Football governance – time for change?

In April 2021, in response to long standing concerns about football regulation in England, the Government announced a Fan-led review of football governance. The Review was brought forward following the (abandoned) plans for a European Super League. The Review, led by Tracey Crouch MP, will:

• consider the Owners’ and Directors’ Test and whether it is fit for purpose.
• assess calls for the creation of a single, independent football regulator.
• examine the effectiveness of measures to improve club engagement with supporters.
• investigate ways league administrators could better scrutinise clubs’ finances.
• examine the flow of money through the football pyramid.
• explore governance structures in other countries, including ownership models, and whether any aspects could be beneficially translated to the English league system.
• look at interventions to protect the identity of clubs;
• examine the relationship between club interests, league systems and their place within the overall football pyramid.

The Review has been welcomed by groups such as the Football Supporters’ Association.

Interim findings and recommendations were published on 22 July 2021. These included the recommendation that a new Independent Regulator for English Football should be established, through legislation, “to protect the future of key aspects of our national game”. A final report is expected to be published in the autumn.

This Library briefing looks at the background to some of the issues being considered (e.g. club ownership and the financial sustainability of the game) and provides sources of further information.