
Our Podcast
This is the home of real football discussion. Our intrepid We Love You Football podcast team of Graham Miller, Ian Beach and Oliver Ellis will be in the chair as Fair Game puts the game we love under the spotlight with regular interviews and opinions with our clubs, our advisors and of course invited guests.
Don’t forget to tune in and keep an eye on our social media feeds for news of the latest episodes.
@fairgameuk
While Morecambe have recently been to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in the FA Cup, and moved into a new stadium in 2010, there have been frustrations and protests at the club. The current owners are struggling to finalise a sale, a situation that has lasted two-and-a-half years so far.
Profits generated by the club in some recent seasons have since been cancelled out by losses, highlighting how difficult it is for clubs in League One and League Two to remain sustainable.
We discuss the club's present situation, fighting relegation from the Football League, the potential difficulties to challenge for promotion from the National League, and the future with:
Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, James Wakefield, one of the directors of Morecambe Football Club, Dave Salmon, commentator on Morecambe matches for 'Shrimps Live', and Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game.
IN THIS episode, we hear the emotional stories of Bolton Wanderers and Bury, clubs that have both suffered financial problems over the past ten years.
Our guests are:
Yasmin Qureshi MP for Bolton South,;
James Frith MP for Bury North;
Author and journalist David Conn;
Martin Parnell from the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust;
Mo Dickson, a member of the heritage committee at Bury AFC; and
Fair Game CEO Niall Couper.
David Conn reminds us that the founders of the Football League were concerned that clubs in the big cities would have a financial advantage, so the competition was set up on the principle of shared gate receipts, and that principle was in place for nearly 100 years, up to 1983.
JUST 12 years after playing in the Premier League, Reading are in League One, attendances are falling and the latest financial figures showed a loss of over £17m for the 2021/22 season. The club has had problems paying staff on time in recent seasons, and there have been points deductions, fines and transfer bans. So far, all attempts to buy the club from Dai Yongge have fallen through.
Our guests joining Graham Miller on this episode are Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley; Sarah Turner, chair of STAR, Supporters Trust at Reading; James Earnshaw, sports reporter for the Reading Chronicle; and John Mayes, the chair of Fair Game.
Follow Fair Game on X (yes, we still call it Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
The Football Governance Bill is about to be debated in the House of Lords, with speeches to be made and amendments suggested.
In this episode, Graham Miller is joined by David Bernstein, the former chairman of Manchester City, the Football Association, and the current chairman of Wembley Stadium Limited, and Fair Game CEO, Niall Couper.
The Bill will have huge consequences for all clubs in the pyramid and even small changes this week could have a massive impact.
Follow Fair Game on X (yes, we still call it Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
Exactly one week before the 2024 General Election, Fair Game brings together a Question Time-style panel to discuss the future of football:
- Clive Betts (Labour), former chair of the all-party Parliamentary Football Group, and member of the Football Supporters' Association.
- Paul Athans (Conservative), Everton season ticket holder.
- Dominic, Lord Addington (Liberal Democrats), previously sat on the National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee.
- Dr Christina Philipou, one of the country's leading experts on footballing finance and a senior lecturer at Portsmouth University.
The new Government will probably have a closer relationship to football than any before if the Football Governance Bill is enacted and the panel takes questions from some invited guests.
Shaka Hislop is the honorary president of Show Racism The Red Card and explains how the inherent diversity in football shows how teams are stronger when they work together. He also says Alan Shearer would be a terrible left-back!
As the Football Regulator Bill continues its journey through Parliament, we look at the progress so far, the changes that have been made to the original white paper and the contradictions that still need to be addressed.
Graham Miller is joined by Fair Game CEO Niall Couper, Bart Huby, the head of Football Analytics at LCP and Nick McGeehan, a co-founder of FairSquare, which investigates sport, geopolitics and business.
While we wait for the Football Governance Bill, we talk to David Bernstein, who was chairman of Manchester City between 1998 and 2003, and then chairman of the FA between 2011 and 2013.
David has written a book about his time at Manchester City, 'We Were Really There' will be published on March 11, charting the beginning of the journey from the third tier in English football to where they are today, European and World champions.
As you will hear in this episode, David covers his concerns over the incoming football regulator and the need to address football’s financial flow. He has interesting views on nation-state-owned clubs and the way they may influence the Government.
The Times Chief Football Writer , PoliticsHome reporter and our very own join Graham Miller to discuss the latest on the appointment of football's independent regulator.
The realities of the regulator's relationship with the game are starting to take shape and in this episode we cover a lot of ground, discussing the likely shape the regulator will take, who could be appointed, and how important it is to convince Premier League clubs of the value of the football pyramid.
With the King's Speech expected to announce the implementation of a football regulator, we take a closer look at the Fit And Proper Persons Test and ask how it should be modified to ensure clubs have better ownership.In this episode, Graham Miller talks to Chris Blackhurst, former editor of the Independent and author of The World's Biggest Cash Machine, a book that examines the Glazer family's impact as owners of Manchester United; Martin Calladine, author of The Ugly Game and Fit And Proper People; and Stella Cooper, part of our team of researchers at Fair Game UK.
