Fair Game, an initiative committed to enhancing football governance, counts Grimsby Town as one of its founding members. Recently, it shed light on a “leaked proposal” detailing the suggested financial settlement from the Premier League to the English Football League, with the aim of achieving a fairer distribution of a portion of the £3.19bn annual TV revenue received by the top flight. The new deal would conditionally bring an additional £130m to the EFL but, under current arrangements, 75% of that would go to the Championship clubs.
In an attempt to gauge public sentiment, Fair Game conducted a survey, yielding an emphatic outcome: an overwhelming 99.4% of the 1,252 respondents expressed opposition to the proposed arrangement. The urgency to reach a resolution is not unrelated to the growing likelihood of the establishment of an independent regulator – an entity enjoying rare bipartisan political support.
While the Premier League undoubtedly stands as one of the United Kingdom’s most significant cultural and economic assets, the emphasis, in my view, should be placed on finding the right solution rather than a quick one. The Premier League, despite its brilliance, exemplifies a huge market distortion, where the historical contributions of clubs and players are undervalued, the community focus is often secondary and current stakeholders disproportionately reap the economic benefits, often disregarding the full legacy on which their success was built.
Grimsby Town FC were established in September 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and changed their name one year later. The club’s modest origins, born in the convivial atmosphere of the Wellington Arms pub in Freeman Street, were initially aimed at providing a pastime during the winter months when cricket, the primary pursuit, was on hiatus.
Last month, we celebrated a remarkable milestone – 145 years of continuous existence – while hosting Crawley at Blundell Park. Crawley can trace their origins to 1896 and their current ownership, inspired by the world of cryptocurrency, adds a compelling layer to their narrative.
During the Crawley game, esteemed former players, including our most successful manager, Alan Buckley, were in attendance. My personal highlight was the opportunity to meet Garry Birtles, a two-times European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, an England international, and one of the greatest players to have donned our iconic black-and-white stripes during his 69 appearances for the Mariners from 1989 to 1991.
As a nine-year-old I proudly displayed a poster of Garry from Shoot magazine on the bedroom wall I shared with my three brothers. So, when I received a trial at the club in 1989, I was overjoyed to train alongside the first team and, more importantly, witness Garry’s exceptional skills first-hand. His exquisite touch and movement left me awestruck, and I found myself rendered speechless in his presence.
In one memorable warm-up session, where we had to dive through each other’s legs and then leap on to the back of the nearest player, I inadvertently found myself clinging a bit too tightly to Garry’s back. This mishap led to our sole conversation, with him remarking, “Get off, you’re strangling me.” The Crawley game provided a unique opportunity for me to express my gratitude to him for concluding his illustrious career here and to offer a long-overdue apology.
One vivid memory of Garry’s time at Grimsby was his hat-trick against Wrexham in 1990 – a game that also underscores the significant “progress” in the financial landscape of football. It would be inconceivable today for a two-times European Cup winner such as Garry to conclude his career in what was then known as the Fourth Division. However, on that remarkable day in 1990, Garry faced a Wrexham team that featured Alan Kennedy and Joey Jones, players who had also twice lifted the European Cup, at Liverpool.
The success of these players and teams in the 1970s and 1980s laid the foundation for the players, fanbase, infrastructure and rich history on which today’s achievements are built. Like many players today, Garry started his career at non-league Long Eaton and Joey Jones came full circle when he returned to Wrexham in the 1990s. Clubs throughout the pyramid often serve as the nurturing grounds for emerging talent, providing young players with the opportunity to hone their skills and gain invaluable experience.
I was informed by someone closely involved in the deal that what Garry signed in 1989 was initially a blank contract, and he subsequently negotiated the financial terms directly with the manager. Players such as Garry, as well as many others who finished their careers in the lower leagues, did so not solely for financial reasons but also out of a profound desire to continue playing as long as they could.
This leads us to the final aspect that requires attention: the money that exits the game through agents. It would be unjust to claim that none of them contribute value to the conversations and the ability to safeguard players’ interests. However, in my experience there are more than a few who appear to prioritise their own commissions over what is in the best interest of their clients.
One can certainly argue that some of the £320m paid to agents in 2022-23 could have been put to better use if retained within the game. Historically, the introduction of agents was a positive force to support players’ interests in the value they were creating for clubs and this was clearly right. When reflecting on the value that has been extracted over the past three decades, it is unclear that having such a substantial amount of money leaving the game now makes as much sense.
The entire football pyramid shares the responsibility for the Premier League’s success. This historical legacy warrants rightful recognition and remembrance in any proposed deal. This deal needs also to be tempered with cost control mechanisms so that new moneys don’t simply flow to higher wages and agents fees.
By investing in the EFL the Premier League can ensure that the football pyramid remains robust and that clubs such as Grimsby, Crawley and many others continue to contribute to the nation’s footballing heritage and, more importantly, to its future.
