Historic legislation to reform the governance of men’s elite football in England was introduced in Parliament yesterday.
The Bill, which aims to put fans back at the heart of the game and to provide a sustainable financial future for the top 5 professional leagues, includes establishing a new Independent Football Regulator – independent of both Government and the football authorities.
The body will be equipped with robust powers revolving around three core objectives: improving financial sustainability of clubs, ensuring financial resilience across the leagues, and safeguarding the heritage of English football.
Speaking about the announcement, Grimsby Town FC’s Vice Chair Andrew Pettit said: “Due to the inability of the Premier League to make a sensible proposal on fair financial redistribution across the game and the importance of football clubs as community assets, Jason and I have been supportive of the concept of an Independent Football Regulator as recommended in the recent Fan Led Review. We therefore welcome yesterday’s announcement as a major step forward.
“This, however, is a critical point in the journey as it is a once in a generation opportunity to level up the professional football world by enabling all clubs to have the ability to sustain themselves financially so that they can continue to serve their supporters and communities long into the future. We will therefore be studying the wording of the Bill to ensure it meets our objectives and is not simply a layer of cost and bureaucracy with no benefit.
“To ensure that our voice is heard in the next stage of the process, the club will be working alongside Fair Game and our local MP’s, Martin Vickers and Lia Nici, who have been supportive in the journey so far. We’d also welcome any comments or ideas that Mariners fans have to feed into our response to make it as strong and authentic as possible.”
Reacting to the Football Governance Bill yesterday, EFL Chair Rick Parry said: “The EFL welcomes today’s arrival of the Football Governance Bill to Parliament in what we hope will be an important milestone to help us secure the long-term financial sustainability of England’s football pyramid.
“It’s a big moment for football in this country and this landmark legislation can help fix the game’s broken financial model by offering the independent input ultimately needed to help ensure that all Clubs can survive and thrive in a fair and competitive environment.
“Our thanks go to MPs and Peers from across the House who know how important football clubs are at the heart of their communities and why they must be protected for generations to come. The EFL appreciates their support and looks forward to working with them in the period ahead.”
The Mariners are part of ‘Fair Game’, a group of 34 value-driven professional clubs supported by 40 world-renowned experts looking to develop realistic long-term solutions to the problems our national game faces.
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