England World Cup success and the potential benefits for Chesterfield and the EFL
Chesterfield FC’s Project 9K initiative to attract more people to home games could get a shot in the arm from the England national side.
The odds on the Three Lions winning the World Cup strengthened after last night’s 4-2 win over top-ten ranked Croatia.
Thomas Tuchel’s team are third favourites to win the trophy behind France and Spain and if they can blank out the hype and concentrate on the tasks in hand, they can go deep in the tournament.
Getting their actual hands on the World Cup for the first time in 60 years wouldn’t just make legends of the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Thomas Tuchel and the rest, it would potentially deliver a boost to domestic football right down the pyramid in terms of interest.
After the success in ‘66, crowds in the Football League had a surge following a period of decline and by the 1967/68 season they were up almost 1.25 million on the previous one. A similar uplift could be expected in the EFL if history repeats itself.
"If we were to win the World Cup I think everyone apart from perhaps Wrexham would be buzzing going into the new season,” smiled Chesterfield’s assistant manager Danny Webb.
"I can only speak for Chesterfield. I know it’s a very patriotic town and the flags come out which is great to see.
"It would be great to go into our first league game as the world champions and of course it would help bring more people in.”
Webb is a big fan of Tuchel’s predecessor, Gareth Southgate.
Southgate had no trophies to show for his eight years in charge but took the team two Euros finals, a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and a quarter-final four years later.
“I think there’s been a feelgood factor about English football for a while and Gareth Southgate helped bring that,” said Danny.
"I understand he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I was a big fan of him. He brought longevity in tournaments
"Of course we all want to win things and as an England fan I’m not saying I’m happy just to get to semis and finals, but we haven’t had that certainty in earlier generations. It is nice that we are in tournaments in the long run and people can go to the pubs to watch and prolong things and not have to find a second team to support.
"Maybe Thomas Tuchel is the man who can finally get us over the line.”
Talking of “getting over the line,” all the behind-the-scenes planning going in at the SMH Group Stadium at the moment is aimed at transforming Chesterfield from League Two play-off candidates to automatic promotion winners
"I think it is going to be a very big season,” added Webb.
"We’ve had two goes at the play-offs, two bites at the cherry, so let’s go and win the league, which we want to do.
"It's obviously easier said than done and whether England succeed or not, for that first league game of the season we will have a really good crowd in.
"I know Ash Kirk (chairman) and John Croot (chief exec) have spoken about Project 9K and trying to get 9.000 home supporters to matches on a regular basis. I think we have shown we have the potential fanbase to do that."