Barwick: Fans Will Pay For TV Football
Speaking in an exclusive one-on-one interview at today’s FT Sport Industry Summit, Brian Barwick, chief executive of the Football Association, has expressed his belief that the demand for televised football is such that it is a commodity that fans will pay to watch.
Addressing a packed room of the leading lights of the sport business industry, Barwick stated: ‘There’s no doubt that football is a massive draw in this country and as such there’s a massive demand for it as a television product. If the demand is there then there is an argument that fans will pay to watch it.’
The FA chief executive tempered any accusations that the governing body was in it purely for commercial gain by reminding the audience of the organisation’s non for profit status.
‘It is our responsibility as the governing body to ensure that football is as well-funded at all levels at it possibly can be. Our income streams are pretty clear in terms of television, sponsorship and the like. The more money we derive from these deals, the better funded the game will be.’
The FA is currently in negotiations with various broadcasters regarding the next rights packages for its properties, talks which Barwick described as being ‘extremely positive’.
In the frank discussion, Barwick also dismissed any suggestions regarding a lack of financial aid for clubs whose players are injured while on international duty.
‘When we helped Newcastle out with compensation payments regarding Michael Owen’s injury at the World Cup we became one of only two national football associations in the world to provide this sort of funding. We’re ahead of the game in this respect.’
