Proposed changes to English football

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...an-utd-liverpool-driving-project-big-picture/


The Daily Telegraph can reveal the details of the working document “Revitalisation” authored by Liverpool’s American ownership Fenway Sports Group with support from United. It anticipates the backing of the other members of the so-called big six, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham

In a remarkable set of proposals, which will send shockwaves through the game, 25 per cent of the Premier League’s annual revenue will go to the EFL clubs with £250 million paid up front to see them through the current crisis. There would also be a gift of £100 million to sustain the Football Association.

However, there would be an abolition of the one-club, one-vote principle that has sustained the Premier League since its inception as well as the abolition of the threshold of 14 votes to pass any decision or regulation change.

Under the new proposals, the League Cup and the Community Shield would be abolished. There have been additional discussions that the League Cup would survive but without the participation of the clubs in Europe.

There would be two automatic promotion places for Championship clubs, but the third, fourth and fifth placed clubs would be in a play-off tournament with the 16th placed Premier League club.

The nine clubs who have been in the Premier League for the longest - which includes the big six - would dictate its running in every aspect and would be free to play more games in the expanded Champions League that is anticipated from the 2024-2025 season onwards.

As well as the Premier League dropping from 20 clubs to 18, there would be 24 in each of the Championship, League One and League Two making a total of 90.

The plan is supported by the EFL chairman Rick Parry who has held talks with Liverpool’s principal owner, the American investor John W Henry, and shareholder and director Mike Gordon. In addition, Parry has spoken to the Glazer family, who own United.

The talks began in 2017 but have been accelerated since the coronavirus pandemic has thrust football into the grip of crisis with no fans in stadiums until March at the earliest. Liverpool and United are prepared for a fierce debate over their proposals but they want them implemented as soon as possible.

The Revitalisation document calls for immediate action to cut dramatically what it calls the “revenue chasm” in earnings from television contracts between the Premier League and the EFL. In order to discourage Championship clubs from gambling recklessly on promotion, the parachute payments system would be abolished in favour of the 25 per cent share of Premier League revenue being shared more equitably among EFL clubs.

Under proposals for the new model of distribution of television revenue in the Premier League, Fenway, the driving force behind the document, insist there would be no greater share for the top six. Their stated aim is to eliminate the huge gap in earnings between Premier League and EFL clubs while in return having a greater control of the decisions made by the Premier League.

The document says: “A reset of the economics and governance of the English football pyramid is long overdue”.

The proposals also rewrite the Premier League’s 20-club democracy in favour of placing huge power in the hands of the nine clubs with the longest continual stay in the division. As things stand that is the big six, as well as Everton, Southampton and West Ham. Those nine clubs afforded “long-term shareholder status” would have unprecedented power, with the votes of just six of them required to make sweeping changes. These clubs would even be able to veto a new owner taking over a rival club.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Parry said that he had the support of many of his 72 members, many currently facing financial ruin, to go ahead with the plan. He said: “What do we do? Leave it exactly as it is and allow the smaller clubs to wither? Or do we do something about it? And you can’t do something about it without something changing. And the view of our clubs is if the [big] six get some benefits but the 72 also do, we are up for it.”

He accepted there would be opposition from the Premier League clubs outside the big six who would see it as detrimental to their financial prospects with less money and two fewer places in the top flight.

“It is definitely going to be challenging and it is an enormous change so that won’t be without some pain,” Parry said: “Do I genuinely think it’s for the greater good of the game as a whole? Absolutely. And if the [big] six are deriving some benefit then why shouldn’t they. Why wouldn’t they put their names to this otherwise?”

The proposals include:

£250 million immediately to the EFL to compensate its clubs for lost matchday revenue, deducted from future television revenue earnings and financed by a loan taken out by the Premier League
Special status for the nine longest serving clubs – and the vote of only six of those “long-term shareholders” required to make major changes, including amending rules and regulations, agreeing contracts, removal of the chief executive, and a wide-ranging veto including on club ownership
Premier League to go to 18 clubs from 20
£100 million one-off gift to the FA to cover its coronavirus losses, the non-league game, the women’s game, the grassroots
8.5 per cent of annual net Premier League revenue to go on operating costs and “good causes” including the FA
From the remainder, 25 per cent of all combined Premier League and Football League revenues to go to the EFL clubs
Six per cent of Premier League gross revenues to pay for stadium improvements across the top four divisions, calculated at £100 per seat
New rules for the distribution of Premier League television income, overseas and domestic, including proposals that base one portion on performance over three years in the league
The abolition of the League Cup and the Community Shield
24 clubs each in the Championship, League One and League Two reducing the professional game overall from 92 clubs to 90
A women's professional league independent of the Premier League or the FA
Two sides automatically relegated from the Premier League every season and the top two Championship teams promoted. The 16th place Premier League club in a play-off tournament with the Championship’s third, fourth and fifth placed teams.
Financial fair play regulations in line with Uefa, and full access for Premier League executive to club accounts
A fan charter including capping of away tickets at £20, away travel subsidised, a focus on a return to safe standing, a minimum away allocation of eight per cent capacity
Later Premier League start in August to give greater scope for pre-season friendlies, and requirement for all clubs to compete once every five years in a summer Premier League tournament
Huge changes to loan system allowing clubs to have 15 players out on loan domestically at any one time and up to four at a single club in England

 

The figures banded about, * me!

