I will begin by stating that this page is in no way intended to be an examination of whether we should have a British team for London's 2012 Olympics. I have my own personal opinion on that as I am sure do most other football fans in the UK but it is not something which I believe to be pertinent to this agenda. I am concerned here only with what I perceive to be the reasons for the proposals at such a high level and why I see the concept as being of such intrinsic value to the commercial success of the Olympic Games in four years' time.

It may seem unclear to those non-UK residents or citizens reading this page as to why this issue should even exist, not to mention be of concern. I don't want to delve in to that aspect in any great detail but I will explain that - at present - the UK has four teams which compete under the auspices of FIFA (the Federation of International Football Associations,) in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The concern among opponents of the proposal for a British Olympic Team is that FIFA would subsequently decide that Great Britain should compete as one in all future international football tournaments and that - essentially - we would as a consequence know less representation.

The above question is the one which I believe to be at the centre of the whole debate. As the President of the London 2012 Olympics, it is of course one of the responsibilities held by Lord Coe and his staff to promote the Games to the best of their ability and to ensure that the general public at large shows as much interest in them as is possible. It is costing the UK a telephone number of millions of pounds to prepare for, promote and ultimately host the games, therefore their commercial success is beyond critical.

Are you starting to get the gist of my point...?

Football is the UK's most popular team sport by far. It is our national game. Of course sports such as cricket, both disciplines of rugby and a whole host of other minor events hold their largely regional appeal, but nothing can rival football when it comes to rousing the nation's passion. I will freely admit that watching the Olympics holds about as much appeal for me as watching a blank screen! I could not for the life of me name one British participant (or one from any other country!) in the up and coming Beijing 2008 Olympics. The chances of me watching any coverage of the Games or paying any attention to the results are...quite frankly...zero!

But what if the UK had a football team involved in Beijing? Would I watch the team...support them? Of course I would! I have been a football fanatic since childhood and would certainly go out of my way to watch such a hypothetical event. Although I personally am probably a little bit long in the tooth these days(!) for purchasing a replica team jersey, I am sure also that this would prove a great commercial success with the younger generation.

If we bear in mind that such public interest would be likely to increase ten-fold with the Olympic Games actually hosted in the UK, I submit my proposal that this is the over-riding factor in the promotion of the British Olympic Football Team concept...

I must once again reiterate that I have no desire to include my personal opinion within this article and prefer to keep it as objective as possible. One thing which I do feel compelled to do, however, is speak up in defence of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (those who know me will be likely to faint after reading those last few words!) over his involvement in this debate.

Gordon Brown is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He does not hold office in the name of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. His duty is therefore to the Union as a whole, not to the fractured individual parts of same, and certainly not to the paranoid and obstructive officials of the respective Football Associations. Of course he must therefore ensure that he does his utmost to ensure the success of these games in every respect, most particularly a commercial one (see above.)

Viewing the issue from this perspective, I cannot therefore genuinely see how he can fail to endorse a UK Team and fulfil the requirements of his office. Please, people, give a man doing a very difficult job a break for once...