by Matthew P. Nicholson

Created on: July 08, 2007

The football teams in the Premier League are run as a business first and a football team second. The emphasis is placed firmly on merchandise, sponsorship and TV coverage to increase the annual profit and continued growth in an attempt to gain a global following.

In reality there are only four teams in the elite band that have spread to such an extent that they have a following in each continent. Sadly Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are becoming more like their sporting counterparts in USA where they are viewed as a brand name. The rest of the Premier League consists of smaller companies trying to qualify for the UEFA Cup in an attempt to increase their name throughout Europe.

The football teams in the Football League concentrate on football first and try to maintain a steady ship, aiming for a loyal fan base who will continue their support through the good and bad times. These teams aim to rise up to the highest standard possible in order to increase their earning potential in order to safeguard their future existence in the game.

For the last five years or more there have been up to ten teams competing for automatic promotion at the end of the season in the Championship. Leagues One and Two have also provided stern competition not found in the Premier League.

There has always been the argument that the higher attendances in the Premier League prove that it holds a higher attraction to fans. I disagree with this though as the Premiership stadiums are bigger and so they are obviously going to have more people attending.

The Football League provides greater value for money than the Premier League and in comparative terms each division is far superior in strength than the Premier League. With that in mind I would rather be attending matches in the Football League than the Premier League, but if my team were to reach the heights of the top division I can not honestly say that I wold hold the same opinion.

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