1.

Introduction
In recent years, millions oI people coming Irom over the world spend a lot oI money on
tickets and travelling costs to go to soccer stadiums to see their Iavorite team and billions oI
others watch Iootball matches on TV every week. In Britain, currently, soccer is one oI the most
popular sporting activities Ior people (Oakland, 2006: 285). As Brimson (2006: 196) said, each
week, millions oI Britons both male and Iemale will play it, watch it, listen to it and read about
it. Media empires are Iounded on it, weddings, christenings, Iunerals and even births are
arranged around it and children name aIter those who play it`. Because oI soccer`s attraction and
beneIits, today, many public companies have been created Irom Iootball clubs (Oakland, 2006:
286). Economic beneIits created by Iootball are considerable. However, some problems
appeared. Oakland (2006) showed that 80 percent oI England`s Iootball clubs lost money in
2001. Moreover, soccer is also criticized because it relates to racism and hooliganism. This
report will illustrate that while Iootball can be seen as big business, this type oI sport has also
created social problems due to hooliganism and racism. This report, Iirstly, will summarize the
history oI soccer then it will examine the impact oI Iootball on the British economy, youth styles
and social issues associating with Iootball culture, beIore giving some recommendations.
2. History
Football matches with Iairly suIIicient rules started to be popular in the middle oI 19
th
century
in some universities in England. According to FIFA, in October oI 1863, Cambridge Rules, the
oldest Iootball rules, was re-written in order to create the Football Association (FA). Dobson 09
, (2001) reveals that this event was also the beginning Ior the modern Iootball. Five years later,
in 1888, the Football League, the oldest proIessional Iootball league over the world, was
established (Williams and Wagg, 1991). The Iirst FA cup was organized by C. W. Alcock in
1972 with the Iirst international Iootball match between Scotland and England in Glasgow, and
this match contributed to the Ioundation oI Scottish Football Association (SFA), Football
Association oI Wales (FAW) and Irish Football Association (IFA) (Williams and Wagg 1991:
27). Today, the organization monitoring Iootball rules over the world is the International
Football Association Board (IFAB), which was created in Manchester in 1886 with the
agreements oI FA, SFA, FAW and IFA (FIFA, 2010). In 1904, the Federation Internationale de
Football Association (FIFA) was Iound in Paris, and managements oI IFAB currently has Iour
representatives Irom FIFA and Iour others Irom England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (FIFA,
2010). It can be seen that one oI the most Iamous Iootball leagues in Britain is now Premier
League (Barclays Premier League). The Ioundation oI this cup was made with the creation oI the
Founder Members Agreement on 17th July 1991 (Williams and Wagg 1991).
3. The impact oI Iootball on British society
3.1. Football and the economy
3.1.1. Football has created business
As Oakland (2006: 286) concluded, Iootball is now big business `. According to Dobson and
Goddard (2001), the match attendances oI English league were always over 16 million in each
season Irom 1922 to 1999. This, obviously, brought huge economic beneIits Ior Iootball clubs.
For instance, the total match receipts in Football league in 1988-9 season were nearly 20
million (Williams and Wagg (1991: 57). In 2000, soccer clubs in the English Premier League
achieved around 530 million in revenues (Dobson and Goddard, 2001). These huge proIits led
to the marked change in the structure oI Iootball clubs. In 2003, the majority oI Iootball clubs in
the Premier and Football Leagues were public or private companies (Oughton 09 ,, 2003). On
other hand, beneIits Irom soccer do not only come Irom match attendances but also Irom other
sources. Take broadcasting media as an example, Irom 1993 to 1996, the proIit that Prier League
clubs achieved Irom the BSkyB-BBC contract in each season was about 40 million, and this
number increased to 83 million in 1997 and over 125 million in 1998 (Dobson and Goddard,
2001: 83). As BBC (2010) stated, the League's earning was basic on the sale oI TV rights
In addition, not just Iootball clubs beneIit Irom Iootball. The development oI soccer has led to
the development oI other markets, such as Iootball pools, broadcasting media, and Iootballer
transIerring market (Williams and Wagg, 1991). For example, due to beneIits Irom Iootball
clubs` TV right, on 7 September 1998, BSkyB wanted to pay 575 million Ior 100 takeover oI
Manchester United (Dobson and Goddard, 2001: 82). In the transIer market aspect, as Tunarut 09
,(2005) presented, just in the 1999-2000 season, soccer clubs in English Premier League spent over
255 million on player transIers.
