The Midweek Match: Premiership Football and the Urban Economy

Abstract

The financial aspect of Premiership football is currently attracting huge attention. Hardly a week goes by without some new story breaking about the game, whether it is a record transfer, a wage or television deal, or the building of a new stadium. Yet there has been little, if any, investigation into just how the newfound wealth from Premiership football impacts on the locality. In this article, the authors present an initial indication of how the two Premiership clubs situated in Merseyside are linked into the local economy. It is based on a survey of club suppliers and local businesses located around the two grounds of Everton and Liverpool Football Clubs. It shows Premiership football to be more than a dependent consumer service activity in the local economy with a potential for exploitation in terms of supplier networks, tourism and image boosting. The authors argue that this is a subject area that requires further research and understanding, and more serious attention as a feature of local economic policy.