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The argument is one that has raged for many years since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, and then the sudden explosion in TV revenue after the move by Sky to broadcast live Premiership football on their satellite package. This undoubtedly led to an increase in popularity of English football across the globe, but it was negatively skewed towards the Premiership rather than the Football League. This meant while teams like Newcastle who had only been recently promoted to the top flight experienced huge flows of revenue, while lower league teams suffered.

Eventually the money was shared so unequally that we have ended up with the Premier League that we have today, a competition where only three or four teams actually have a chance of winning the league (Chelsea only being considered due to the investment by Roman Abramovich). The top teams also gain more money that the other teams in the league further widening the gap between the top and bottom, this has led to an uncompetitive league, where more often than not, the teams that get promoted get relegated.

Therefore the Football League offers so much more to English football fans than the Premier League. The Championship last year was one of the most competitive championships for many years, by the end of the season only around 20 points separated 6th place from 22nd place. This means that the league is highly competitive and any team can beat another team. Another plus about the Football League is that teams who get promoted have a chance to survive without spending millions of pounds, for example League Two and the Conference are not too dissimilar, hence many teams promoted from the Conference survive their first season. The Championship is also the 4th most followed league in the whole of Europe with many teams attracting over 20,000 fans week in week out. This all leads to an energetic, competitive league, something which the Premiership is not, despite boasting many of the worlds top players.

Learn more about this author, James Brighton.
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