Franchise Football - Part 2

By Albatross
August 29 2002

Part 2 of Albatross' look at Franchise Football takes a closer look at the Wimbledon affair, and sounds a note of hope for Football Fans everywhere.

So it's back to where we started from: Wimbledon. Following the FA's agreement, Charles Koppell is moving the Dons to Milton Keynes; and as in pretty much every case, the fans are an afterthought. The first game of the season saw an official crowd of just over 2400, with a considerable number of people protesting outside. I say "official", as there appears to be some doubt as to whether there actually were that many inside Selhurst Park. 1800 tickets had apparently been sold to Gillingham fans, but some Gills dispute that number; even assuming that there were that many, it leaves a total of 668 fans of what almost every Wimbledon fan now calls "Franchise FC".

Even that figure is open to question: allegations made by one unofficial site claim that the actual number was just under 200, with season ticket holders being counted even though many weren't there; apparently a number of season tickets had been sent to people who had cancelled their cheques in disgust following the announcement of the move, and who therefore have in effect got a free season ticket - and won't use it.

Most Wombles have either given up on the club completely, or are instead going to watch the new AFC Wimbledon club set up by the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association: the new team will be playing in the Combined Counties League (roughly comparable to the Northern League), and have already sold more than 1000 season tickets. This for a team that will need to obtain six promotions to reach the level now occupied by Franchise FC.

The situation in Scotland is somewhat different; there is no clear path for the top non-league teams into the Scottish League. Clubs have to wait for a vacancy, then apply; and a vote is then taken by the member clubs. Clydebank have no obvious path back into the Senior Leagues; and this is maybe why the situation with Airdrie United is so worrying for them. Maidstone United, Aldershot, AFC Wimbledon and others who've gone under over the years and then reformed still have their shot at glory. They may be four or five promotions away from getting into the League again, but they know that with sufficient ambition, dedication, and support, they can make it. It's not impossible, just a long process. Clubs like Rushden have shown what can be done.

Scotland may well see more Franchise Football in the next few years. The precedent has been set: what's now to stop Gala, Cove, Port Glasgow or any other ambitious team from buying a league team in trouble? As usual, it's fans that will suffer: but it's also the fans that may be the downfall of Franchise Football.

Professional Football is big business. Those at the top have huge salaries, multi-million pound deals abound, and it seems like everyone wants the product. And yet....

One thing a successful business always does is to please its customers. It knows that if it fails to do so they will seek out alternative suppliers. It has to seek out new markets, develop new products, compete in the marketplace. Does this sound like a Football Club to you? With the possible exception of some of the very top clubs, this bears very little resemblance to a Football Club. The difference is the fans.

Football Fans are intensely loyal. Once they've decided to support a team, it's unlikely that they'll ever change. It's not about customer satisfaction; it's about devotion, passion, love, and sheer bloody-mindedness. It's not logical, it's emotional. It's not rational. And this is what Franchise Football too often doesn't take into account.

Wimbledon is a case in point. Wimbledon fans want to see their team ideally playing in the borough of Merton. They feel a sense of ownership, of belonging. It's their team, more than it could ever be Sam Hamman's team or Charles Koppell's team. They have invested a lot in the club: money through the turnstiles and on merchandise, but more importantly they've invested their hopes and dreams, and put something of themselves into their club. Are they going to follow the club to Milton Keynes - a place they feel no connection with, somewhere alien? Of course not! So they go off and form AFC Wimbledon, and as far as the vast majority of Wimbledon fans are concerned that is the "true" Wimbledon, the team that carries their hopes with it.

Meanwhile, Koppell is faced with building a new fan base in MK. Will he do it? Maybe he will, but it will take them a long time and they'll lose a lot of money in the process. If people in Milton Keynes are interested in football, the chance is that they will have already latched onto a team - even if it's only someone they watch on Sky. They may turn up to the odd game, but how many will become regular supporters? And so Franchise FC will find itself having to offer all sorts of reduced prices, having to bring in kids before they choose "their" team, and in the meantime it will lose money.

Football isn't about business, it's about people. And while that remains the case, I don't think that Franchising will get much further than Milton Keynes.