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If three quarters of Championship clubs are at war with the EFL over a controversial TV deal, Wanderers appear happy to present a neutral front.
In keeping with the general mood of circumspection around the camp in the last fortnight, the club has declined to comment officially on their position regarding the five-year £595million domestic TV agreement with Sky, which kicks in at the start of the 2019/20 campaign.
It is thought 19 Championship clubs wrote to the EFL last week in opposition but that Bolton, along with Millwall, Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City did not sign the letter and called instead for clubs to work together to find a common solution.
The EFL’s board voted unanimously to sign the deal, feeling there was no viable alternative – but their decision has triggered an instant backlash from some of the division’s big-hitters.
It has been claimed that figureheads from Leeds United, Derby County, Stoke City, West Brom, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest all met at Villa Park on Tuesday to discuss a potential legal challenge. It is understood Wanderers did not have a representative at the meeting.
Though far-fetched talk of a breakaway league has now been played down, clubs are looking into whether action could be taken against the EFL and whether they had authority to act without the mandate of so many of its key members.
The storm over TV payments has been brewing for some time, with Leeds’ outspoken owner Andrea Radrizzani echoing a proposal first tabled by ex-Wanderers chairman, Phil Gartside, that a ‘Premier League Two’ could be created to better spread the wealth between the top two divisions.
That suggestion now seems highly unlikely, given the Premier League’s lack of interest, but frustration still exists that the league has been ‘undervalued’ in the current deal, which is actually a 35 per cent improvement on the existing one.
“Championship clubs are gravely concerned that the EFL Board has announced it has approved a new long- term domestic broadcasting rights deal,” a statement read.
“Nineteen clubs from the league wrote to the EFL asking them not to sign the proposed deal and to engage in meaningful discussions. This was ignored.
“The clubs discovered that in the space of 15 months, without our knowledge, material changes had been made to this draft agreement.
"When the EFL Board presented the new version of the deal - it gave more games and rights for less money and damaged the ability of clubs to control the decision to stream games and its pricing.
“Our issues are not with Sky, who we respect and value, but with the way in which the proposed agreement has been negotiated and explained to Clubs.
“We remain convinced that any solution to the broadcasting of EFL competitions can only be on the basis of protecting attendances and securing the financial position of all our 72 clubs.
“There is a calm determination within Championship clubs to ensure the matter is not left here.”
Even before leading clubs met in rebellion at Villa Park on Tuesday, Wanderers had indicated they would take a watching brief.
Ken Anderson has been a close ally of EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey during his time at Bolton, maintaining regular dialogue during the dark days of transfer embargo and beyond.
And it is Harvey whose position could come under threat if a review pledged by the EFL finds the correct procedure has not been followed.
This season each Championship club receives a basic £2.084m and a £4.3m solidarity payment donated from the Premier League.
The EFL hand out Championship clubs £100,000 for every home game that a club hosts on Sky Sports, with that figure going up to £120,000 for games being played on a Sunday and £140,000 for Thursday games. Visiting sides are awarded £10,000 per game.
Wanderers have had two televised games on Sky Sports so far this season and no more are scheduled up to January 12.
Under the current deal, home games are worth between £100,000 and £140,000 to the host club, depending on which day they fall. Visiting teams are awarded £10,000. As things stand, Wanderers will get £110,000 in TV money this season, taking their overall earnings to nearly £6.5m.
With Phil Parkinson’s side currently in the bottom three, it may also be worth noting the financial hit which Wanderers would take if they returned to League One.
Each third tier club currently earns a basic award of £732,000 and solidarity payment of £675,000, with TV earnings dropping to just £30,000 for hosting a TV game alongside £10,000 for a visiting team.
Source
In keeping with the general mood of circumspection around the camp in the last fortnight, the club has declined to comment officially on their position regarding the five-year £595million domestic TV agreement with Sky, which kicks in at the start of the 2019/20 campaign.
It is thought 19 Championship clubs wrote to the EFL last week in opposition but that Bolton, along with Millwall, Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City did not sign the letter and called instead for clubs to work together to find a common solution.
The EFL’s board voted unanimously to sign the deal, feeling there was no viable alternative – but their decision has triggered an instant backlash from some of the division’s big-hitters.
It has been claimed that figureheads from Leeds United, Derby County, Stoke City, West Brom, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest all met at Villa Park on Tuesday to discuss a potential legal challenge. It is understood Wanderers did not have a representative at the meeting.
Though far-fetched talk of a breakaway league has now been played down, clubs are looking into whether action could be taken against the EFL and whether they had authority to act without the mandate of so many of its key members.
The storm over TV payments has been brewing for some time, with Leeds’ outspoken owner Andrea Radrizzani echoing a proposal first tabled by ex-Wanderers chairman, Phil Gartside, that a ‘Premier League Two’ could be created to better spread the wealth between the top two divisions.
That suggestion now seems highly unlikely, given the Premier League’s lack of interest, but frustration still exists that the league has been ‘undervalued’ in the current deal, which is actually a 35 per cent improvement on the existing one.
“Championship clubs are gravely concerned that the EFL Board has announced it has approved a new long- term domestic broadcasting rights deal,” a statement read.
“Nineteen clubs from the league wrote to the EFL asking them not to sign the proposed deal and to engage in meaningful discussions. This was ignored.
“The clubs discovered that in the space of 15 months, without our knowledge, material changes had been made to this draft agreement.
"When the EFL Board presented the new version of the deal - it gave more games and rights for less money and damaged the ability of clubs to control the decision to stream games and its pricing.
“Our issues are not with Sky, who we respect and value, but with the way in which the proposed agreement has been negotiated and explained to Clubs.
“We remain convinced that any solution to the broadcasting of EFL competitions can only be on the basis of protecting attendances and securing the financial position of all our 72 clubs.
“There is a calm determination within Championship clubs to ensure the matter is not left here.”
Even before leading clubs met in rebellion at Villa Park on Tuesday, Wanderers had indicated they would take a watching brief.
Ken Anderson has been a close ally of EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey during his time at Bolton, maintaining regular dialogue during the dark days of transfer embargo and beyond.
And it is Harvey whose position could come under threat if a review pledged by the EFL finds the correct procedure has not been followed.
This season each Championship club receives a basic £2.084m and a £4.3m solidarity payment donated from the Premier League.
The EFL hand out Championship clubs £100,000 for every home game that a club hosts on Sky Sports, with that figure going up to £120,000 for games being played on a Sunday and £140,000 for Thursday games. Visiting sides are awarded £10,000 per game.
Wanderers have had two televised games on Sky Sports so far this season and no more are scheduled up to January 12.
Under the current deal, home games are worth between £100,000 and £140,000 to the host club, depending on which day they fall. Visiting teams are awarded £10,000. As things stand, Wanderers will get £110,000 in TV money this season, taking their overall earnings to nearly £6.5m.
With Phil Parkinson’s side currently in the bottom three, it may also be worth noting the financial hit which Wanderers would take if they returned to League One.
Each third tier club currently earns a basic award of £732,000 and solidarity payment of £675,000, with TV earnings dropping to just £30,000 for hosting a TV game alongside £10,000 for a visiting team.
Source