Sunday Supplements
As jumpers and goal-posts are replaced by t-shirts and cricket stumps, Phil Blackwell reflects upon the increasing financial demands of a season in Sunday league football for new clubs and their players.
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The final whistle is blown at the end of yet another frantic and clumsy Sunday league tie. But, as the players begrudgingly shake opposition hands and gasp desperately for every last ounce of air, the managers begin a game even more challenging than the match itself.
A desperate plea for money emanating from within the pile of bags ceremoniously dumped on the sidelines 90 minutes previously, rattles the ears of every player.
However, just as quickly as it takes to say “Don’t leave without paying lads,” does the weekly range of recycled excuses echo in response. Never before has the sudden desire to take down goal nets been so powerful, and never before has the gulf between the professional and amateur game been so apparent.
In leagues void of wags and riches, the appeal of Sunday football is beginning to fade as quickly as a pair of season worn socks. With the cost of council pitch hire equalling the price of a season ticket at a Premier League club, it could be argued that the amateur game no longer provides the same value for money entertainment for which it originally became so popular.
How can the £35 fee of a Sunday league referee be justified when some qualified British soldiers earn little more than that in a day at war? Since when has producing a yellow card for a player diving as though shot by a sniper, been of equal value to the fatal risk of real weaponry faced by the armed forces on a daily basis?
The financial commitment of Sunday league players is no longer limited to a pair of boots and a ball, but extends towards ongoing contributions for the supply of training equipment, entrance to County Cup’s and the hire of various sporting facilities.
Is it in fact the greed of corporations including leisure centres, leagues and local councils that is responsible for the decline of Sunday league popularity evidenced in recent years, as opposed to a lessening affection for the sport from players? But for how long will such exploitation be profitable in the current unstable economical climate?
For amateur players, football is a hobby, not a job. Whereas David Beckham may earn £150,000 in a single week, many Sunday teams would be lucky to earn little more than that collectively over the duration of an entire season.
It may be a “funny old game” Jimmy, but as the colour red continues to make its way from the referee’s pocket to the bank statements of Sunday league clubs, it is those in power that laugh the loudest.
