Richard I regard myself as a fan of most sports, including football, so I'm not "having a go" out of a dislike of football or such like.But I do think, and having been to many different sporting events at stadiums across the world, that there are many downsides for locals living in close proximity to sports stadiums. And I think it's hard to argue that football fans (albeit it a small minority) are the most likely to generate anti-social behaviour, be it on a very minor scale or a more significant scale.For instance when Celtic played Brentford in a pre-season friendly afew years back I was out in the town that afternoon and suffice to say it wasn't a particularly nice place to be, so if that was happening every other weekend personally I'd hate to live nearby. Which doesn't on the whole apply to restaurants, flower markets, cinemas or such like.As for presence on the world stage, I'm dubious about this, when a team becomes established in the Premiership perhaps, but take a team like Huddersfield or Sheffield United which last 1 season in the Premiership and then effectively disappears into the Championship or lower for the next few seasons.
Adam Beamish ● 1981d