THE LUCK OF THE DRAW
The FA Cup should be about the passion, the romance and the glory. But as Dan Palmer discovers, it’s really just about the money.
The Third Round Draw for the FA Cup is one of the showcase dates in the English football calendar. Up and down the county, fans nervously sit in front of television screens anxiously anticipating who their club are going to get. With the big boys of the Premier League entering the fray, it is an event that induces butterflies in even the most composed of supporters. This year, the most nervous fan was probably a man named Marcus Hackney, chairman of Havant & Waterlooville FC (correct). The previous day he had witnessed his non-league minnows embarrass the illustrious Notts County in their own back yard – undoubtedly the biggest day in the history of the club. But as he stared at the screen in a packed clubhouse, surrounded by a media frenzy of reporters and cameras, he knew that the history the club would write in the future was all dependent on what he was about to witness.
The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, dating back to 1871. It used to be the major trophy in this country, the one that everyone was striving to win.
The magic of the cup would stir tensions up to fever pitch, and you only have to look at some of the retro black and white footage to see the levels of passion, romance and tradition that the tournament used to produce. It was every boy’s dream to grace the Wembley turf in the final, but in recent years the famous old trophy has begun to lose part of its shine.
The magic of the cup would stir tensions up to fever pitch, and you only have to look at some of the retro black and white footage to see the levels of passion, romance and tradition that the tournament used to produce. It was every boy’s dream to grace the Wembley turf in the final, but in recent years the famous old trophy has begun to lose part of its shine.
A massive gulf in class is developing in English football, with the ‘big four’ clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United – dominating over all of the rest. One of these clubs has won the FA Cup every year since 1996, and it can be argued that they don’t even take it that seriously. With the Premiership and Champions League offering far more lucrative rewards, the big four have undermimed the FA Cup by placing it down the pecking order on their list of priorites.
So what does this all mean for the smaller clubs, who now find themselves in a tarnished competition which they have no chance of winning? Traditionalists will say that the passion and glory still exist, but in reality, like so many things in football, the FA Cup is just about the money. It would be nice to think that after their giant killing, Marcus Hackney’s main priority would be to see his Havant side advance in the competition. But what he was really after was a glamour tie with a big club and the financial rewards that would come with it.
In 2004 Exeter City got just that. The Devon outfit were in crisis, subject to crippling debts and for a time it looked like the club would go bust. But then they drew Manchester United in the third round and pocketed a cool £653,511. Even better for the Grecians was that they earned a heroic replay which was televised on the BBC. This added an extra £150,000 to the coffers and the debts were settled the next year.
“We may have gone into liquidation without that money, that’s for sure,” says Exeter fan, vice-chairman and sporting director Julian Tagg (correct).
“We had been fundraising for months, but with little success. With Manchester United, we really got the luck of the draw.”
Marcus was probably dreaming of the same in the Havant clubhouse as the draw rapidly approached, and the effect that sort of money would have on his club cannot be over exaggerated.
Currently lying mid-table in the doldrums of the Conference South, a glamour tie could propel Havant to dizzy heights that they they could previously only have dreamed of.
Supporter Mark Lynch (correct) was also in that same clubhouse with Marcus, biting his nails while he awaited the draw. A fan for ten years, he is quick to acknowledge the money side of things.
“Personally I would like a big four club away because the amount of money we could make could set the club up for three to four years,” he says.
“There is such a shortage of money at this level. A big tie could allow us to buy better players, sending us up into the Conference National, perhaps even towards the football league. It could completely transform us,” he adds.
“The FA Cup is really just about winning as many games and making as much money as possible.”
Havant have already netted around £37,000 from the cup run, big money at their level. Fellow non-leaguers Harrogate Railway received a windfall of around £70,000 when their game with Mansfield was televised.
In 2006, Burton Albion also took Manchester United to a replay and netted nearly £1,000,000. This money was pumped into their stylish new Pirelli Stadium, allowing them to build a hotel, restaurant and pub, which provided valuable extra income.
Another success story are Colchester United who in 2006 made the fifth round after a heroic run. They saw off Sheffield United and Derby County and were rewarded with a dream tie at Chelsea. The money made meant that they could pay the wages of their squad for the remainder of the season, and they were also able to sign talented striker Jamie Cureton (correct). The club, significantly aided by Cureton’s goals, won promotion to the Championship and are now an established side at this higher level.
“There’s no doubt the money has changed Colchester,” said a club spokesman.
Back at the clubhouse, Havant’s ball has been drawn and it isn’t good news. They’ve been given an away tie at League One’s Swansea City or fellow non-leaguers Horsham. A huge groan echoes around the room, but no doubt Marcus was groaning loudest of all. He didn’t get the luck of the draw.
