Football fans will be consulted on hikes to ticket prices and proposals to move their home ground under plans to protect the men’s game and ensure supporters aren’t ripped off
Football fans will be consulted on hikes to ticket prices and proposals to move their home ground under plans to protect the men’s game.
Ministers will put forward a beefed up version of the Football Governance Bill in the House of Lords on Thursday, with new powers for the proposed independent regulator.
Under the legislation, clubs will be ordered to engage with supporters on changes to ticket prices and any proposals to relocate their home ground to stop them being ripped off and ignored. The regulator will also be able to compel clubs to democratically select the fan representatives they engage with.
But the Government has dropped a requirement for the regulator to consider UK “foreign and trade policy” when making decisions about club owners and directors. It comes after Uefa, the European football governing body, complained that the move amounted to Government interference in the game.
Parachute payments for relegated clubs will also be scrutinised to ensure elite clubs are passing cash down to the lower leagues. The hefty settlements – which rose to £49million each last year for clubs booted out of the top flight – have caused tension with the EFL, which says the payments give unfair advantage to relegated teams.
The regulator will have the power to impose a financial settlement if the Premier League and EFL can’t agree over distribution of money – known as a back stop power. Parachute payments will be assessed only if the Regulator considers them to be of systemic risk to financial sustainability.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “English football is one of our greatest exports and a source of national pride which this Government wants to see thrive for generations to come. But for too long, financial instability has meant loyal fans and whole communities have risked losing their cherished clubs as a result of mismanagement and reckless spending.
“This Bill seeks to properly redress the balance, putting fans back at the heart of the game, taking on rogue owners and crucially helping to put clubs up and down the country on a sound financial footing.”
The Bill, which was initially brought forward under the last Tory Government, builds on the findings of a fan-led review by former Sports Minister Dame Tracey Crouch. It failed to become law before the General Election but the new Labour Government vowed to carry it forward.
