Red, Blue and...? (A very serious proposal draft)

After a result yesterday that will have surprised most - including those who only predicted a narrow Everton defeat at The ETIHAD Stadium; something rather different to get stuck into this New Year's Day.

Here goes:


One club: wishing to challenge the Nou Camp (in symbolic size).
BBC Sport: Manchester United in discussions over major redevelopment of Old Trafford
Mirror: Man Utd launch £200m Old Trafford project to make stadium best in world

Another: handcuffed and hanging on by a thread.

UEFA: wanting answers for failing to abide, with questions of their own to answer for…

With far-reaching and a myriad of viewpoints to touch upon;
is there a deal that EVERYONE will benefit from – in the unlikeliest of circumstances?


This article is based on reports that the world’s most commercially-celebrated association football club is seriously considering all options in upgrading Old Trafford stadium in the near future.

And the article itself is a mock proposal of my own, in how the strangest of proposals in the perceived, isolated-meaning in such a decision – COULD be the catalyst for the unlikeliest of positive transformations for the global sport, yet ALSO bring short-term and (hopefully) long-term financial stability to Everton Football Club – all in one signature agreement.



With no more explanatory waffle – WHAT’S THE PROPOSAL?


Man Utd (eventually) agree/decide to knock down Old Trafford.
The rebuild is cost-effective, with a timetable for completion agreed.

United need a temporary home to play out football for two-to-three year seasons.

At the same time,
Everton have been struggling to keep pace with the sport’s never-known-before high speed of forward progression – particularly in maintaining permittable financial behaviour.

Everton, with a 40k stadium, building a 52k+ stadium, have (in theory), the ability to provide Manchester United with a temporary footballing home, as soon as Bramley Moore is completed.


“Is that it?

“Give one of our biggest rivals in this country the chance to increase its FFP budget allowance?

“Its ability to poach fans, from just about anywhere in the world, even greater adhesive tentacles?

“All whilst we CAN’T spend more desperately-needed transfer funds on our badly struggling [to use just two words] squad.”


You’d be very much forgiven for thinking the very phrase a certain Bob Geldof used for his memoirs (“Is that it?”).

Well, there’s a heck of a lot more to this that giving Utd more power to dominate football in the long-term, whilst being seen to be surrendering our own footballing progress, as will now be explained.


One of the reasons as to why we’re building a new stadium for Everton Football Club full-stop is to increase our ability to provide more funds for player recruitment. This, achieved through increased stadium capacity revenue, with the knock-on effects of media broadcasting coverage and commercial potential; all impressing such wider personnel recruitment in ambition and in forward-thinking perception.

ALL the things that – by intention, or just unfortunate measures of the European sporting body’s FFP protocol introduction in 2011 – we’ve struggling to achieve/emulate to the equivalent effect of many others in England and overseas.

But HOW do UEFA factor into such a swap-favour, and exactly HOW do WE tangibly benefit from it, from all points of view?


A toxic media atmosphere, both inside the national and international sport of European Football has built up.

Sanctions for financial misbehaviour clearly WON’T help ANY football club. The fierce AND somewhat-SUCCESSFUL resistance Man City’s board put up in defence of their own actions in recent years; not exactly a great advert for UEFA’s governing credibility (and as if previous failures to punish European heavyweights’ mismanaging of legal accounts hadn’t been embarrassing enough to them prior).

It doesn’t do the perception of marketing the game, to its core base, nor any future observers, any favours whatsoever, as well.

So whilst it is imperative that UEFA keep firm control of all aspects of wrongdoing in the sport of European football (just as any governing body must); an opportunity to change a culture of unfortunate practice by just about all involved, could be worth serious extremely serious consideration.


“Then WHAT ‘opportunity’?”, you may be asking yourselves…


Going into as little detail as possible – we all know there is much wrong with many aspects of football.

The protection of obscenely-paid athletes;
their health,
their exposure to media and commercial exploitation,
their duties as public figures/role models;

the lists and sub-lists are endless.
And yes, it doesn’t just apply for those right at the top of the sport; for all demographics and all participants around the world.

Yet consideration of fans, journalists, legal advisors, healthcare professionals, travel arrangers (again: an endless list of sub-lists); GETTING THIS MYRIAD OF CHANGES RIGHT, AND RIGHT NOW – WILL BRING THOSE WHO ARE SEEN TO BE CREDITED FOR SAVING FOOTBALL AND SPORT ALTOGETHER QUITE A FEW KIND WORDS, to say the very least!


So IF UEFA were to be asked by the F.A. in this country after lobbying by Manchester United, by Everton and the Premier League for A COMPLETE, GLOBAL AMNESTY from past financial dodgy anything that was remotely less than faithful, with the right to complete this deal for all; then what’s the deal really worth for everyone?


A recap of the deal, now with UEFA, The F.A. and FIFA all now on board:

The principles of bigger stadiums embracing more people into the game
Means
MORE inclusivity of Women’s and disabled people’s opportunities,
at the very top: ANY Premier League club with a fully-professional, Women’s top-flight team participating at the same venue, over a 2-4 day weekend/holiday celebratory acknowledgement.

It also means a greater proportion of BOTH away team fans allocated for fixtures
AND far more investment in travelling support throughout the sport’s triangle tiers.

In Utd/Everton’s case: a greater proportion of investment into 20k & 12k away fan ticket allocation for all fixtures, in return for strictly no more spending beyond realistic means, PLUS full compensation in appropriate financial distribution to Everton FC for the extra ticket capacity increase delay from Manchester United, the media increase from appropriate commercial distribution (lead by The F. A.), European action, slightly more foregone by Everton, to Utd’s benefit, overseen by a one-off UEFA compensatory agreement, plus other entitlements WE and ALL Premier League clubs will feel effect of in Man Utd’s AND Everton’s delayed capacity increase.

ALL with financial lessons thoroughly learned the easy way, upon a ‘good bond’, short-term time period from the Everton board’s new financial policies and agreements, in the transition from Goodison 40k to Bramley Moore 52k+.



This could be discussed in far greater length; its implications for doing deals that benefit some clubs more than others, the possible interventions of 4th parties completely out of the sports intern – if anything were to go wrong, or be disputed, in retrospect.


But in real terms, would YOU be willing to consider hosting Man Utd for 2/3 seasons and put the move into our new home on hold, just to effectively have UEFA and The F.A. off our backs and the sport given a completely new lease of life?

United fans reading this: would YOU be happy with this proposal becoming reality?

Other football/sports fans – is this the way ahead?


Enjoy 2023.