England put out to grass
MATTHEW DUNN outlines the ramifications for the national team, their supporters and the iconic national stadium after Fulham owner Shahid Khan, who also owns NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars, makes his bid to purchase Wembley
ENGLAND are set to go back out on the road if the £900milion sale of Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan is completed as expected.
The FA are adamant the iconic venue will remain the national stadium and a rentfree agreement to stay there will be a key part of any deal.
However, with Khan, a car-parts tycoon estimated to be worth around £6bn who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking into the possibility of setting up a permanent American Football franchise in London, the FA see it as an opportunity to take some England internationals around the country.
The decision to rebuild Wembley in 2000 was always a controversial one, with many saying the £757m spent on the project could be better spent developing the game at its grass roots.
Despite the billions swirling around the Premier League, it is the FA who are charged with safeguarding the future of the game and the board have already indicated £500m from any sale of the stadium would be ring-fenced for the development of 1,500 all-weather artificial pitches to improve conditions for children across England – which would no doubt please England manager Gareth Southgate, below. England’s final international in front of the old Twin Towers was in October 2000, and the seven years before the giant arch was completed marked a period when the Three Lions went to the people. David Beckham’s famous free-kick against Greece in 2003 was probably the most memorable moment from 14 matches played at Old Trafford, with 15 venues in total used from St Mary’s in the south to St James’ Park in the north.
It gave different fans, particularly those based in the north, better access to the national team and fixtures that would have been lacklustre friendly internationals at Wembley suddenly became a source of intense local pride.
The need to pay off the finances for Wembley meant the FA had a mandate to use the stadium as much as possible once it was rebuilt and even controversial fixtures such as the FA Cup semi-finals will continue to be played there after a sale has gone through.
The FA insist a change of owner would make little difference to the sporting landscape, save giving them a windfall to invest on facilities.
The poor upkeep of pitches means an estimated one in seven grass-roots games are cancelled due to the weather, with former chairman Greg Dyke’s vision of 3G pitches in every town aiming to put an end to that.
The FA would continue to be housed at Wembley and it has even been suggested that handing over responsibility for maintaining the stadium could help streamline the organisation. NFL games are already a Wembley feature, with two showpiece games a year. The standard NFL season is from September to December, so if Khan is successful in bringing over a team on a more permanent basis, those autumn football internationals are the only games under threat. Khan said: “Always know Wembley would be home to the England national teams, and that we’d strive every day of the year to be the best possible steward for a venue that is iconic and beloved here and throughout the world. But the games the Jaguars play at Wembley are essential to the financial stability of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.”
Although there is still much negotiation to be done, the NFL itself welcomed the news, emphasising that Wembley would complement rather than threaten their plans to play matches at Tottenham’s new stadium. The NFL said: “We are very happy for Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport.”