Football Finance

In the past I've made it quite plain that my relationship with football has been a fairly disinterested one over the last half a century.

At school I couldn't play because I had a lung disease. Unfortunately Quarry Bank, alma mater of John Lennon and many Oxbridge scholars, wasn't the sort of school that allowed you to get out of sports just because one had a lung disease and I had no choice but to play. [As an aside they would happily kick me out of lessons because my constant coughing was 'disruptive'] 

After I had had part of my lung removed when I'd left school and was reasonably fit I decided that I would become an amateur game linesman. I did and was thinking of taking my refs ticket when I became disenchanted by the way the amateur game was going.

I also became disenchanted by the way the professional game was going and I have had absolutely nothing to do with football as a sport since it became nothing more than a business (whatever many supporters dream could be otherwise). However, on odd occasions I have watched the women's game. I have been impressed. It reminded me of the football ethos in the Sixties. The game mattered. There was respect. To me the superstar era has meant that the concept of 'sport' has been totally superseded by money pure and simple: ridiculous money for 'superstars' and profits (or tax sinks) for the billionaires who finance them.

Last night's result was wonderful. It will do great things for the women's' game. 

I hope that it doesn't spiral out of control but brings some sense to the finance of sport. 

Entertainment

Apparently, despite the entertainment industry having been hit very hard by the pandemic globally, TV streaming services are doing a roaring trade. 

I have no idea how other countries (ie outside UK), except New Zealand, pay for their television channels but I assume that most are financed either by personal subscription, though advertisements or political donations or a combination of those.

In the UK it used to be the public service broadcaster (BBC) financed by a license fee without which it is illegal to watch a television so, in effect, everyone with a TV has to have a license. Then along came Independent Television (ITV and it's offshoots) financed by advertising. That was how it carried on for a number of decades. 

In 1989 SKY came along and charged for satellite television with 4 channels. Now it includes most mainstream channels together with SKY channels. 

As the number of 'free to view' channels proliferated Freeview was established in 2002 to control the potential chaos on the airwaves.

However it is now so complicated that I doubt many people have a clue about the vast range of services available unless they happen to want to watch something in particular when they find it's no longer available on a free-to-view channel.

The first thing that I noticed was when the Formula 1 Grand Prix ceased to be available live on the BBC and went to SKY who outbid the BBC for the rights knowing that many people would join SKY so that they could see it. There was such an outcry that a BBC channel was granted a few years of an edited version later in the day and a live UK GP. I can live without the GP.

I don't know who has all the major football matches but I assume that it's SKY and BT between them because they have a great deal of the UK's sport now.

The only thing that will really annoy me is if Wimbledon deserts the BBC.

Several years ago I wanted to watch something that was on Netflix so I got the trial package for a month or whatever it was and, because I wanted to continue with the series I just carried on with the subscription. I suspect many people do that.

Now there are many subscription channels including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Britbox (A joint BBC/ITV venture with old box sets), Disney Plus and Now TV. I have no idea, apart from Britbox, what they offer but apparently they all have at least something 'everyone wants'. 

I am fortunate that I don't want anything more that the standard BBC and ITV and existing free-to-view channels although I haven't cancelled my Netflix subscription (which is silly because I've only watched The Crown).

Obviously there are people who spend a fortune to get their football or whatever else on TV or all these subscription channels wouldn't exist. Personally I shall just bumble along paying my license fee and enjoying what's on offer or switching off and listening to music. Which reminds me that YouTube also has a subscription service which, so far, I've avoided.

A Day of Sport and Wallpapering

I'm not a great sports follower but today has been a sportfest so far as I was concerned. I wasn't able to sit down and plonk myself in front of the television because I was wallpapering the newly installed kitchen. I don't have a choice either because my visitors start at the end of the week until mid September. 

Today was the day for the final of the Cricket World Cup between England (their first final for 27 years - a title they have never won), the British Grand Prix, the final day of Wimbledon, and the Tour de France. All are available on UK free-to-air television. Four of the rooms in my house have televisions but I can't be in more than one at a time.

Prioritising seemed as if it could be a challenge. So I decided to have the cricket on the television  in the kitchen until the Grand Prix and then after it I would watch the Wimbledon simultaneously on an iPad. I recorded the Tour de France highlights. 

As it happens that  decision was inspired because the tennis and the cricket were cliff-hangers and the British Grand Prix was actually interesting for once.

The cricket World Cup Final ended in a draw which had to be decided by a Super Over which ended with a win for England by 1 run.

The Grand Prix was won by Lewis Hamilton for the seventh time making him the most successful winner of the British Grand Prix in its 70-year history. 

