*BS*THE news this week that the men at the top of the English Premier League intend to hasten the transformation of our National Game into a circus by dragging their over-paid clowns to the other side of the world to play one more meaningless game each season, probably comes as no surprise to some people.

*BF*How often have we heard that players are “too tired” to compete in the early rounds of our national cup competitions, or for poor international performances excused because of “heavy European and domestic commitments”?. Yet still, the Premier League autocrats pursue this farcical plan in the pursuit of yet more money.

Let’s face it, the Premier League is now so remote and aloof they cannot claim to be custodians of the national game anymore. With one individual, who should remain nameless, claiming “Well, actually, we don’t need our fans to come to games”, surely this organisation has finally ‘sold out’ in every sense of the word.

Owned by foreign investors with no feeling for our great game, who are simply in it for the money and, has already been shown at Liverpool, will ‘re-finance’ and saddle our great clubs with massive debts if things don’t go well. Staffed to a large degree by over-paid foreign players as a quick fix stifling opportunities for young British players, all in the pursuit of money.

But, where does all this money go? Certainly not into grassroots football and the non-league structure. For example, some third world countries can boast better facilities for up and coming young footballers than are currently available in Dover.

We simply must invest in our grassroots game if our national side is not to become a laughing stock, and our smaller clubs suffocated by performing seals financed by rich Americans out for a fast buck.

I say to the FA: stop touching your forelock to the Premier League, stop paying lip service to the grassroots game and take action to ensure that a fair proportion of the massive sums earned are invested in football’s future. Not only in the ‘community based projects’, as is the case now, but also in the development of young promising British players.

I say to supporters: the Premier League many not need or want you, but we do. Try watching your local side, get involved, spend a fraction of what you would at a Premiership ground and feel as though you belong. Instead of watching the midweek televised games, come along and watch real football for real people!