The FA does FA for the little guys (so what's new?)

This story, which slipped out last week on the Poppies website pretty much sums up what is wrong with the way football is run in this country.

FA f*cks over the Poppies

The bottom line is that the club are no longer permitted to stream live TV games from Latimer Park.  The chances are, this won't affect people who are reading this, as we are more than likely to be at the game, but.....

A couple of years ago the Missus couldn't get to a couple of home games, so used her season ticket to watch the matches.  I've also been away on a Saturday before and managed to stay in touch via my Smart phone and Poppies TV.  You've probably also benefited from this service in the past too?

Let's be clear about what the FA are doing here. They are so scared their precious Premier League and their zillion-pound television contracts will be in some infinitesimal way undermined by a dozen house-bound Poppies fans, or overseas followers enjoying a bit of bobbly kick and rush, that they have taken a ridiculously big hammer to crush a nut that frankly doesn't exist!

The three "reasons" given by the FA for a blanket ban on tiny clubs streaming their games to their tiny support are these: -

1. To ensure spectators are not deterred from attending or participating in amateur or youth matches

Do the FA seriously believe Poppies TV stops anyone from attending live games, or local players from playing football?  Madness!

2.  In parallel to the above, protecting clubs' revenue generated by gate receipts

So, a potential, albeit small, revenue stream is closed off.  The home game against Hereford last season made the club an appreciable sum from away fans who couldn't get up to Northamptonshire from Hereford on a Tuesday night.  Honestly, who loses out?

3. To protect the interests of football within each national association.

What does this actually mean?  How does streaming a game to a house-bound Poppies fan who can't stand for 90 minutes impact upon our National Association?  Could the £8 he has to shell out for the privilege of following his team from home end up costing the FA their lucrative Sky and BT Sport contracts?  Just imagine, if this money disappeared from our National game we could end up with Premiership players having to scrape by on 50 or 60 grand a week rather than 150.  So sad!

Seemingly, as long as the FA can continue to strangle the lower leagues to salve the Big Boys, all to the good!  As long as they can continue to whore out the rights to their precious Premier League to all and sundry why should they care about the minnows in their midst?  Wrong. Wrong.  Wrong.