The fight against modern Soccer(football) 2

In terms of all parameters, Norwegian football has deteriorated. Nevertheless, the aging become valued higher. Why?
Most have gone wrong for Norwegian football in 2011. The National Team has not qualified for European Championships. Women's football has fallen out of the good company. Club teams never reached out in Europe. The empty stands have become more empty during the fall and through the autumn scandal cases casts doubt on the seriousness and honesty in football. This means not only sporting receding but also the reputation is at stake.

But despite a situation that would have sent any other product in the depression and discouragement, experiencing football that the market is willing to pay more than ever, despite all the misery. Why?

The answer is found in the local passion. For example the passion Shown at St. Ålesund as Cup heroes came home late at night. Or in front of the terrace at the Hotel Alexandra in Molde, when the whole city gathered to celebrate the first ever league title. And ever Other Place where footballs joys and disappointments is expressed. Regardless of the quality and level, the Norwegian football an infrastructure that no other sport or business can compete with. The embrace from north to south, from east to west, and soon the only sport that carries the local identity and invites local belonging for all.

In a sports image that is becoming more internationalized, football is a guarantor of local and regional engagement across the country, and a grip on this network around the country are distrubutor and operators of media rights willing to pay much for. Because it is unique.

It is a unique position to be in, but hopefully it does not mean that football looks to ease the problems that have come to light in 2011. To measure success in money, and only that is hardly the answer to the challenges that reveal themselves in relation to athletic development and general reputation.

 

Re: The fight against modern Soccer(football)

http://www.fanseurope.org/en/news/86-fans-1-broadcasters-0.html


Norwegian fans succeeded in struggle against Monday matches!

With the huge impact of commercial success in football, match-going supporters are often facing the feeling that their needs are ignored. To many it seems that the game is becoming something like a toy of broadcasting companies who buy the rights to live broadcasting of leagues and competitions. These companies then tend to be given influence on fixture lists totally for their own benefits, which leads to fans' missing games, e.g. because of short term changes of fixtures. But especially the introduction of Monday games poses one of the biggest problems for fans all across Europe.

But as Norwegian media just announced, the new TV deal in Norwegian football won't include Monday games. But what is widely unknown beyond that is that this move of the Norwegian football authorities came following a very successful fans' campaign on kick-off times all across the country!

Maybe Norway is not considered the most prominent football country of all, but the fans have just done a massive job there to make themselves heard on the issue of kick-off times: as soon as the plans for a new TV deal starting in 2013 were announced by the FA, the football supporters got together to speak up against it (see FSE article "Football at Weekends"). From the beginning of the Norwegian season in early spring 2011, ALL fans groups across the first two divisions had a big banner with the slogan "Fotball Skal Spilles i Helgene" (Football should be played at weekends) put up inside the stadia at every game; they put up a website as well as social media sites on their campaign, sold T-Shirts, distributed stickers and remained silent for the first 10 minutes into each match.

In addition to this, the supporters went to numerous meetings with the different bodies relevant for the adoption of this new TV deal. They spent a lot of time to explain a simple logic to them: supporters contribute to a great extend to the attractiveness of the game and hence to the attractiveness of the match for broadcasters. No fans at the games – a less attractive product. Easy, isn't it?

At the end of October 2011, just before the end of the Norwegian football season, it was finally announced via the media that the new TV deal of the football governing bodies, in effect from 2013, will not have Monday matches included for all teams of the first division in Norway. A great first success showing what fans can achieve if they want to and organise cleverly and collectively! But it it is also worth giving credit to the Norwegian football officials at this point, for their willingness to listen to the arguments of the supporters and for taking them serious in the end.

Something else that probably needs to be mentioned in this context is that Norway as THE country where the usage of pyrotechnics is legal, where there are standing areas and where fans are listened to with important arrangements such as kick-off times....in this country of all, there is basically no problems with violence or other conflicts involving fans – unlike in other, comparable football countries by structure and size.

Hence, a simple further logic to be drawn from this could be that fans' needs and the recognition of our contribution to an exciting match experience would be worth becoming the leading criteria over short-term profit-making, as the latter bears more potential to trigger long term problems rather than prevent them. Or not?

In any case – congratulations to the Norwegian fans!

Let this serve an example for the rest of us in Europe and let us enjoy this victory with them!