3.1.2. Financial problems oI Iootball clubs in recent years
In recent years, Iootball has not made beneIits Ior clubs as it did beIore. Most Iootball clubs in
Britain are conIronting with Iinancial problems, and many cannot control their Iinances. For
instance, in 2001 although with the huge proIit made Irom media income, 80 percent oI Iootball
clubs still lost money (Oakland, 2006: 286). Beech (2009) also illustrated that Irom 2001 to
2006, the loss oI 92 English league clubs peaked at over 1 billion. Some top clubs also are now
in this situation, such as Manchester United is in debt around 716 million, in comparison with
297 million, 237 million and 180 million Ior Arsenal, Liverpool and Fulham, respectively
(Bose, 2010). Although these debts oI these big clubs can be seen as soIt debt` which
means these can be repayments, but they are seemingly changing to hard debt` (Beech,
2009: 140). Some oI the reasons Ior this crisis are poor club organization, bad business sense,
and huge salaries Ior top Iootball players (Oakland, 2006: 286) stated. As Iigures showed by
Bose (2010), in 1985 the total television income that Football League received Irom selling
overseas right was 200,000, and now this amount oI money cannot be enough to pay John Terry
Ior two weeks.
3.2. Youth styles and social problems associated with Iootball culture
3.2.1.Fashion and hooliganism style
Football`s importance, oI course, is not only economic, but also social and cultural` (Dobson
and Goddard, 2001: xv). The impact oI Iootball on youth culture in Britain was quite obvious
since 1950s. It inIluenced youth`s Iashion. For instance, the appearance oI skinhead style in the
1960-70s was created by hairstyle oI some Iamous Iootball players and the popularity oI t-shirt
Baggy style which means Iootball Ians wear club shirts with slogans instead oI shirts Irom
Iamous brands such as Lacoste or Perry (Williams and Wagg 1991). Another style, Iootball
hooligan, appeared in the 1970s, and this disease was considered as the serious problem in the
late oI 1970s and 1980s. (Back 09,, 2001). The time Ior the combination oI the skinhead style
and the Iootball hooligan style to be skinhead soccer gang` style or soccer style wars` marked
the most serious time oI disorder in Iootball (Williams and Wagg 1991). As a result, negative
consequences were created by this style. For example, in May 1985, at the Liverpool Juventus
match in the European cup, 38 mainly Italian supporters died (Dobson and Goddard, 2001), and
at Euro 96 in England, there were many English people relating to disorder, both within and
outside the country (CliIIord Stott 09,, 2008). In recent years, nevertheless, according to BBC
(2009) the number oI hooligans and the amount oI disorder in Iootball was smaller than it was
beIore, but it is reaching to people in younger age. As BBC (2010) claimed, amongst hooligans,
who were arrested in the UK in 2010, the youngest was just 13 years old.
3.2.2.Racism in soccer
Racism in English Iootball became a serious concern Irom the late 1970s together with the
increase in the number oI black players among proIessional Iootball players (Back 09 , 2001:
21). This problem spread quickly, and racism also happened in the match, such as the incident
occurred in the match between the Republic oI Ireland and England in Dublin in February 1995
which Iorced the match to cancel, and this event was mainly contributed by racist groups among
supporters (Back 09 , 2001). It can be seen that the relationship between hooliganism and
racism is strong. However, as Brimson (2006: 187) pointed out, not all racist are hooligans, just
as not all hooligans are racists`. The serious concern about racism is because oI its prevalence
outside hooliganism, and because it can also appear on the behavior among Iootballers.
