During Martin O’Neill’s reign as manager, times were exciting and young fans would passionately support us. We had money being spent on quality players, with our line up including the likes of Ashley Young and James Milner, and young fans really had something to be excited about. But times have changed, to the point where young fans, like older ones, have lost enthusiasm, and I’m sure many who are choosing a team to follow these days will go for the wealthier clubs like Manchester City, purely for the glory and excitement of big-name players coming in and out. I myself am 14 years old and, while I am “Villa till I die”, I have definitely lost much of my passion for football. If it wasn’t for me growing up around Villa fans, I have no idea if I would even be interested in football, let alone be a season ticket holder at my local club.
This is the problem with football these days. The television broadcasters like Sky and BT Sport have turned professional football into a money centred sport of very wealthy footballers who care more about their pay than about the game of football that they supposedly love. For example, Manchester City has a very rich owner, which means the club is constantly buying very talented players. This attracts young fans more. A lot of youngsters now grow up with the idea of, “he scores, so he is good”. Inevitably, this makes young fans support the clubs with the best players.
I am aware of the fantastic history of our club – European cup winners, League and FA cup winners multiple times. This makes me proud to be a Villa fan, to know that we have all this history of being a successful team. Unlike young fans, adult fans may even remember these moments of glory and have faith that they will return some day.
Football is supposed to thrive on the excitement of young fans but there are fewer of them now. Of course, there are still a good number of young Villans who have a great deal of passion for the club and who support their local team. But there are fewer of these supporters nowadays due to the televised state of Premier League football, which makes youngsters miss the point of supporting a football team. Traditionally, you supported your local team that your father supported. It was as simple as that. These days, supporting the team with the supposed best and most expensive players is more common. Hopefully, Tim Sherwood can turn things around at Villa Park and bring back some of the good times, as television companies have changed young supporters at clubs like Villa, and a good run of form will change it back.
Look at the crowds you get in Germany where they make a conscious effort to keep ticket prices low. You won’t find a better atmosphere in the world. English football is now purely a capitalist venture and it is all about the money. I have thought about Villa getting taken over and to be honest if we did a Man City it would put me off. It would not be the same club that I started supporting at 10 years old.
I agree entirely, exactly what I have said in the article. Thanks for reading.