The Football League has more to offer English soccer fans than the Premier League

Agree

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by Costas Chryanthou

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I would agree that the football league, that is any division in England below the Premier league is better overall.

First of all the ticket prices are lower simply because lower league sides do not have extravagant players and as such the price paid by the fans week in week out reflect this. It is a bit like paying upto 30-100 more per ticket just because an elite group of players are at the top clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. I also would like to point out that Football league sides such as Sheffield United a few seasons ago gave some of the premier league sides a good run for their money during certain matches. Luton scared Liverpool during some FA Cup matches and plenty more shocks happened where football league sides defeated the premier league opposition.

The league especially the Championship the old division 1, is arguably the most difficult league in the country as there are 24 teams all on a similar financial footing and perhaps the strength of the squads are fairly similar compared to each other. 16 out of the 24 teams have been involved in the Premier league at some stage during the history of the Premier league, so it gives people an indication of how competitive the Championship league is.

Some players in the Championship, and in some league 1 and league 2 teams have played in the Premiership at some stage and the quality of the play is reflected in the soccer matches viewers can watch. The football league brings out star players who are capable of playing in the premier league or who are perhaps just short of the top level. Veteran players who have played seasons in the Premier league sometimes are playing in the lower divisions.

The atmosphere is also a much more friendly and slightly more relaxed than going to see a London derby match between Chelsea and Arsenal. There are many other derby matches that happen in the Football league that provide more of a regional or historical competitive edge to a game. Matches such as Sheffield United vs Sheffield Wednesday the steel city derby has always provided myself with great viewing interest, many London matches between teams such as QPR, Charlton. These matches are perhaps more open and interesting to watch as the style of play is more rugged and in the championship league there are no Cristiano Ronaldo type players who can open up the game as easy as he does. The chances created have to be made the hard way and it is this soccer that makes it better to watch.

The budgets of the lower league sides makes it perhaps a more interesting and old fashioned way of watching football, during the winter and rainy months the football league sides do not have the grounds facilities to keep up with a top side, and therefore the result is sometimes a heavily soaked pitch that makes the game more entertaining to watch.

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