IS PROFESSIONALISM GROWING IN GHANAIAN FOOTBALL/

THE LEAGUE BOARD CHANGES ITS NAME

NIGERIA'S SAVING GRACE

>>> AGREES TO HOST 2009 FIFA U 17 WORLD CUP
Much to the relief everyone at FIFA HQ the Nigerian government agreed on Tuesday 28 Oct to host next years FIFA youth tournament. The government had decided that the $300m bill submitted by the NFA was too much to bear.

IS FOOTBALL IMMUNE FROM RECCESION?

There is talk of a fearful and dangerous economic headwind heading our way as a result of the Financial Crisis. The financial crisis is slowly trickling into the "real economy" and it feared some of the biggest economies in the world will suffer recces ion in the coming months and years.
Football has largely been untouched by the crisis around us. Judging by the amount of money flowing around football these days one would be fooled to think the money is a bottomless ocean. The major European Clubs spent a whopping $900bn during the transfer season this summer.Premiership Clubs led the way with over $500 expenditure funded by their football "Sugardadies" and the take over of MAN CITY by the Abu Dhabi Group increased the tempo and possibility of even of expanding their expenditure in the Winter Window.
The TV money too is secured for at lest two years while gate prices are at all time high and the supporters have until now put up with it the demand fro ticket is inelastic; that is ,it is not relatively responsive to price changes. Marketing and sponsorship deals have never been this lucrative.All these point to a secure and prosperous future for the world's most loved sport.
However since football forms part of the real economy it will not be spare by any recession. Infact football could suffer disproportionately from any recession ensuing from the credit crunch.Football fans are normal everyday people who survive on jobs so in hard times their incomes fall leaving them with little for entertainment. ticket sales and merchandise revenue will undoubtedly suffer in the event of a recession
The clubs will suffer marketing and sponsorship revenue losses as firms cut down on ad/branding spending . Even some of the firms might even go bankrupt which nearly happened to AIG ,the shirt sponsor of MAN UTD.
The next TV deal to be negotiated in a couple of years time will be crucial in determining the future financial stability of most European leagues esp the Premiership.
Again some clubs may find it difficult to raise funds fro their day to day activities because of the freeze of the credit system. some of the biggest clubs in Europe are heavily indebted and there could be frightening specter of Giant clubs that will fail financially in an environment of recession English clubs owe in total about $5bn .
football is an integral part of the economy despite its "special status" designation and any economy-wide imbalance will not leave football unscathed
After all football ,we're told is BIG BUSINESS