Football in decline

[Headgardener]

The England football team have just been dealt a blow below the waist by the FA who want to chuck them out of Wembley after 2017 in favour of an American football team. I know that I am a rugby follower but this is a sad day for English Football.

 

[AndyRM]

I read the BBC article about this earlier. A master class in free marketing from the English FA.

Personally I think the idea of a 'national' stadium is fairly outdated.

 

[Ganymede]

Do they mean and American football team, or an American football team?

 

[ianrauk]

There's no reason why England should always play at Wembley. Take the team around the country. It worked very well when they were developing Wembley.

 

[ianrauk]

Do they mean and American football team, or an American football team?

An American football team - NFL.

 

[AndyRM]

Indeed, so why did we build it?

Vanity?

 

[swee'pea99]

Well call me an old fart, but I think a national stadium is only right & proper, and the idea that our national stadium for our national game should be denied to our national team in favour of a bunch of over-padded foreigners is an obscenity, and a further sign of the rot eating away at our heritage.

 

[swee'pea99]

"You're an old fart."

(Thought I'd best get in early.)

 

[Beebo]

Maybe take the friendlies out of Wembley, but proper qualifiers should be played there IMO.
Test Cricket gets played at loads of venues, they all have to bid to to win a chance of hosting the test. Although Lords, and the maybe Oval, are guaranteed 2 tests a year.
Rugby Union doesnt move about quite as much. England almost never play anywhere opther than Twickenham. South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and France do move around a bit, but not the home nations.

 

[Cycleops]

"Football in Decline" Sadly not.

 

[AndyRM]

"I don't like fitba" comments on fitba thread...

 

[Archie_tect]

Indeed, so why did we build it?

Didn't it cost a lot of money to build as a national stadium paid for by HMG [ie....] but was obsolete from the start because they wouldn't make it big enough to be adaptable + include a running track... ah well.

 

[Ganymede]

An American football team - NFL.

I really really hope NFL doesn't catch on here.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Community football, of the parks on Sunday kind is in freefall, whilst 5-a-side is booming.

"Wembley", our national football stadium, should have been built on a brownfield site up by the NEC in Brum.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Didn't it cost a lot of money to build as a national stadium paid for by HMG [ie....] but was obsolete from the start because they wouldn't make it big enough to be adaptable + include a running track... ah well.

It's a national football stadium, hence no track.