Gary Neville urges English football to seize the opportunity to be more 'social' and protect league pyramid

The 50-year-old has played for, coached and co-owned clubs across a wide range of levels within English football’s ecosystem and feels there is work to be done to ensure the pyramid remains competitive and sustainable at all levels.

Neville has this summer begun working with Sage, Official Accounting Software Partner of the EFL, and wants to ensure Football League clubs at the heart of their communities are not forgotten about as the Premier League continues its unstoppable growth.

“There are two sides to the coin and we need to make sure we don’t forget about local clubs and where the game comes from, and what it means to support each other,” Neville said.

“Football should be more social. I feel there is a better deal for the game, removing the gulfs and gaps that exist. The disparity is growing and we need to make sure it doesn’t grow so far apart from each other that we no longer have a pyramid. That pyramid is absolutely vital in this country and we need to look after each other.”

The new Football Governance Act appears set to usher in a new era in the history of the English game, but Neville knows that clubs must also work together to help each other thrive.

While the Premier League continues to fly the flag for the English pyramid worldwide, Neville is keen to stress that its success is built on foundations that are made up of hundreds of clubs at all levels of the game.

"The EFL at its core thinks about local clubs and communities, thinks about the wider game and wants to do the best for its clubs," he added.

"It understands the challenges, understands the Premier League is the bigger brother that is always going to have more might and more power but we look after each other.

"When the Super League was announced, I saw Manchester United as being the grandfather of football that should look after the game. You have the most money and the most power, look after everybody, you are at the top of the pyramid.

"That pyramid is absolutely vital in this country and that is what made me feel let down at the time. I believe we need an authority that protects the Premier League's great work but looks after the wider game."

Neville has helped Salford City rise through the pyramid and the Ammies are now preparing for their seventh successive season as an EFL club.

Through a childhood watching both Bury and Manchester United, then representing the latter with distinction on the field over 19 years, before stepping in to the boardroom, Neville has gained an insight into the links between football clubs and their surrounding small businesses.

Now a full-time dragon on Dragons’ Den, Neville has long taken an interest in the business world and is steadfast in his belief that football and local businesses can – and indeed must – work together to succeed.

“Local businesses thrive on matchdays,” he said. “Tottenham is a good example, you go down the high road and you have all those businesses left and right, supermarkets, shops, pubs, cafes. They are all being used by the tens of thousands of fans going to the game.

“You think ‘wow, what an atmosphere and a feeling this is’. But there’s only 26 or so times a year that happens, so they need to make hay while the sun shines on those days as it’s a really big day for them.

“Small businesses know how important football clubs are and clubs know fans need hospitality and service on those days. They need the local businesses to still be there to support the fanbase.”

Gary Neville is encouraging fans to celebrate the businesses behind the badge on behalf of Sage, the Official Accounting Software Partner of the EFL. To nominate your local business hero and for a chance to win VIP hospitality tickets, visit Sage.com/behindthebadge