I have written about the government’s ongoing Fan-led Review of football a few times now. I’ve taken a look at its terms of reference, highlighted why it wasn’t in The Queen’s Speech, and gave an indication of why we may need to be patient with the timings.
This week the Review took a big step forward with Tracey Crouch (the MP and football coach leading the review) writing to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to highlight her interim findings after rounds of talks with fan groups and key figures within the game.
This is what we found out:
Mark your diaries
The final review will report in the Autumn.
The panel has done their homework
This review is only in its preliminary stages but has already heard from “over 100 hours of oral evidence from fan groups, leagues, the FA, clubs at every level of the pyramid, representatives of players and managers, those involved with and supporters of the women’s game, academics, German supporter groups and many more.” It has also received 70 documents of written evidence and its survey received over 16,000 responses.
Finance
It is clear throughout the opening pages that the review has concerns about the sustainability of the English game. Macclesfield and Bury are referenced, and the second page goes into detail about how much debt and how many clubs make a loss across all the divisions.
“It is sobering to consider that these [high] numbers [of debt and losses] are the end result of a long period in which football had been growing revenues to record or near record levels.”
It is suggested that pre-emptive action will be taken to reform the game’s finances.
Regulation
Ms Crouch takes a swipe at the FA, Premier League and EFL in saying football has had many times to get its house in order, but the regulatory environment is complex and ineffective. Fans, she says, need to be more central to decision-making, and their voices have been ignored for too long.
She goes on to say a new Independent Regulator of English Football will be implemented and have responsibility for financial regulation, corporate governance and ownership. It is clear from the letter this regulator will not look at “football issues” such as running the leagues, VAR, Wembley and a grassroots strategy. These will remain with existing bodies. But it will be a regulator. It will need legal powers (which will require an Act of Parliament to implement), and over the summer Ms Crouch and the Panel will look at what powers it will have.
There is the suggestion its powers could - in the future - be absorbed by a reformed FA, but “evidence received indicates this possibility is some way off”.
Fan engagement
In short, if your club has an official supporters club or trust, this is likely to become much more important in the coming years. There is talk of fan groups having a veto over changes to things like club colours, club badges and stadium moves. There is also an expectation for clubs to get better at engaging with fans over issues affecting them (likely to involve ticketing and merchandise).
Fan ownership, however, is deemed a “highlight technical [area] of company and insolvency law” and more consideration will be given to this in the coming months.
Parachute payments
Financial gaps between the divisions gets a big shout out in the report, and more interesting is the criticism of parachute payments, which “distort competition and drive unsustainable financial activity”, a final recommendation will come in the full report over what will happen with these.
Meanwhile, League Two clubs could have the right to operate all-weather pitches, and improve their cashflow this way (clubs such as Harrogate and Sutton have had to rip up their all weather pitches, losing income from organisations which use them).
League Three?
A reference is made to a survey of National League supporters who back the absorption of the National League’s top division into the EFL. “I recommend that the EFL and National League enter into meaningful discussions to consider this further.”
Reform, Reform, Reform
The FA, The EFL, the Premier League and the National League are all told that they need reform. They are told they need more non-executive directors (IE independent from the bodies they sit on), and that significant reform of the FA Council is needed.
Club directors are recommended to be removed from the EFL and the National League boards, and independent directors are required. Reform to the National League voting structure is clearly needed and it is referenced that “a significant part of the league has no confidence in the current set up” (which essentially allows National League clubs to veto National League North and South clubs).
More grassroots, less agents
Developing from the criticism of finance flows, the suggestion is that more money needs to be found for grassroots, amateur and women's football - but this must come from within the game. Transfer or agent levies are suggested (as agents in particular junk millions out of the game), and the FA is set to get more flexibility for how it uses its budget. At present it must split its budget 50/50 between the professional and amateur game. This, it is said, should be abolished and the funds used as it sees fit.
Separate women’s football review
This doesn’t get much of a focus, but it is said that the women’s game is at a “critical juncture facing complex and difficult decisions regarding the best approach to take for future stability and growth at both elite and grassroots levels.” It is said a new regulator for the whole game will benefit the women’s game too, and that money flows in the women’s game should also be considered.
However, the structure for the women’s game is likely to be separate to men’s, and Ms Crouch says she wants to get this right, and the women’s game will be subject to “its own dedicated review.”
Finally, there are suggestions that clubs need to do far more to support the welfare of young players, particularly academy players who don’t go on to play professionally. And that the separate Gambling Review takes into account the views of football fans who are concerned about the level of gambling advertisement in the game.
The full letter can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-interim-findings-and-recommendations
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