The Football Governance Bill has passed its Third Reading in the Commons by 415 votes to 98 and looks set to gain Royal Assent before Parliament closes for summer recess. But how will the Bill actually impact football going into next season?
The Bill is the outcome of the 2021 Crouch Review, officially known as the Fan-led Review of Football Governance, which was prompted by the debacle launch of the European Super League (ESL) in the Spring of 2021. The ESL was the plan for 20 of Europe’s ‘elite’ clubs to form a new league (15 founding clubs plus 5 others), and in the process removing themselves from their domestic competitions.
The ESL launch was greeted by a huge backlash from fans and governing bodies, which resulted in all the six English clubs involved withdrawing within days, precipitating the collapse of the concept. For Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United it was a reputation damaging episode, as many within football believed it showed their true colours with respect to protecting the game. Other clubs came out to decry the new competition, with Everton accusing the six English clubs of “betraying” British football supporters. For this act of ‘betrayal’, earlier this year the six clubs were fined £22 million by the Premier League, which will go towards ‘the good of the game’.
What the ESL did do was show how vulnerable the English football system is to large clubs striking out on their own, thus undermining the domestic competition. Concerns have also long been raised about foreign ownership, financial stability and a lack of fan engagement. The Crouch Review (led by MP Tracey Crouch rather than robotic dancing Peter Crouch!) resulted in a report with key recommendations, including the establishment of an Independent Regulator for English Football.
The Bill covers the Premier League, the English Football League and the National League initially, although it can be expanded to cover more competitions or tiers of football as required. The Independent Football Regulator’s (IFR) main objectives are to protect and promote the financial soundness of regulated clubs; to protect and promote the financial resilience of English football; and to safeguard the heritage of English football.
In essence, this means that the IFR will have powers to operate a licensing regime, and to monitor and enforce compliance with requirements on financial regulation, club ownership and directors, fan engagement and club heritage protection. The IFR, which will be separate from Government, will also set corporate governance standards and will have the power to prohibit clubs from joining competitions where they are “not fair and meritocratic and would threaten the heritage and sustainability of English football.” This effectively will stop any future recurrence of the ESL fiasco. The IFR will also have the power to intervene to bring about a solution regarding financial redistribution between the football leagues, as a last resort.
From a fan’s perspective, there is also a requirement for clubs to meet minimum standards of engagement with fans. While there will be flexibility on how this is achieved (with many clubs likely to already be engaging sufficiently), it does ensure that fans can no longer be left out in the cold by unscrupulous owners and ensure that fans’ voices will be heard.
Unfortunately for armchair football fans, a Liberal Democrat-tabled amendment to make at least 10 Premier League games each season available free-to-air was defeated in the Commons. The Lib Dems were attempting to add the games to the list of ‘crown jewels’ sports events, which includes the World Cup, the Euros and the FA Cup, which cannot just be shown by broadcasters who charge viewers. Live Premier League matches have been behind a paywall for the last 33 years, so it was a worthwhile attempt by the Lib Dems, especially as their analysis showed that next season it will cost fans £660 in subscription charges to watch each available match – but alas it was defeated.
The Football Governance Bill has not been universally welcomed. Louie French, the Shadow Minister for Sport confirmed that “a future Conservative government will trigger a review of Labour’s regulator as soon as possible”, but the Bill was overwhelming supported in the Commons and has been welcomed by many groups, including the campaigning group Fair Game.
One of the unique elements of football in England is the extent of the history, heritage and rivalry, which is unmatched anywhere else in the world and is a big reason for the success of the Premier League. The new IFR should go some way to protecting and preserving the game in England, which has to be welcomed. And if the IFR permanently stops the ‘elite’ clubs from conspiring to form ever more lucrative, insular competitions, it will be a great positive on the football landscape.
David Little is a Partner at Bishop & Sewell in our expert Sports Law and Corporate & Commercial teams.
If you would like to contact him, please call on either 07968 027343 or 020 7631 4141 or email: company@bishopandsewell.co.uk.
The above is accurate as at 16 July 2025.
The information above may be subject to change. The content of this note should not be considered legal advice, and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
