Stephen Cummings has reservations about soccer wooing the business classes

ON Tuesday evening, for reasons too complex and tedious to bore you with, I had the opportunity to watch Burnley v Wrexham from the comfort of an executive box in the North Stand.

Prior to the game I had never been in such a box, but had formed the opinion that they were predominantly the preserve of businessmen and businesswomen who had little interest in, or knowledge of football

It gives me no satisfaction to report that I was absolutely right.

Now, I appreciate that many football clubs regard themselves as businesses nowadays, and feel they must appeal to a different, more affluent customer than in the past.

Why not? There is nothing wrong with making money. Also, as far as I could see, the club provided an excellent service on the evening. The warm, spacious box was within staggering distance of a well-appointed bar, the food was fine and the service excellent.

But the fact remains that first and foremost Turf Moor is, and always has been, a football ground - not some business park cum restaurant.

And I'm not too sure that pandering to people who are more interested in seeing themselves at the top of the money league, rather than the Clarets at the top of their league, is altogether a good thing - particularly in the long-term.

Sure, the businesses may well flock in at the moment. The executive suites at Turf Moor are new, Burnley appear to be on the up, and football in general is currently regarded as chic.

However, what happens if the novelty wears off? What happens if (God forbid) Burnley go into decline? What happens when football, as it surely will, goes out of vogue again? I very much doubt that the same punters who were behind the glass on Tuesday evening will be there in quite the same numbers. Mainly because there will be nothing in it for them.

No, the long-term future of the club rests with the genuine supporters. The ones who give up a day's leave to travel to Watford and Bristol in all weathers on a Tuesday night in November.

Or the ones who phone the local radio station on a Saturday evening with impassioned views about Burnley.

Or the ones who have supported the club for generation after generation - not just for a couple of hours to impress a client. These are the supporters in whom the club should be investing.

Burnley may well be making hay while the sun shines. But what are they going to do when winter comes around?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.