Djokovic beat Federer in the fifth set after it had gone to 12 games all in the final set and had to be decided by a tiebreak making the final set 13:12 to Djokovic.

I have no idea what happened in the Tour de France.

However I did get the kitchen lining paper hung which just leaves the wallpaper and the painting to be done before next weekend. Oh. And the kitchen re-filled with everything I took out which is sitting in the garage in boxes.

Invictus

Invictus: Latin adjective, "unconquered, unsubdued, invincible."

I'm not a Royalist as such. I'm not a particular follower of the Olympics or of athletics competitions.

However, having watched Prince Harry at the opening of the Invictus Games I was exceptionally impressed by his sincerity (and the fact that there wasn't a cue-card in sight). So I decided to learn something about the Invictus Games which he brought into being after a trip to the Warrior Games in the USA in 2013 when he saw first-hand how the power of sport can help physically, psychologically and socially those suffering from injuries and illness.

For those who might not know, Prince Harry was a member of the armed forces who saw active service and rose through the ranks to be a Captain in the Blues and Royals and served in Afghanistan.

Most of us will never know the full horrors of combat. Many Servicemen and women suffer life-changing injuries, visible or otherwise, whilst serving their country.

 

The Games embody the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and personifies what these tenacious men and women can achieve post injury. The Games harness the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country.

"The Invictus Games is about much more than just sport – it captures hearts, challenges minds and changes lives."

 

Long may it continue so to do.

A Sporting Weekend

I really have little interest in watching sport. There are a few exceptions which I do try and watch and enjoy: the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races (brilliant now that the ladies race is given as much TV time as the men's), the Grand National and The Golf Masters from the stunningly beautiful Augusta National Golf Club. 

Having been born in Liverpool it's inconceivable that I wouldn't have come into contact with the Grand National. Almost everyone used to have a flutter (usually as a member of a workplace sweepstake) and may, so far as I know, still do. My family made a (minor) killing in 1956 when E.S.B. won the race. My maternal uncle's initials were E.S.B. Enough said!

This year I knew one runner: One For Arthur and I knew about him because he was the only Scottish trained horse in the race and the owners, registered as Two Golf Widows, managed to make the Scottish news before the race. 

I decided to have a flutter and then realised that to do so I'd probably have to set up an online betting account so abandoned the idea. It's a shame because my intended £10 would have netted me £140 which would have provided a case of an acceptable red. Hey ho.

Then on Sunday night I stayed up to watch the enthralling final round of The Masters where the last people on the course, Justin Rose (England) and Sergio Garcia (Spain), battled it out and at the end of four rounds and 72 holes were level so went to a sudden death play-off. They are friends and their respective partners (wife and fiancée respectively) were very obviously friendly as well. I would have been very happy for either to win but Sergio in his 74th Major event managed his first Major title. 

There was an added poignancy because it would have been his fellow Spanaird the late Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros's 60th birthday.

I was pleased that he won. However what was really heart-warming in this age of business which is called sport was the wonderful attitude that the defeated Justin Rose displayed.

Wellington Water Bombing

I'm sure that most places in the world discourage such pursuits as water bombing in a public place such as a harbour inlet in the city centre. Not New Zealand. Not Wellington. The city has actually constructed special platforms to enable it to happen. And people have lots of fun taking advantage of it and watching too.

 

The Hebridean Cycle Challenge

I spent a good bit of yesterday being a roadie for our son Gaz who was taking part in the Hebridean Cycle Challenge (or Facebook).  There are a number of possible options but Gaz chose to do do the road race from Stornoway to Meavaig and then the mountain bike stage from Meavaig to the Scaladale Centre. Even at my fittest that would have been a challenge too far for me. Because of the various permutations (one could do one or both stages or have a partner do the second stage either by mountain bike or running) when we left for home we still didn't know what Gaz's result was and as I post this it hasn't been published either.

Even bikes have GPS computers these days

The start

A slight respite

The long and winding road (and some trees!)

Climbing the Clisham

Finishing the road race

Setting off on the mountain bike stage 

Disappearing into the mist

The Finish

We Did IT

I don't think that I've felt quite so het up about a match in any sport at all since the days when I was a member of the Lancashire Cricket Club in 1975 and used to follow cricket pretty intensively.  Perhaps the occasional Ashes match since then has got the adrenalin running.  One of the things about living in New Zealand (even only part time as I do) is that it is virtually impossible not to get carried away with the enthusiasm for sport.  So today when the All Blacks were playing France in the final of the Rubgy World Club I could hardly cope with the excitement I felt.  Until the match started with the ABs not playing well and Piri Weepu missing three kicks in succession it had never occurred to me that the ABs wouldn't carry the day and be the World Champions.  It came as a rude awakening when the ABs were struggling against a French side which had hardly covered itself with glory and was (in my eyes anyway) only in the final because of a bad refereeing decision in the semi final against Wales.