£250million paid immediately to EFL - we as an entire league make 10% of that a season and these guys are able to suggest tossing 10 times what our league pulls in as a good will gesture?
Like giving each of the current 72 clubs in the EFL £3.5million one off payment. I think that's about what the champions in Scotland get, let alone the pitiful amount the rest of the league setup gets.
Just complete madness the chasm between the two setups, yet we are both tied in to the same tv network.
Go figure which one gets all the attention.

 

It's the changes to voting that's really concerning. The biggest clubs will essentially have full control over all voting in the future.

 

Might open a pathway for us to go into the EPL in the future. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is another matter

 

‘Big Takeover’ more like...

Cash bung that the EFL won’t be able to resist in order for a few clubs to gain a cast iron grip of the EPL and make it both harder to join and be able to set rules to suit their own agendas.

How surprising!

I didn’t think it was possible for some of these clubs to get any further up their own arses...

 

Looks more like the door being firmly closed and welded shut to me....

..... I’m more in favour of N/S or E/W European leagues anyway.

 

The figures banded about are eye watering. How is it sustainable!??

I understand folk compare EPL to us up here and what we get is paltry by comparison. However England has a population of 60+ million and many more subscribers to sky/bt. We have a population of 5 odd million. So the EPL will continue to call the shots.


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Could go either way, I think those teams in their arrogance won't be threatened by us. They'll see the £££s from the extra revenue possibilities.

It's the clubs at the lower end of the table that wouldn't want us in, if we're in then 1 of them would have to go down

 

So here's £250m to kick 2 teams out of the league system so we can get our league down to 18 teams.
Also if we have a * season we can stop relegation via play offs.
Here is another £100m to make us the rulers of football.
Up to 15 players on loan also just allows these "Big six" to hold onto massive big squads.

 

Won't happen as the lower end EPL teams won't vote for it.

It's essentially the big teams giving away a wee bit of their money to cut 4 League games per season and get rid of the League Cup so they can play better in Europe by remaining fresh all season like other European teams.

Scotland should actually do it, we are severely hampered in Europe in that we play so many more games than "rival" teams like Dutch, Russian, Austrian, Turkish, Croatian, Czech and whoever on average we play about 15-20 games a season more than them meaning we're run into the ground more and more likely to get injured while they remain well rested and have a pretty easy going season with plenty of rest in the summer.

Liverpool and Klopp probably thinking the same that in Germany if you play 50 games per season thats a long successful season, probably means you got to at least the semis of the domestic Cup and Europe. In Scotland we play 10 games more than that and don't really get anywhere in Europe. For us to only play 50 games we pretty much need to have a disaster in the Cups and Europe.

 

And that total of £350m is half the buy out clause for Messi. Ridiculous amount of money.
Its about time SFA/SPFL told tv companies to * off unless money is massively increased by them.

 

Seems like a money and power grab from the top 6. Will have control over any major decisions going forward. Can’t imagine whichever 2 clubs will be kicked out from the 92 will be too happy

 

Would be 2 clubs relegate anyway but means nobody will promote or 4 relegate and 2 promote.
In essence though the big clubs look like they are being generous to efl but really just * em over

 

Aye exactly looks good upfront but in essence every other side is selling the control of their entire future for 3.5 mill

 

£££

* the EPL.

 

Agree with euro league for us. * moving to England. I said this before we all know this season is huge for our history. But next 5 years huge for us. We need the * out of scottish league both financially and to attract better players. And if we sell our players we might get decent money for them. Euro league against psv sporting and teams from scandanavia far better what we up against every week.

 

Same down south as it is up here.. the 'bigger' clubs want a bigger share of the cash and the smaller less supported teams want to feed off the big boys who are bringing in the cash. Only difference is we only have 2 clubs who bring in the interest and the EPL has about 6.

Instead of trying to restructure the leagues down south they would be better off trying to put a wage cap in place.. the money paid to football players is obscene and has a knock on effect to all other leagues

 

A wage cap only works if its a world wide thing. If one country did it they would struggle to bring in big names.

 

There is a wage cap in leagues 1 and 2

 

Hearing this proposal is going to be rejected? If so that's excellent news.