Newport MP issues fresh rallying call to change football’s governing structures

“The Crouch Review offers a unique opportunity to improve football’s financial and governance structures”

Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East

THE Labour MP for Newport East, Jessica Morden, today issued a fresh rallying call to fans, clubs and parliamentarians to get behind the Crouch Review and help deliver realistic long-term solutions to the problems our national game faces.

Jessica Morden MP said: "The Crouch Review offers a unique opportunity to improve football's financial and governance structures which have all-too-often seemed to favour the interests of a wealthy elite over those of the majority of fans and clubs.

“I am proud that my local club Newport County AFC are fan-owned, run by and for the community. That ethos is at the heart of the Fair Game agenda, and the need to make football more sustainable from top to bottom. In an era of multi-billion pound takeovers at the top level, we are at risk of forgetting what matters - fans, clubs and the communities they serve."

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, added: “The next few days are crucial to the future direction of our national game. We urgently need a more sustainable game. And a game that redresses the imbalance of football’s finances.

“The Crouch Review could be a game-changer. It’s time to incentivise clubs to run well. Our sustainability Index does that. Let’s allocate football’s wealth to clubs that score highly on financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards and fan engagement.

“We call on all parliamentarians to grasp this opportunity and back Fair Game.”

At the moment a club relegated from the Premier League gets £55m in a parachute payment from the Premier League. That’s more than the Premier League gives to all the clubs in League One, League Two, the National League, the National League North, the National League South , the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Championship put together. One club getting more money than 144 others.