 

Re: The fight against modern Soccer(football)

Well for me personally it is difficult to combine work and away matches on a monday. On long away matches i would have to take two days of work to follow my team live.
And when the home match is finished 9 PM and i have one hour drive home it would be more optimal if the matches where played at the weekend.
The spectator number is always lower on a monday than a saturday forexample.
We have had a reduction in the interest around th eNorwegian football the last couple of years. This is also a peace trying to make Norwegian football more visited. With the wayt football is today you can watch football from all over the world 24/7. And when you have 4 match days including monday matches combined with the competition from other leagues, i think you should to adapt to the match going fans.
The consequences of the few spectators and falling interest is incredible.

 

Re: The fight against modern Soccer(football)

As i preiously have said i think fans across europe have a undeserved bad reputation. Ofcourse there are som bad elements. There always will be.
But If people knew how mutch is done by fans everywhere i do not think peolpe would be so judgmental.
and many are probably skeptical towards letting Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012 . And with reason.
I think it is great that UEFA deard this.

Football Supporter Europe organizes RESPECT - Fan Culture Project as one of the four official social responsibility projects of UEFA at EURO 2012.
Read more at http://fansembassy.org/en/component/content/article/38.html

From Ukrain

[ame="http://vimeo.com/30430072"]The Kiev Live - Timelapse on Vimeo[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL2j3TNdG9c"]????????? "????? ?????" (1 ???????) - YouTube[/ame]

 

Re: The fight against modern Soccer(football)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIH9QmqUmRg"]EURO 2012 [Polish Arenas] - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkLJQj4qv5E"]Euro 2012 Promo |Poland & Ukraine| - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpZLwimnX_s"]EURO 2012 Promo - YouTube[/ame]

 

The fight continues in part 2 i see

Well a new campaign is launched in Denmark ( the new Brøndby)
The camapign is based on fellowship. And on their site they say : We see fellowship as both the foundation and soul of Brøndby IF. We believe that the club belongs to the community, and therefore we want to integrate the community into the club's decision making.
http://detnyebrondby.dk/

One wote for everyone
http://supporters-direct.coop/news/item.asp?n=13986&cat=sd_eng

In report by the Brønbyernes Football Funds they use the slogan The best nordic football club driven by the worlds best fellowship.
http://detnyebrondby.dk/downloads/nordens_bedste_fodboldklub_dnb.pdf
This set some focus on the way things are run today and some suggestions on how to change.
They write aboute the unike fan culture that is growing and how the mix of fans and club people can join forced to fight for a common goal.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irC-51uILfw"]Läktarsång - Lars Anders Johansson - YouTube[/ame]

 

I find it to be unusual little opposition or resistance here the last month or three?
Have you guys surrendered or are you just tired of the topic ?
Or have you started to see what the fight is about and how it works ?

 

Probably a good point
But the topic do not change to any large extent. It is just different from place to place. So yes, it might seem a bit boring in th long run if you only read about it

The season are heading towards the end in some countries and some are getting close to the winter brake. This will probably lead to new topics fronted , video making and hard work in many other fronts.

 

From Sweden (Djurgården 2011)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB5M4O3zIZo"]Sofialäktaren 2011 - DVD-trailer - YouTube[/ame]

From Deutschland ( Pro pyro 2012)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SullJbxN-NM"]Pro Pyro 2012 - Pyrotechnik in Deutschland | HD - YouTube[/ame]

 

I do not quite understand why you find the topic childish? Why is it childish trying to make something as people friendly as possible ?

 

Im sorry but you still do not get it. No people on the stand means no tv or investors. That simple. We are talking about more than PL , Serie A and La liga.
So in the long run it is not wise to don`t give a shit about the match going people. I understand that you enjoy a good match from England or Spain. But i think it is something wrong if the football being accessible via TV and internet leads that a local man not being able to come to his teams matches any more.
Modern football is here and will stay. i understand so much. But it is possible to form the product to be as flexible to the match going fans as possible.
You see as long as people feel neglected they will raise their voice within football.


So you have the answer to what every footballer in Europe should get paid ? Im not saying they need to go down to minims wage. All im saying is as a footballer you do not need to earn tens of millions a year.
Just see to your own league in NBA . It is just not healthy for the sport in my eyes.
Childish in your eyes. Healthy economy in my eyes.

 

Well unlike Matt in the hat and thejuggernaut it seems like the clubs and the management in football have started to see that lokal fans is an important part of european football.

http://www.ecaeurope.com/news/eca-organises-fan-relations-workshop-in-barcelona/


ECA Executive Board Member Ebru Köksal (Galatasaray SK), who chaired the event, stated:

"Today's workshop clearly underlined that there is a strong need for clubs to get together and exchange thoughts on this matter. It is vitally important that clubs help each other to improve the situation in their respective countries by sharing knowledge and best practice. At the same time, clubs and fans have to work together with the involvement of all stakeholders. I am convinced that following today's workshop many club representatives will have travelled back home with new ideas and thoughts on this matter."

