Thank you for contacting me about regulatory reform in football.
I agree that football governance must keep evolving if it is to keep pace with the challenges of the modern game. The global commercial attractiveness of English football is something to be celebrated, but not at the expense of supporters and their communities.
With regard to the ownership of clubs, it is a priority for the football authorities to ensure a robust Owners' and Directors' Test is in place and that due diligence is carried out on owners. New owners are obliged to meet the Premier League or English Football League board and provide details of the sources and sufficiency of the funding they have in place. Clubs must also submit detailed financial information each season, including a breakdown of revenue in appropriate categories such as gate receipts, sponsorship and advertising, broadcasting rights, commercial income and other income. Taken together, the measures within the existing regulatory framework have helped to curb club debt and greatly improve the financial state of our football clubs.
I also welcome that, following the regrettable announcement that clubs from across Europe signed up to proposals for a European Super League, the Government has triggered a fan-led review of football governance, as committed to in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. This review will be a root-and-branch examination of football in this country. It will cover the financial sustainability of the men’s and women’s game, financial flows through the pyramid, governance regulation and the merits of an independent regulator. Crucially, in light of the proposals for a European Super League, it will also consider how fans can have an even greater say in the oversight of the game.
I hope this update is helpful and further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-terms-of-refere…