Kicking off the weekend
Finally, it's the
weekend many of us have all been waiting for- the return of the
football season.
Though the Premier League doesn't
get underway for another 10 days, there is plenty of football
action taking place as the Championship and Leagues 1 & 2 kick
off.
It's a great chance for lower
league teams to get a bit of limelight among the media before the
top tier games begin on the 15th August. The lower two
leagues, in particular, struggle for attendances and rights, and
any additional income proves valuable.
Take, for example, Darlington FC, who
were placed into administration last season and only get less than
3,000 people through the turnstiles (in a ground with a capacity of
25,000). Their League Cup first round tie against Leeds United has
been chosen for live coverage on Sky Sports, generating valuable
revenue for the club which, unlike their higher league,
counterparts they are not used to receiving. If they play well, it
may encourage local supporters to visit the Darlington Arena this
season.
There are also big changes for the
television viewer this season. The BBC has rights to 10
Championship games and some of the League cup matches, ensuring
there is more free football for fans to watch.
The collapse of Setanta has allowed
ESPN to grab the rights to a number of Premier League games and it
will be interesting to see how they present the games, what
presenters and pundits they use and how it rates compared to
Sky's coverage.
Far more important of course, is how
Spurs do this season. As long as we start a lot better than last
season (a fantastic haul of 2 points out of 8 games!), then
I'll be happy. Bring on Liverpool first day of the season-
it's ripe for a Keane/Crouch goalfest.
COMMENTS
No comments added for this entry.
POST A COMMENT
