The Future of Football - Your Prediction

[Nalis]

Given the recent proposed La Liga game outside of Spain, I was wondering what everyone thinks will become of the future of football, say in your own lifetime. Note, its what you think will happen, not what you hope will happen.

I'll start:

 - League Cup will be abolished

- FA Cup to be a weeknight cup bar the final 

- Champions League will have a select number of wildcards incase someone like Real Madrid fail to qualify via their league position

- The twenty's plenty campaign will finally succeed

- Either (a) The World Cup will go back to 32 teams after everyone realises a 48 team world cup will be shite or (b) they will create a Europa League version of the World Cup for teams who get knocked out of the first round

- VAR will be tweaked to have decisions made instantly outside the stadium without the referee checking or approving anything.

[boots60]

I believe the champions league & the Europa league will end up being a season long European premier league & lower division(s) format with the unsuccessful teams being relegated to their own national leagues, a bit like the national pyramid set up we currently have but Europe wide. It will unfortunately end the current system where many fans follow their team away regularly & will have to cherry pick away games but when have supporters ever mattered?

The world cup will become less important to both players & fans as the European (and other continents) set ups take ultimate priority.

[Guest]

I suspect that the football we know will continue to go down a dark road of commercialisation and globalisation. As a reaction, I think this will open up for a new set of leagues and clubs based on more traditional values and football experiences. Probably a  league with caps on wages and ticket prices. Possibly even with limits on sponsorship to provide a more authentic and personable event. Would never match 'mainstream' football in popularity or power, but that wouldn't be the point anyways. Think we've already seen this on a small scale with clubs like AFC Wimbledon, FC United, and that unofficial international cup (forget what it's called) made up of small nations and regions.

[davieG]

I can't see them closing the gravy train that is the PL to create a super Euro League more that the PL will push more and more for the top 'X' clubs (definition based on criteria at the time) for more and more of the honey pot whilst drastically cutting the size of the PL possible down to 10/12 clubs with no relegation so that they can then enhance the Euro League idea. These games would then all be on pay per view and will continue to be unequal.

This would see a restructuring of the EFL  with maybe the half of League 2 dropping out.

As for the Cups they would fade away to become just the FA cup for the rest with no entry to Europe.

[leicsmac]

Read "Playing On The Edge" by Neil Arksey and you'll get a rough idea of what I think football in the UK will be like in a few decades.

[yorkie1999]

Top 4 sides from the major leagues will form a breakaway super league with american sides in it as well, which will become a global league shown only on ppv and sky. Then everyone will realise that popping off to LA or Barcalona every other week is a bit of a chore and it really was more fun going down to bournemouth or burnley and the top 4 will become irrelevant teams that no-one is interested in because they will be excluded from the FA and League cup as well as the leagues controlled by the FA and Prem.

[49er]

A European Super League is almost inevitable. Initially based on 4-5 of the 'top' clubs from the Premier League (Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal). The Premier League will then comprise 20 teams, including the likes of us. This is likely to create more of a level playing field in the latter, and should therefore make it more interesting for fans of these teams.

The Champions League will evolve to include teams from across the world.

There may be franchises, along the lines of American football (not soccer), whereby someone buys a franchise (for example, Leicester City) and can then move it to somewhere else (for example, Northampton). Obviously, we have already had one instance of this - MK Dons taking over Wimbledon. There may be an East Midlands franchise (Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Coventry) - only one team instead of five, with home attendances around 60,000 in a new, purpose built stadium.

All matches will be screened live, and fans will be able to watch each match live at home, paying an annual subscription.

Football will become a business rather than a sport.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

"With the 7th pick of the 1st round of the 2032 WSL Draft, the Leicester Golden Foxes select Chad Kapowski, Wing Attack, from the University of Notre Dame."

[Izzy]

6 minutes ago, 49er said:

A European Super League is almost inevitable. Initially based on 4-5 of the 'top' clubs from the Premier League (Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal). The Premier League will then comprise 20 teams, including the likes of us. This is likely to create more of a level playing field in the latter, and should therefore make it more interesting for fans of these teams.

The Champions League will evolve to include teams from across the world.

