It’s just been announced that the Premier League is giving a voluntary £5 million gift to departing chief executive Richard Scudamore, who was being paid £2.5m per year. In times of austerity, with youth academies desperately underfunded and fans having to cough up insane amounts for match day tickets, this is madness. The money should be invested in grassroots football instead.

The money is being raised by each of the 20 Premier League clubs donating £250,000. Giving £5 million to a man who is already incredibly wealthy is the biggest waste of money imaginable - that money should instead be helping young footballers up and down the country. 

I’ve been a football fan my whole life, ever since my grandad would take me to games when I was a kid. Since then ticket prices have soared, and the lack of investment in the game at the grassroots level has been reflected in the poor performance of our national teams in recent decades.

When you consider that times are so hard that the FA is considering selling Wembley Stadium to raise money for the grassroots game, this £5 million pound bonus is a huge kick in the teeth to every single football fan around the country. It shows that the Premier League simply does not care about ordinary people.

Please sign my petition to tell the Premier League to invest every single penny of this £5 million in grassroots football across Britain.