Football Governance Bill Passed
Many football fans are of the opinion that something needs to be done around the sport in general. For too long, supporters have had the Mickey taken out of them by the various entities involved in the sport, who have proven themselves time and again to be entirely incapable of being able to act in a sensible manner.
The Football Governance Bill was one of the ways in which the powers that be have looked to alter that, discussing it for several years before eventually introducing it in the March of 2024. Now it has been passed into law, but what will it mean for the average fan?
An Independent Regulator
The key thing that will matter most to football fans is the idea of an independent regulator being brought in to oversee the top five divisions of the men’s game in England. The vote passed through the House of Commons after its third reading, achieving 415 votes for and 98 against. The most interesting thing about it is the word ‘independent’, meaning that it will be entirely separate from both the government and the various football authorities. Whilst no one should be expecting sweeping changes, it does at least mean that people can hope for the right decision to be made moving forward.
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Up until now, the only thing that has been taken into account by the likes of the Football Association has been what is best for the game, with little thought paid to supporters, who are the lifeblood of the sport. Prior to the vote, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said to supporters,
“We are doing this for you because for too long, you have been treated as an afterthought at best or a nuisance at worst in a game that is only great because of you.”
Fair Game, a football campaign group, described the passing of the bill as ‘an historic step forward for our national game’.
Sustainable Future for Clubs
The government has also said that the regulator will look to ‘protect football clubs’ by ‘ensuring their financial sustainability’. That might well be bad news for the clubs who are against the Profit and Sustainability Rules, considering the fact that the entire purpose of PSR is to do just that. Speaking on that very issue ahead of the vote passing, Nandy said,
“This is for Macclesfield, for Wigan, for Bury, for Bolton, for Derby, for Reading, for Sheffield Wednesday, for Morecambe and for many, many more who have had to endure the misery of being put last when they should have been put first.”
That was a thought that was backed up by Fair Game, saying, “This is a victory for fairness, sustainability and the future of football… Now, at long last, we are firmly on the path to a fairer future for football.”
Sadly, such a thought was not backed up by votes on amendments put forward by the Liberal Democrats. A suggest that at least ten Premier League games each season, as well as the League Cup final and the play-off finals of the Championship, League One and League Two, should be free-to-air was rejected. That would make an actual difference for football fans, who currently have to pay through the nose to watch football legally.
What it Means Remains to be Seen
The truth of the matter is that exactly what the Football Governance Bill actually means will only become clear in the coming months and years. In one sense, it should be seen as good news for football supporters as it means the likes of strengthening the owners’ and directors’ tests. In reality, however, it is unlikely to mean that the likes of Manchester City or Newcastle United would now be under different ownership, considering the fact that the government reportedly helped to push through the purchase of the Magpies by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia when Mike Ashley sold the club.
That being said, the Football Supporters’ Association was involved in helping officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to make the legislation as fan-friendly as it could possibly be. Their hope is that it will mean better supporter engagement, more financial protections being put in place for clubs to stop them going out of business as well as fans getting more say on things such as ground moves or kit colours. There will also be implications on football finance, with a backstop being put in place to allow the regulator to get involved in the distribution of revenue by the Premier League.