According to Back 09,(2001: 23), racism in Iootball in Britain also acts in other areas, such as
managers, owner and directors. He made the point that although there is a dramatic increase oI
the number oI black players in Britain Irom 1980s, but the number oI black managements
working in important positions is very small. More speciIically, in 2006, there were around 20
percent oI proIessional Iootballers are black, but there were just three managers and three
coaches coming Irom ethic groups (Brimson, 2006: 178). In recent years, nevertheless, racism is
not a serious problem. From 1990s, in order to reduce racism in Iootball in Britain, many eIIorts
have made with the appearance oI the words Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card
(Garland 09 ,1999). Besides, there are a number oI anti-racism groups trying to tackle racism
(Brimson, 2006). According to Guardian (2006), the Iight against Iootball racism in England is
the best over the Europe.
4.Recommendations
4.1. To reduce hooliganism and disorder
Firstly, alcohol consumption is one oI the reasons contributing to aggressive behavior oI
Iootball supporters, thus preventing the public Irom drinking and carrying alcohol around areas
that Iootball match takes place can reduce disorder (Home OIIice. 1998). Secondly, the role oI
the private security companies is very important. In order to reduce violence in sport events, a
close law needs to be created to control these private companies (Savkovic and Dordevic, 2010).
Besides, developing the relationship with local police is worth because this can assist managers
to collect up-to-date inIormation about groups oI Ians to build maps, this in turn can help
managers to control situation eIIectively. (Savkovic and Dordevic, 2010). Furthermore, to
tackling racism in Iootball, the Government, Football Foundation, and clubs should rise the
level oI Iunding to support the . It :9 and Show Racism the Red Card (Bassam, 2001: 14).

4.2. To assist Iootball clubs in having healthy Iinance
According to Beech (2009), Iootball clubs should do these solutions to remain healthy
Iinancially:
First oI all, they should develop a long-term relationship with a Iinancially stable investor.
This relationship will prevent clubs Irom achieving Iluctuant Iunding in case their sponsor has a
Iinancial crisis. Furthermore, he concluded that many clubs now choose a solution that paying
more money to buy top Iootballers, and this is not a long-term approach. Instead oI this method,
Beech suggests that clubs should apply a salary cost management scheme` (Beech, 2009: 132).
This method means that there will be a limit oI the percentage oI revenues being used to pay
salaries, such as the president oI UEFA, Michel Platini, said this limit should be 60
revenues. Another recommendation is to manage salaries oI player as revenues and the
position oI the club. This means that Iootballers will be paid less iI the perIormance oI their team
reduces. This approach can help club balance clubs` Iinances as well as encourage players in
perIorming. Moreover, Iootball clubs should remain stable position in the middle oI the table
oI a league, avoiding the regelation, and in some situations, they also need to avoid
promotion because this position can bring clubs a stable number oI Ians.


5.Conclusion
It can be seen that Iootball has the ambivalent impact on British society. As this report
concludes, Iootball has inIluenced British markets and made many types oI new business, such
as broadcasting media and player transIer market. However, soccer also has negative inIluence
on British behavior. The phenomenon oI hooliganism and racism mentioned in this report is an
example. Moreover, in recent years, Iinancial burdens are drawbacks that this kind oI sport
brings to soccer clubs. In order to reduce hooliganism and racism in Iootball, controlling alcohol
consumption around Iootball stadiums, developing the close relationship with local police and
private security companies, and supports oI Government, Football Foundation, clubs in the Kick
It Out and Show Racism a Read Card, are necessary. Besides, in the economic aspect, Iootball
clubs should use a salary cost management scheme, manage the salary oI player as the revenue
or the position oI the club and maintain a stable position at the middle oI the table oI a
league. Improving the current situation is not easy. It, however, can be deIinitely done
with some concrete solutions above.