There may be franchises, along the lines of American football (not soccer), whereby someone buys a franchise (for example, Leicester City) and can then move it to somewhere else (for example, Northampton). Obviously, we have already had one instance of this - MK Dons taking over Wimbledon. There may be an East Midlands franchise (Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Coventry) - only one team instead of five, with home attendances around 60,000 in a new, purpose built stadium.

All matches will be screened live, and fans will be able to watch each match live at home, paying an annual subscription.

Football will become a business rather than a sport.

You could argue it already is.

And if all the above was to happen, I'm out.

[Max Wall]

Four quarters, 15 minute breaks in between each for Brew Dog and hamburger sellers to get going. 30 minute break at 'half time' for Beyonce or Billy Bragg to do a set. 

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, Max Wall said:

Four quarters, 15 minute breaks in between each for Brew Dog and hamburger sellers to get going. 30 minute break at 'half time' for Beyonce or Billy Bragg to do a set. 

....and for those PTV stay at homers there's a plethora of betting adverts to fill the space with proper robots analysing rather than the ex-footballers who just seem like robots criticising the drone referee for the 6 penalties given in the first quarter.

[49er]

18 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

"With the 7th pick of the 1st round of the 2032 WSL Draft, the Leicester Golden Foxes select Chad Kapowski, Wing Attack, from the University of Notre Dame."

They used to be known as Leicester City, but changed their name when the franchise was purchased by trillionaire Chuck Lordsamoney and moved to San Francisco. They are coached by Jamie Vardy, who retired from soccer at the age of 36 and joined the Golden Foxes in 2030 to the joy of those who remembered in his exploits in winning the Super Bowl (edit - sorry Premier League) in 2016. Fans of the Golden Foxes make an annual trek from San Francisco to Leicester to acquaint themselves with the clubs spiritual roots - eating cobs, marvelling at Leicester's equivalent of the Statue of Liberty (Clock Tower), paying homage to the tomb of King Dick III and visiting Iborra's mansion in Saffron Lane.

Edited 25 August 2018 by 49er

[Max Wall]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

....and for those PTV stay at homers there's a plethora of betting adverts to fill the space with proper robots analysing rather than the ex-footballers who just seem like robots.

Oh for proper robots analysing the game. At least they'd pronounce Slimani properly.

[davieG]

Just now, Max Wall said:

Oh for proper robots analysing the game. At least they'd pronounce Slimani properly.

Slimani Exterminate!

[49er]

Golden Foxes badge

[SouthStandUpperTier]

4 minutes ago, 49er said:

Golden Foxes badge

I kinda like it. Will that be on the side of the helmets? 

[davieG]

1 minute ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

I kinda like it. Will that be on the side of the helmets? 

You wont need helmets when it's none contact and no heading football. 

[49er]

Jamie Vardy is well known for his in depth knowledge of the game -' The lads are looking forward to the next game, pick up three points and move on'

[49er]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

You wont need helmets when it's none contact and no heading football. 

Players are required to move the ball forward ten metres using a maximum of four touches, otherwise possession goes to the opposition

Edited 25 August 2018 by 49er

[49er]

Meet Franklin Fox, the mascot.

His great grandfather Filbert is enshrined in the Hall of Fame, which includes Trevor Benjamin and Ade Akinbiyi

Edited 25 August 2018 by 49er

[lildave3]

I predict that every ten years for the rest of eternity people will rage against the modern game and long for the game 10 years prior. 

[SemperEadem]

Premier League eats itself.

AFC Leicester Fosse are started.

[Stadt]

I'll **** it off completely within 20 years

[CosbehFox]

I don’t think they will be an European Super League. FIFA will never want a competition which affects the standing of the World Cup. 

I suspect we have a shorter top flight - either 14 to 16 teams. The Champions League becomes a weekend tournament.

League 1 and 2 become all but obsolete. With the levels League 1 down to the regional conference leagues becoming much of a muchness. This leads to League 1 and 2 clubs becoming nurseries of the big boys. 

[CosbehFox]

23 hours ago, baker11 said:

Premier League eats itself.

AFC Leicester Fosse are started.

Can we get a pitch on Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium?