There are limits to making sport more attractive

When I started my career at Ajax, there were no journalists in the catacombs or cameras in the dressing rooms. In the United States, fans have already been able to take a look behind the scenes. Today, it is of the utmost importance for large media companies to be able to offer football and other sports exclusively to their viewers. Without this exclusivity, you are no longer competitive. Substantial investments are therefore necessary to gain and maintain a position.

In the 1990s, new rules were invented for sports such as football, rugby, and tennis to make them more attractive to watch. In football, for example, a new offside rule resulted in an improvement. The fact that the goalkeeper is no longer allowed to pick up the ball with his hands after putting it into play is also a rule change which has benefited the game; the old situation caused delays and unnecessary waste of time. As a result of this rule, goalies are now much more skilled with their feet, with a few exceptions. By the way, playing from behind was already a quality of Dutch keepers before the rule was introduced.

In tennis and rugby, technology was licensed earlier to make the game fairer and more attractive. There, they did not hesitate to lend a hand to the referees where the human eye is often lacking and errors in judgment lie in wait. The times when play is stopped to check if a tennis ball was still on the line or just out, not only creates additional tension for players through the activation of technology, it is also a form of engagement. fans.

In 2021, most sports make maximum use of technological resources, including football. In general, it has also improved the quality of the game. Football has become faster, actions are more and more visualized and matches can be seen in more and more ways, right down to the mobile phone.

How to sell sport even better? Today, football clubs also make their own films or have documentaries made. There must be more contents are produced to reach fans. New tournaments such as the UEFA Nations League have sprung up and FIFA is also working hard to see how it can strengthen its position in this rapidly changing world. The idea of ​​a World Cup played every two years, instead of four, is still on the table.

Change is good when it doesn’t break anything. More matches, not just in football, means more pressure on the health of athletes. To stay in football for a moment: a busier schedule does not lead to better performance. How will player defense organizations and their coaches behave as the calendars get even fuller and the boundaries get wider? I wonder if the major football associations will pay attention to the relationship between work and rest in their decision-making processes. I am in favor of a permanent evolution of sport, but only if – while respecting tradition – it leads to progress and not only from a financial point of view.

Clarence Seedorf is a former football player. He is now an entrepreneur, philanthropist and guest speaker.