Letters: Local clubs are where the heart is

As a one-time player and unpaid club official of local football and a supporter of Manchester United for more than 50 years I heard of the sacking of David Moyes, an honest and hard working man, with mixed feelings.

By The Newsroom

Published 3rd May 2014, 08:41 BST

It was unfair not to give him more time, but he does walk away from a failed job with several million pounds in his bank balance. Contrast this with the hundreds of hours of unpaid work put in just for the love of the game at clubs like Burgess Hill Town FC and Hassocks FC at senior level and dozens of Mid Sussex League clubs and youth teams.

We all enjoy the glamour and gossip of top level pro football, but the sad Moyes saga reminds us that away from the millionaires and the £50 a match tickets the real heart of football will always be local clubs, some of which have been going since the 1800s.

As a final thought, perhaps the compensation to sacked Premiership managers should be limited to one season’s pay.Even that would be enough for most mere mortals to live out their lives on.

P Dennett,

Burgess Hill