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As we mentioned in a previous listening post, October 21st was the date when the characters in the 1985 film Back to the Future went on their time travels. To celebrate this classic movie date we are going to take a look at what football may look like in thirty years time. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There is also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold).Listening Practice: Back to the Future II: Football in 2045
Who knows what changes in the game of football we might see over the next three decades but here are a few possibilities:
- Pitch size increases
As players become fitter and teams more organised then one way of countering this is by making the pitch bigger.
- More substitutions
Currently, teams can make three substitutions from five who have been named on the bench and this may change in the future to give managers even more choices over tactics.
- Free tickets
This one may sound doubtful – no club will turn down the chance of making millions on match-day ticket prices but if fans are priced out of the game then the atmosphere in the stadium will no longer be enticing for the TV market.
- Club Football
The link between the club and it’s locale will largely be broken. Clubs will be franchises along the US model. For example, Manchester City will no longer play in Manchester but somewhere nearer London, so that it can take part more easily in the European Premier League, which consists of the top 20 teams in Europe.
- China and India
Asia may break from the ‘traditional’ football of the rest of a world, withA a new form of football, with a new set of rules. It will be a form of the game that is much more open to new rules – most aimed at increasing the number of goals scored. Matches will regularly see 10 goals. Biotechnology will be used to enhance player performance and strength.
Let us know if you have any suggestions of what football may look like in 30 years time by posting a comment below.
Vocabulary
- FIFA’s page on rule changes in football
- Goal.com looks back to October 21st 1995
- Guardian article on the 1985-86 Division 1 Season
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