I've been gradually learning how it's done in Germany, but have never read such a concise well put comparison of the German and English approach as
this The one thing it doesn't deal with is how the TV monies stack up and are shared out, but I know it is more equitable in Germany, the second division clubs all get a slug, no parachute bollocks.
I hope it will be of especial interest to those of you interested in the finances and ownership of CAFC
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Germans football was in a poor state not that long ago and they have managed to turn it around (ok half their team aren't Germans, but still).
I'm sure I've stated this example before but the German FA's income is significantly less than the English FA, yet the German FA manage to spend more on youth and grass roots football than the English. Funny that!
Things will never change here. Partly because there's too much money being earnt with the Premiership (and by the FA fat cats) and a few teams are too powerful and basically control the FA. Partly because there are so many teams in England and naturally everyone wants to keep their team alive. And partly because the powers that be know that the majority of fans are idiots who just put up with things as they are, paying extortionate prices, don't care about a bigger picture and even buy into "the premiership is the best league in the world" mantra.
"Give the FA the choice of England winning the World cup or hosting it, they would choose hosting". David Baddiel.
As cafctom said, the skull and cross bones is used as a symbol for seeing themselves as 'alternative' to the rest of Germany and for the towns anti fascist stance. The town stood against the Nazi party pre and during the war and naturally were made to suffer for it. Very interesting history read.
Some fans attend Celtic games every year as they've aligned themselves. If you go into a Celtic pub you will often see a St Paoli flag in there.
As an outsider looking in, the way they run their football certainly appeals. Big crowds in safe modern stadia with cheap tickets, quality players, competetive league, their top teams are competetive in europe and their national team competes with the best in the world all while being run in a financially sustainable manner - what's not to like?
1. Terracing. Stood behind the goal at FC Mainz v Bayern last year (3-2). Excellent experience for about 20 Euros a ticket.
2. Beer. You can drink while watching. And beer beer angels walk amongst the crowd with barrels on their back to save you the bother of queuing up. Remember that next time it's half time and you're in the East Stand.
3. Mullets. Never seen so many in one day as at an HSV home game
There's probably loads more too...
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/842621-hot-dog-train-attracting-new-fans-to-fc-st-pauli
yeah that was what I meant, had a blonde moment. ta.
A lot of younger fans - but already adults - have grown up with the FAPL as a fact of life - including one of the current Trust prime movers. In my opinion the way the FAPL came into being is a shameful chapter in English football (as David Conn describes in his book) - and I think it should be done away with and replaced by the German model. That model is that the Bundesligas report to the German FA, and they have decided how the TV money is distributed. In fact Richard Murray and Peter Varney argued passionately for Premiership 1 and 2 with the TV money being distributed as it is in Germany. However because the FAPL is run by individual club chairmen, they were shouted down by those who wanted to keep the money for themselves, and for their own interests (e.g the failed businessman David Dein, see again David Conn's book).
As DRAddick says, most English fans have passively accepted all this, but there has never been a really strong body to represent fans. The FSF tries to do its best, but somehow lacks a cutting edge.
However if a majority of clubs become fan owned through Trusts, and these Trusts start to talk to each other, through Supporters Direct, they will become a lobby with political clout. You see where I'm going with this? Of course the snag is that the FAPL clubs will be among the last to have Trusts, but Arsenal do have some fan ownership, there are powerful bodies at Man U, there are the Chelsea fans who own Stamford Bridge...
"You got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna make a dream come true?"