Football regulation remains on the UK government’s agenda despite a recent change in administration. Unveiling the Labour Party’s legislative plans today, King Charles III made a notable announcement regarding the beautiful game.
“A bill will be introduced to establish an independent football regulator to ensure greater stability in the game, and ensure protections for fans,” the King assembled legislators in the House of Lords, making his speech to announce the state opening of Parliament.
Upon hearing Charles III’s announcement, Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, could be seen smiling whilst standing in the rows. As CMS Secretary, Nandy will hold primary responsibility for overseeing any political decisions on UK sports.
British football has already seen regulatory attempts outlined in the Football Governance Bill, which passed its second reading in April but was subsequently delayed – along with many other Bills – when former PM Rishi Sunak called a snap election in May.
The Bill was left in the Committee stage, where it would be scrutinised by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee of the House of Commons. However, Labour MPs were receptive when the Conservative government introduced the Bill, so it isn’t too unreasonable to predict that Labour will continue pushing the Bill forward now in government.
English football has had a lot of questions asked over recent years. Perhaps most significantly have been questions about its governance, and whether fans have adequate representation and voices on matters.
This conversation heated up significantly following the attempted European Super League (ESL) breakaway. Six Premier League clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – were due to join the league, but backed down after intense, widespread fan backlash.
The ESL became the catalyst for the Football Governance Bill and despite being three years removed from the saga – which hasn’t entirely gone away – Nandy has emphasised a commitment to putting fans ‘at the centre of the game again’.
She made this comment whilst being interviewed by the Manchester Evening News at Gigg Lane, home ground of Bury FC. This historic football club is one of the most notorious examples of governance problems in English football, having gone into administration in 2020 before being rescued by a group of supporters.
Football regulation is going to be a ‘top priority’ for the Labour government, the MP for Wigan told MEN. She explained: “It’s going to be a top priority for us. I don’t want to pre-empt the King’s Speech, but it was a central part of our manifesto and it will be an essential part of my job to deliver on that and to deliver on it without delay.”
Nandy made these comments just under a week before the King’s Speech. Two days before the speech, and one day after the England national men’s teams loss to Spain in the Euros final, the government introduced its first concrete policy on football.
Grassroots football was the key focus of this. A CMS statement outlined that the government intends to ‘strengthen its support for grassroots football clubs and ensure that all children have access to sports at school’.
Nandy explained: “The whole country is incredibly proud of England’s performance at Euro 2024 in reaching the final and we congratulate Spain as winners. The Three Lions have once again been a huge inspiration for our future lions and lionesses.
“We will make sure that the legacy of recent successes are genuinely felt in communities, far and wide across the country. We’re absolutely committed to making sure every child has access to the sports they love both in schools and in grassroots clubs to not just help uncover the next generation of stars but to help create a healthier nation and change lives for the better.”
