(Newswire.net — September 16, 2015) — Apparently so. As of July 2015, Aston Villa have joined forces with South and City College in order to train up people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the field of accountancy.
It comes after a series of big clubs, such as West Ham and Chelsea, began working with the Leadership Through Sport charity. Participants in this accountancy training programme are all but guaranteed a job due to the seemingly never ending demand for accountants.
700,000 Accountants will be needed in the next 10 years
It may seem unexpected to hear that football clubs are helping to train up accountants, with no interest in the popular sport being entirely necessary. But there are some fairly sound reasons behind it.
It seems that almost everyone needs an accountant. Contractor accountants 3 Wise Bears have said that most people need an accountant because it is better to have an expert at hand. But also as technology allows for accountants to take on a more active role with a client company they are becoming ever more invaluable.
It is estimated that over the next decade over 700,00 accountants will be needed. Aston Villa and South and City college are keen to help supply that demand. By providing young people with this training they can fill the skills gap and almost guarantee employment after the training is completed as demands for accountancy skills are so high.
Accounting and football have a long history
The finances involved in football are often thrown into the limelight. From the sky high costs of certain players to word cup budgets, football would never be what it is today without an army of accountants (and marketers) at its side.
Finances can often make or break a club – dictating decisions on player purchases and more. The financial side of the game has become so extreme that Financial Fair Play had to be instated to keep teams balanced and financially stable. This rule dictates that clubs cannot spend over a certain amount on players, thus giving the game more fairness. Though having a large budget still plays in a team’s favour, they now cannot outright buy all of the best players and storm the league.
However, the revenue of a televised football game reaches somewhere below £7 billion. No matter what rules have been instituted over the years the game is still very much a money making machine. Having that much money to pay for highly trained accountants is essential. Therefore, it makes sense for clubs like Aston Villa, Chelsea and West Ham to give back to the community by funding an accountancy programme.
They are helping a generation of young people who can fill the skills gap in accountancy whilst engaging them through football, without that engagement many of these young people would probably be less than interested in accountancy. Though the morality of football and its financing has been called into question repeatedly, it’s important for football fans and foes alike to see clubs putting funds to good use.