 

My view is the totally opposite. First of all i do not want to adapt clubs on or of the pitch so a rich sheik or a rich American can be successful with his investments.
As to the wage , i believe many players out there still have some honor and respect for the game it self. And isn`t only focused on the money. And when you say no one worth watching i see that you have a main focus on the big leagues and not smaller leagues like SAS ligaen or Austrian Bundesliga. So maybe not worth watching for you. But hundreds of thousands go to follow their team every weekend on the stadium. And maybe millions on tv.
Try to understand that independent of the quality of the leagues across europe the people still follow their team.
So some sort of wage regulation would not kill football in Europe.
This would also limit the interest from foreign investors i think.
So if you ad a more strict regulation on how many foreign players you can have on a team and on the pitch. Then we can start to talk

IM not going to pretend that i have read much about this case. All i know is that the league is not playing right now because of, among other things, high player salaries. To high salaries.

 

I do not want to adapr it for anyone that only is in it for the profit. But I think that a millionaire from my country more likely would have given money back to society then a foreign owner. Agree?

True. But a player that only is in it for the money would not get much cred either. At least where i come from. If a players main purpose is to milk the club for money , i think he has a bad attitude. I would rather have player that give his best for the club than a gold digger that is high on him self.

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True. Leagues with mutch money seems to have the highest quality . Im not going to argue on that But is that a healthy sign ?

It actually do not matter to me where the owner comes from as long as he or she do things right But it is rare that a foreign owner that just wants to contribute with his money.

The money train happend

 

Well part of the lockout is about a salary cap to my knowledge. So i think it it is partly because of salaries.
Seems to me like NBA are struggling with some of the same issues as European football from what you are saying.





As to your last post.
Try to read my post about rasim again. I understand your view on far right people. All i have been trying to say is that i think dialog works better than punishment.
To give you an example . Early this fall My team Vålerenga was playing Lillestrøm. Our bigges rivals. About 100 people had gathered for some bears and a bite . On the way toward the train one of them received a text from the police. It said: We know what train you are taking , do not go of before Lillestrøm station. (wich was the plan) On the station before lillestrøm (Sagdalen) aboute 10 police officers where ordering the same people of the train. And said they was going to guide them directly to the stadium from there. Ok , the people did as the police said. They was ordered to follow the police to the stadium. On the way to som firecrackers was light , but not more. After a km they was stopped on a bridge. The batons came out with dogs and tear gas. The police calimed they had stopped them because they walked in the street and not on the sidewalk. This obviously made people angry. But no fighting. Everyone was searched and all pyro found on the people was confiscated . Then the police divided them into 5 groups and sendt them on their way to the stadium accompanied by a couple police officers. But on the way to the stadium the groups was taken on a big detour.
But nothing happend.
Before this match the group had a good dialog with a person in the police. But because of the way the fans was treated in this case the cut the contact with the police. Just because the police didn`t hold their word.
This is something that the police have noticed.
(Just to make it clear. This is a no violent group as long as not attacked)
But the consequences of this resulted in 15 football related fights in Oslo the night before the cup final in Norway. A number that would have been lower if the dialog had been kept.
Now the police have contacted the NSA (Norwegian Supporter Alliance) To resume the dialog. This is initiated by the police them self. They also wants to learn more aboute the difference between Ultras and casuals in Norway .

The point im trying to make, is dialog makes less trubble than punishment.

And if you tried to read some aboute Vålerenga and their supporters you would see our view on political or racial utterances.
We have recently written official letter that states out view on EDL And NDL as unwanted. And we have excluded a few members.
Klanen got the straight of the year award on the gay galla in Oslo 2011 for taking clear distance from gay epithets in the stands.
http://www.nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.7454002
Vålerenga got the OXLO award this week for their work for multitude and their fight againt racism not only within footbal but in Oslo in general.
http://webtv.tv2.no/webtv/?progId=569811
Klanen also works actively with and helps multi-handicapped with money , transport , coaching in football etc.
Klanen also have donates 1/3 of their money to the grasroot in Vålerenga .
I could go on . So you see everthing isn`t alway like the first impession.
Hope this makes you see more than than one side of a topic. I have been trying to tell you that i do not alway write my personale opinion