Football mergers the future? (NHR)

[Reidbait26]

Seen this article in the Guardian and found it quite interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

Now we know whether the credit crunch will affect football. It will. Roda JC and Fortuna Sittard look set to merge next season ? in what could be the biggest Dutch transfer of the year. They are both looking at considerable shortfalls this season. Although the neighbouring clubs had been discussing becoming FC Limburg ? after their province ? since 2002, the financial crisis must have been a consideration.

 

Perhaps, as in the business world, corporations are the inevitable future of football. Certainly the game is not immune to mergers, takeovers and downsizing. While the corporate world continues to devour itself, football too could find itself with fewer and fewer clubs. It could be that, not long from now, the proud Dutch province of Limburg, once home to four smallish, if solvent, football clubs, will be left with one. The two other remaining clubs, MVV and VVV, are not likely to thrive anytime soon. Combined as one, FC Limburg could grow strong by gobbling up all the fans in the region, the way Heerenveen and FC Groningen have done up north. They need to. Because with people forever moving to the bigger cities in the west, the gap in budgets is becoming prohibitive.

 

In 2002, after the city of Maastricht had staved off MVV's impending bankruptcy, Roda, Fortuna and MVV took the initiative to discuss a possible FC Limburg after previously rejecting such calls from outsiders in 1996. After meeting in secret, the clubs abandoned the plan, despite 80% of Limburgers polling in favour of it.

 

When the Dutch federation advised the clubs to reopen talks in October the clubs declined, saying they were not interested. But in November Roda and Fortuna presented a statement of intent to merge. They then announced that the club would definitely not be called FC Limburg. Last week, at long last, an exploratory group confirmed that it would be wise to join forces. Financial backers have been found and the new club's budget will be at least 25% higher than Roda's is this year. Since Fortuna played in the Eerste Divisie ? one rung below the Eredivisie ? the new side will take Roda's spot in the top flight, provided that Roda are not relegated, which is not altogether certain. The Dutch federation director, Henk Kesler, assumes MVV will naturally join them later.

 

Whether it's for the best or not, the fans are seriously ****ed off. When Limburg's regional leader brought up the FC Limburg idea again a year ago he needed police protection for a month. A series of demonstrations took place against the merger and several other high-ups were also threatened. The proverbial bigger picture was sprayed over with graffiti. To no avail.

 

It is hard to ignore the hypocrisy of the protests. Roda JC themselves are a product of a fusion of two clubs, which in turn were born out of two more mergers. Fortuna, the first professional club in the Netherlands, are on the brink of bankruptcy. The inevitable demise of football in Limburg if clubs don't merge would be a real shame as Limburg was one of the cradles of professional football in the Netherlands.