Fair Game names the nine steps needed to make new football regulator match fit
“if the aim is to secure its long-term future, then we need a regulator that’s match fit. ”
Niall Couper, Fair Game CEO
FAIR Game today called on the Government to take urgent steps to ensure the proposed new independent regulator is fit for purpose – and ends the continuing crisis in football that has left several clubs on the brink.
The call came in the organisation’s official response to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s White Paper A sustainable future - reforming club football governance.
The consultation process on the Paper closed last night, and Fair Game’s team of experts have analysed it line by line.
The Paper outlines the Government’s thinking about the future of football and crucially the proposed remit of a new independent regulator for English football (IREF). While much of the proposals hit the spot and are to be applauded, Fair Game have identified several areas for improvement.
The organisation’s official response describes the plans as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix the game” and welcomes the recommendation to introduce IREF. But it lists nine steps the Government must take to ensure the proposed regulator is match fit.
The nine are:
The removal of vested interests in all decision-making processes;
The IREF must have a strong legislative power to impose penalties;
The flow of football’s finances must be within the remit of the IREF and the financial flow must be equitable for all levels of the football pyramid and reward well-run clubs that demonstrate good governance and sustainability;
Clubs must be as transparent to their fans as sporting competition allows;
The IREF must be fully transparent;
The IREF must have clear, well-defined, and enforced procedural remits and timelines;
The IREF must provide support to licensed clubs in the form of training and collaborative intervention;
The issue of a “Golden Share” must be a license condition and must be overseen by the IREF; and
The IREF must also look to the future, and as a minimum include scope to introduce regulations regarding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; and Environmental sustainability.
Niall Couper, Fair Game CEO, said:
“The White Paper comes too late for the likes of Bury or Macclesfield, while clubs like Southend and Scunthorpe are on the brink of ruin.
“From the much-loved clubs going bust to the debacle of the European Super League to owners who completely disregard the heritage of their beloved clubs, changing their names, colours, and badges – football is in crisis.
“Fair Game’s clubs have largely welcomed the White Paper. The Culture Secretary is right that football is not just a sport – it is part of our history, our heritage, and our national way of life. But if the aim is to secure its long-term future, then we need a regulator that’s match fit.
“Fair Game’s experts have set out some important ways to improve the proposals. We need a regulator that is competent, strong, and effective whilst also being collaborative and supportive in its approach.
“It is crucial the regulator has control over financial flow. Only a truly independent regulator can have the holistic oversight to ensure the process is fair..
“The Government has to dial up transparency. Tracey Crouch – in her Fan-led Review – called for fans to be given a ‘golden share’ giving them a say before big changes to their club. That’s slipped out of the plans and needs bringing back under the regulator.”
Mark Palios, former FA Chief Executive and current co-owner of Fair Game club Tranmere Rovers, added:
“Football will only make the changes it needs if a truly independent body has oversight over football's finances. The football authorities have failed to deliver over many years, despite numerous opportunities. We need a culture change that rewards well-run clubs and brings in a fairer financial flow and better fiscal controls that together addresses the gaps in the Pyramid.
“Clubs across the pyramid are at the heart of their communities. We need a system that cherishes and protects this unique aspect of the Game in this country.”
Dr Sanja Bilic, Fair Game's Equality Standards Lead, a policy consultant and former Policy Manager for the European Forum of Muslim Women, added:
"The absence of equality standards in the White Paper is a glaring omission. In Tracey Crouch's original fan-led review it was deemed an essential part of any reform into football.
"All modern codes of governance have equality, diversity and inclusion at their core - and we hope that when the Bill is finally published this oversight is rectified."
Mark Middling, a Fair Game Director and Policy Lead for Finance, Governance and Transparency and Senior Lecturer in Accounting at Northumbria University, said:
“There is much to be admired in the White Paper, which we fully support. But it could be improved by increasing the role of fans. Fans are at the heart of clubs and many want to be active in their governance. By implementing the Golden Share and introducing measures for clubs to be as transparent as sporting completion allows, fans can act as a form of showdown regulation themselves.
“This would have helped in the cases of Bury, Macclesfield and many more. We must now work harder than ever to ensure the IREF is set up in the right way, with fans at the heart, and in a timely and appropriate manner.”
