Reclaim the Game was started by genuine supporters who have loved the game of football for over 40 years.
In that time we’ve seen many changes to the game. In the 1970s, the only live game was the FA Cup Final. In the 1980s, football, to most people, was a dirty word. Celebrities and politicians alike wanted nothing to do with it (remember Thatcher’s ID Card scheme). But, the 1990s saw the advent of the Premier League in England and the game grew and grew in popularity alongside match ticket prices, players’ wages and the profits of the elite few clubs.
Meanwhile, the competitiveness of the sport has decreased. At the time we started watching the game, in the 1960s, eight different teams won the then first division. In the 16 seasons of the Premier League, only four teams have won it and, arguably, two of those only because they had fabulously wealthy patriarchs. And, we’re watching more and more clubs in the lower leagues facing the threat of administration/closure as they try and compete with the huge financial commitment required in today’s game.
The England national side has still not won a major trophy in 42 years and has not benefitted from football's financial growth in any way. In fact, England appear further away than ever from a realistic challenge on the international stage. At Reclaim the Game we want to see England actually win something and benefit from these huge sums of money. We’ve suffered for too long watching them, either not qualify, or go out of competitions on penalties. We want to see England supporters (arguably the most loyal and fanatical in the world) get a chance to see them win something, live in the stadium, rather than being frozen out by the corporates and the newbee celebrity "fans".
When the 50th anniversary of 1966 arrives, in 2016, we are faced with the prospect that the 'celebrations' will be marked by a few less surviving heroes of '66 and no more trophies in the cabinet.
We believe that the game needs an independent mass movement of genuine football supporters to prevent it being destroyed by greedy corporate interests, corrupt administrators and middlemen who are using its popularity to line their own pockets.
Genuine supporters like us are being exploited for our loyalty to our clubs and our national teams while a few people are getting rich at our expense. So strongly do we feel about this that we were compelled to start this movement – Reclaim the Game – to give genuine football supporters a voice to fight back and protect our sport.
It’s called Reclaim the Game because that's ultimately what we want to do. Take it back from the money grabbers who are using its popularity for short-term gains while putting the long-term future of the game in jeopardy.
