"We might have talked about it but I don't think we genuinely believed that seven or eight years down the line we would be at the top level of non-league, " Fallon told BBC Sport.

BBC: CHOOSE A SPORT

The bean counters like the fact that you can write an application once and then, with little expense and effort, modify it to run on a whole universe of Microsoft systems from the corporate network level (Windows NT) down to a single set-top box (Windows CE).

FORBES: WebCE

Each year the bottom teams from the top-tiered soccer leagues in England, Europe and Latin America are kicked down to the next level.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

And as their billionaire owners continue to spend big on top-level players, traditional American sports such as baseball and basketball are being pushed down the list.

CNN: The world's best-paid sports teams