While Morecambe have recently been to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in the FA Cup, and moved into a new stadium in 2010, there have been frustrations and protests at the club. The current owners are struggling to finalise a sale, a situation that has lasted two-and-a-half years so far.
Profits generated by the club in some recent seasons have since been cancelled out by losses, highlighting how difficult it is for clubs in League One and League Two to remain sustainable.
We discuss the club's present situation, fighting relegation from the Football League, the potential difficulties to challenge for promotion from the National League, and the future with:
Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, James Wakefield, one of the directors of Morecambe Football Club, Dave Salmon, commentator on Morecambe matches for 'Shrimps Live', and Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game.
IN THIS episode, we hear the emotional stories of Bolton Wanderers and Bury, clubs that have both suffered financial problems over the past ten years.
Our guests are:
Yasmin Qureshi MP for Bolton South,;
James Frith MP for Bury North;
Author and journalist David Conn;
Martin Parnell from the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust;
Mo Dickson, a member of the heritage committee at Bury AFC; and
Fair Game CEO Niall Couper.
David Conn reminds us that the founders of the Football League were concerned that clubs in the big cities would have a financial advantage, so the competition was set up on the principle of shared gate receipts, and that principle was in place for nearly 100 years, up to 1983.
JUST 12 years after playing in the Premier League, Reading are in League One, attendances are falling and the latest financial figures showed a loss of over £17m for the 2021/22 season. The club has had problems paying staff on time in recent seasons, and there have been points deductions, fines and transfer bans. So far, all attempts to buy the club from Dai Yongge have fallen through.
Our guests joining Graham Miller on this episode are Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley; Sarah Turner, chair of STAR, Supporters Trust at Reading; James Earnshaw, sports reporter for the Reading Chronicle; and John Mayes, the chair of Fair Game.
Follow Fair Game on X (yes, we still call it Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
The Football Governance Bill is about to be debated in the House of Lords, with speeches to be made and amendments suggested.
In this episode, Graham Miller is joined by David Bernstein, the former chairman of Manchester City, the Football Association, and the current chairman of Wembley Stadium Limited, and Fair Game CEO, Niall Couper.
The Bill will have huge consequences for all clubs in the pyramid and even small changes this week could have a massive impact.
Follow Fair Game on X (yes, we still call it Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
Exactly one week before the 2024 General Election, Fair Game brings together a Question Time-style panel to discuss the future of football:
- Clive Betts (Labour), former chair of the all-party Parliamentary Football Group, and member of the Football Supporters' Association.
- Paul Athans (Conservative), Everton season ticket holder.
- Dominic, Lord Addington (Liberal Democrats), previously sat on the National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee.
- Dr Christina Philipou, one of the country's leading experts on footballing finance and a senior lecturer at Portsmouth University.
The new Government will probably have a closer relationship to football than any before if the Football Governance Bill is enacted and the panel takes questions from some invited guests.
Shaka Hislop is the honorary president of Show Racism The Red Card and explains how the inherent diversity in football shows how teams are stronger when they work together. He also says Alan Shearer would be a terrible left-back!
As the Football Regulator Bill continues its journey through Parliament, we look at the progress so far, the changes that have been made to the original white paper and the contradictions that still need to be addressed.
Graham Miller is joined by Fair Game CEO Niall Couper, Bart Huby, the head of Football Analytics at LCP and Nick McGeehan, a co-founder of FairSquare, which investigates sport, geopolitics and business.
While we wait for the Football Governance Bill, we talk to David Bernstein, who was chairman of Manchester City between 1998 and 2003, and then chairman of the FA between 2011 and 2013.
David has written a book about his time at Manchester City, 'We Were Really There' will be published on March 11, charting the beginning of the journey from the third tier in English football to where they are today, European and World champions.
As you will hear in this episode, David covers his concerns over the incoming football regulator and the need to address football’s financial flow. He has interesting views on nation-state-owned clubs and the way they may influence the Government.
The Times Chief Football Writer , PoliticsHome reporter and our very own join Graham Miller to discuss the latest on the appointment of football's independent regulator.
The realities of the regulator's relationship with the game are starting to take shape and in this episode we cover a lot of ground, discussing the likely shape the regulator will take, who could be appointed, and how important it is to convince Premier League clubs of the value of the football pyramid.
With the King's Speech expected to announce the implementation of a football regulator, we take a closer look at the Fit And Proper Persons Test and ask how it should be modified to ensure clubs have better ownership.In this episode, Graham Miller talks to Chris Blackhurst, former editor of the Independent and author of The World's Biggest Cash Machine, a book that examines the Glazer family's impact as owners of Manchester United; Martin Calladine, author of The Ugly Game and Fit And Proper People; and Stella Cooper, part of our team of researchers at Fair Game UK.