The footballing pyramid is in dire straits with many lower league clubs facing bankruptcy. These clubs represent the lifeblood of local communities and thousands of households.

Simultaneously, millions of households in the U.K. have either lost their employment or faced significant pay cuts (e.g. through furlough).

The Premier League and footballing bodies have displayed their disconnect from the millions that game should be built around, embodied by the PPV policies and lack of funding to support lower league clubs.

Despite the heroic efforts of certain individuals like Marcus Rashford, footballers themselves are completely disconnected from society. Whilst supporters struggle to make ends meet and clubs are on the brink, top footballers continue to take home fairytale pay packets (average Premier League weekly salary £60k per week, Championship £29k per week).

More needs to be done to bring this industry back to the real world. The game has spiralled out of control. 

One action is for players in the top two leagues taking a 20% cut - in line with the pay cut most ordinary UK taxpayers have faced during 2020 given the furlough scheme. This would raise an estimated £1.56bn annually from Premier League players and £905m from the Championship. This could be used to shore up lower league finances and subsidise streaming services for supporters.