet facilities, no hot water.
“Football is a religion here. But now it’s all about money, money, money.”