A Blueprint for Reclaiming Football from Corporate Control
Modern football is broken, but a new book argues it doesn't have to be this way. 'Football: The People's Shame. How To Revolutionise A Sport' by Micky P. Kerr presents a radical vision for transforming the game from a profit-driven enterprise back into a community asset. This isn't just wishful thinking—it's a detailed plan for how fans, administrators, and governments could work together to create a more democratic and equitable sport.
The Core Problems in Modern Football
Kerr's analysis starts with identifying what's wrong with football today. The sport has become dominated by financial interests that prioritize profit over people. Clubs that were once community institutions have transformed into corporate entities serving shareholders rather than supporters. This shift has created a system where:
- Wealth concentrates at the top, creating unsustainable financial gaps between elite clubs and the rest
- Fans are treated as customers rather than stakeholders
- The connection between clubs and their local communities has been severely weakened
- Decision-making power rests with owners and investors, not with those who sustain the clubs through their loyalty
The book traces how free-market principles, which became orthodoxy in the late 20th century, reshaped football's economics and culture, creating the 'greedy and exploitative' landscape many fans now lament.
A Vision for a People-Owned Game
The central proposal is revolutionary in its simplicity: football clubs should be owned by and for the people they serve. Kerr argues for transforming clubs into genuine civic institutions, similar to the community-owned models seen in some European countries. This isn't presented as a pipe dream but as an achievable goal if there's collective will.
Key elements of this reimagined football include:
- Democratic Ownership: Implementing structures where fans have a real say in club governance, moving away from the private ownership model.
- Financial Sanity: Prioritizing sustainable economics over profit maximization, with revenues reinvested into the club and community.
- Community Roots: Re-embedding clubs as pillars of their local areas, with social responsibility at their core.
- Removing Bad Actors: Extricating football from the influence of what the book describes as corrupt organizations, multinational corporations, and nation states using the sport for 'soft power.'
The argument is that football doesn't have to be a vehicle for enriching an elite or exercising control. It can instead be an asset that benefits individuals and society as a whole.
From Critique to Concrete Action
What sets this book apart, according to the review, is its move beyond polemic to practical economics. Kerr reportedly 'does the hard yards' by breaking down exactly how his vision could be implemented. This includes examining:
- The financial mechanisms that could support community-owned clubs
- The regulatory and governance changes needed at national and international levels
- How to transition from the current model to a more equitable one
- The role that fans, football administrations, and governments would need to play
The message is ultimately one of agency: 'don't lie down' and accept a status quo that doesn't benefit society. A fairer, less greedy version of the sport is presented as being within reach if people choose to fight for it.
Key Takeaways
- Football's current model is fundamentally flawed, prioritizing profit over people and weakening club-community bonds.
- Community ownership is presented as a viable alternative, transforming clubs into democratic, civic institutions.
- Change requires collective action from fans, administrators, and governments to challenge entrenched financial interests.
- The book provides a detailed economic and structural blueprint for how this transformation could actually happen, not just why it should.
- The core message is one of hope and agency—arguing that a better version of football is possible if people refuse to accept the current system.
While some may dismiss these ideas as unrealistic or ideological, the book makes the case that the current system isn't inevitable. It's the result of specific choices and economic principles that can be challenged. For fans tired of feeling like mere consumers in a corporate machine, 'Football: The People's Shame' offers both a critique of how things are and a roadmap for how they could be different.
— Editorial Team
