Sadly that wasn’t to be and while all the pundits have thrown their two-pennies worth of footballing experience into the debate, perhaps the answer to our woes on the pitch lie in the world of business.
By that I mean why don’t we treat our national sport like a business and give ourselves half a chance of realising our undoubted potential? Time and again we send our team to the World Cup or Euros, and every time they disappoint with their inept and passionless performances. But should we really be so disappointed when year in, year out, the closest we have to a business plan for success is get 11 blokes to run out onto the pitch and hope they can win? No business has ever made a quid with a model based around hoping for the best. I mention ‘making a quid’ because in today’s sporting environment our leading sporting teams are a crucial part of the economy, or at least they should be. All of us are the shareholders in the England team, and therefore have an interest in the commercial boom that would follow a good showing on the pitch at a World Cup. I’ve seen various estimates of how much consumers would have spent if England had got beyond the group stages, with some figures suggesting up to £1billion would have left the pockets of the public. That is why it’s a national economic priority for the FA to get professional and actually build a strategy to deliver FA chairman Greg Dyke’s target of capturing the World Cup by 2022. I don’t pretend to know anything about football, but I do know that a good start would be to sack all the current players, the manager, and the entire board of the FA, with the exception of Dyke. They may be good at football but as a business man I wouldn’t put them in charge of a broom, let alone a key part of my operation! They have the wrong values and any business plan would need to work on creating a new corporate ethos from scratch. We would also need to hire a new board of top business executives, who are paid on results, such as redressing the power balance with the Premier League, something that must be at the heart of any business plan. We need business people on our team for this crucial operation to reclaim our national team, and what better person to lead the renaissance, than the man behind its degradation 24 years ago. Its simple business common sense: get the fundamentals in place; the right management team; a sensible business plan, sort out the HR issues, and in a few short years we will have a passionate and determined team, capable of winning the World Cup. Charlie Mullins is CEO and founder of Pimlico PlumbersImage source
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.