© EuroFootball.com
The second tier of English football, "The Championship," certainly has something to boast about before tomorrow's start. Last season, the average attendance of spectators in all 24 team stadiums rose by ten percent and now exceeds even such a prestigious league as Italy's Serie A (although it must be admitted that Serie A has recently experienced a significant decline in interest).
Many spectators and a new, better contract for TV broadcast rights have allowed this league to attract players from various national football teams.
"The appeal of the league is its unpredictability," said the "Plymouth" manager to uefa.com. "At the beginning of the season, we are all equal and no one knows what will happen at the finish. This cannot be said about the Premier League. In addition, several famous English football names play in the Championship, making it a very competitive league."
Former champions "Derby County," "Leeds," "Wolverhampton Wanderers," and "Sheffield Wednesday" are just a few teams trying to return to the Premier League. The average attendance of these teams' home matches is not shameful compared to some Premier League clubs and certainly exceeds the majority of clubs in other European leagues.
According to the European Statistics Association in their report, last season, the Championship was the fourth most popular European league, surpassing Serie A and trailing behind England's Premier League, the Bundesliga, and La Liga.
Last season, 9.8 million spectators watched Championship matches, Serie A - 9.77 million, and France's Ligue 1 - 8.17 million. As a result, revenues from TV broadcasts have increased. A new contract worth €159 million over three years has recently been signed with ITV and Sky Sports, starting from the next season. This is a 40% better deal than the previous one.
Just this year, the newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday have already sold 16 thousand season tickets and hope to attract 25 thousand spectators to their home matches. Meanwhile, the attendance of smaller clubs has increased even more drastically: for example, Plymouth played in front of 4,500 spectators five years ago, but last year it was 16,000. Great spirits also prevail at Elland Road stadium, where Leeds United, relegated from the Premier League in 2004, play. The club managed to consolidate its enormous debts and this year promises to fight for a place in the top six.
However, not all clubs are in high spirits: the famous Derby County is attempting to eliminate debts that some sources claim to be around €60 million. Former European champions Nottingham Forest have lost the opportunity to play in the Championship due to financial problems.
Nevertheless, the massive debts did not deter the fans of Derby County, who bought 16 thousand season tickets. Another joyful news from last season was the decision of England national team striker Andrew Johnson to stay in the London club Crystal Palace, which was relegated from the Premier League. This is just another proof that the Championship is no longer the league from which all players dream of escaping.
However, the main goal of the teams playing in the Championship is to earn a ticket to the Premier League. Even though the second tier of English football cannot offer a ticket to European tournaments, it does provide one of the biggest nerve-wracking battles in the world - the playoffs. Just the fact that in the playoffs last season, one forward played the entire match with a broken leg.
Going up to the Premier League promises impressive additional revenues, reaching €50 million. Not even the UEFA Champions League can offer such a prize. Perhaps the level of play in the Championship is not as high as in the elite European leagues, but when it comes to entertainment value, the second tier of English football certainly has something to offer for millions of spectators.
