English football leads the world, with some of the best players, best clubs and a Premier League that is the envy of its peers. Across the country clubs are the beating heart of our towns, villages and cities. From the grassroots to elite level, football brings joy to millions.
But, for too many years in too many places, our clubs have been thrown into crisis – either by rogue owners who have no stake in our communities who gamble with the future of our clubs, or from poor financial management as clubs come under pressure to outspend their rivals.
Clubs like Bury FC – founded in 1885 – plunged into administration, crashing out of the Football League because of irresponsible owners. In my town, Wigan, the whole community came together, not once but twice, to battle through a web of unscrupulous ownership, poorly crafted regulations and impenetrable systems to save a club that has stood at the centre of our town for 100 years.
It should never have come to this. Our Government believes no community should live with the anxiety that their club is only one bad owner or one missed payday away from ruin, so today we are introducing a match-fit Football Governance Bill which puts fans and communities at the heart of the game.
It will build the resilience of the men’s game, from the National League all the way to the Premier League. It will introduce an Independent Football Regulator with a clear remit: support the overall financial health of English football, make sure teams are financially sound and protect clubs’ heritage.
This will still give us some of the lightest-touch regulation in European Football. It has been designed through a fan-led review, chaired by Tracey Crouch, to incentivise football to reach its own agreement without the need to intervene, ensuring investment continues to flow into English football and competition thrives.
For the majority of owners, who treat fans with respect and value their roles as custodians of their clubs, they can expect a Regulator that is proportionate and does not interfere for the sake of it. But rogue individuals and groups, who endanger our clubs, can expect a Regulator that will put fans first. It will match words with deeds: protecting against breakaway leagues and giving fans a much greater voice than they have today over home colours, team badges, and other parts of the club’s heritage.
This is a better Bill than the one we inherited. It will now ensure clubs seriously engage with supporters about changes to ticket prices, and any proposals to relocate their home ground.
Every football fan believes passionately that football teams aren’t just businesses. The Government agrees. Profit and loss are a necessary part of today’s game, but the value of football goes beyond any balance sheet. Football clubs are part of our civic inheritance handed down through generations. They stand at the heart of our communities – places that connect us to our past and make memories in the present.
Too many fans have waited too long for action. Reports and inquiries have gathered dust while clubs have faced administration or even closure. We made a promise at the General Election that we would act. Today we make good on that promise – to put fans back at the heart of football, where they belong.