It may surprise those of you not in New Zealand that a recent poll showed that 40% of the population of New Zealand were more concerned about who won the RWC than who won next month's General Election.

To make life more challenging for me David supported the French so there were some, er, interesting moments during the match.  Now he's taken Molly for her belated morning walk and I'm left to finish the champagne on my own.

Captain Richie McCaw shakes the hand of Prime Minister John Key

A Perfect Morning

The All Blacks beat the Wallabies 20:6.  Now for the French next week!!

A Rugby Dilemma

Some of you may have heard that the Rugby World Cup is on at the moment and that it's being played in New Zealand.  Now what happens if you are a person born in Liverpool.  Despite rumours that around the time I was born there were only Liverpool Welsh, Liverpool Irish, Liverpool Scots, Liverpool West Indian and Liverpool Chinese some people actually think that Liverpool is in England.  Of course it's not.  So by birth I'm a Liverpool Lancastrian.  By length of time I've lived in one place ie the Outer Hebrides of Scotland where I've lived well over half my days, I'm a Hebridean Scot.  

I've never had any nationalistic tendencies because I tend (perhaps irrationally) to associate nationalism with extremism and intolerance.  Of course that doesn't apply in matters of sport.  Does it?

When I was a youngster and in the days of Gareth Edwards, possibly the greatest ever rugby player, I was a Wales Supporter.  But that allegiance ended in the '70s (together with the Welsh team).

When I went to live half my year in New Zealand I got over the problem of which team to support by deciding that when I'm living in New Zealand I support the All Blacks and when I'm in Scotland I support the national team.  Well that's the theory.  Problem is that the heart tends to find the ABs more exciting and compelling.

At the moment I'm in France. 

I'm afraid that I don't see Scotland making much headway.  I think France will come second to the ABs in Pool A.  I won't go any further but at the end of the day I can't see the ABs not being in the final.

And I'll be back in the Outer Hebrides to watch it!

Wimbledon

I’m not an avid tennis follower but I still enjoy the Wimbledon experience even though I’ve only ever watched it on television.  In recent years I’ve not even watched much of the play.  This year I may manage to keep up with things because I’m working in the Study at the moment because the weather is too awful to get out into the garden and I will be at CJ’s when the finals are on.  CJ and Jo are avid Wimbledon followers.  I have a television in the Study.  It’s rarely on other than when the News is on but it also enables me to keep an eye on programmes whilst I work if there is something exciting like the Grand Prix or Wimbledon.   So although I don’t usually have the sound on I can keep an eye on it and put the sound up when it gets exciting.  And it’s exciting as I write this.

The longest match in Wimbledon history is taking place on Court 18 between the American John Isner (World 19 and American number 2) and the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut (World 149).  As I write they are up to 34 matches each in the fifth set and there has been 6 hours and 54 minutes of play.

Well. Nearly four hours after I wrote the above the match came to a conclusion – for today.  The match will re-commence tomorrow!  It has broken every record in the tennis record book already and it hasn’t finished yet.  It was amazing.  I have never seen such stamina both mentally and physically.  It will take their bodies weeks to recover.

To be continued.

Moments In Sport

I am not a great watcher of sports apart from some motor racing. 

In 1975 I was a member of the Lancashire County Cricket Club and one lunchtime (my office was just opposite the ground)  I went to see an hour of a Test Match.  It was, so far as I can remember, between England and Pakistan.  I do recall that there was a wonderful over in which (and this was exceptionally rare in a Test Match in those days) I think I am correct in saying three sixes were struck.  I wish I had a Wisden at this moment.

I haven’t watched a snooker match on television for probably something like 17 years.  This afternoon I turned on the box to see what time the News is (unlike NZ where the One News is always at 6pm the news in the UK varies at the weekend and it’s a bit of a lottery).  The final of the World Championship is being played between Robertson and Dott – two players of whom I have never heard.  The seventh game was just starting and I became transfixed by the safety play.  I have no idea whether that is a usual start to a game these days or not but it was beautiful to watch.  In fact I watched the whole game and I have to admit that whilst it is unlikely that I’ll watch another game it was a game I’ll remember for quite a while.  And then I saw that Hazel Irvine was presenting and Steve Davis and John Parrot were commenting.  I was almost trapped.  But then reality set in.