Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a
special interest in the Football Governance
Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament?
If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of
Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this
Bill.
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written
evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time
the Committee will have to take it into consideration.
The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line.
The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be
on Tuesday 14 May and the Committee is scheduled to report by
Thursday 6 June 2024. However, please note that when the
Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer
able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than
the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 6
June 2024. You are strongly advised to submit your
written evidence as soon as possible.
Aims of the Bill
The Football Governance Bill
would establish an independent regulator for the top five tiers
of men's football in England.
In a Written Statement of 19 March
2024, , Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport (DCMS), said the regulator's primary purpose would be to
ensure that English football was “sustainable and resilient for
the benefit of fans and the local communities football clubs
serve”. The regulator would do this through:
- Operating a licensing system, where all clubs in the top five
tiers of the men's game would need a licence to operate.
- Establishing a new, strengthened owners' and directors' test
to make sure a club's custodians were suitable and to protect
fans from irresponsible owners.
- Setting a minimum standard of fan engagement and requiring
clubs to comply with new FA rules on club heritage.
- Requiring clubs to seek regulator pre-approval for any sale
or relocation of their stadium.
- Preventing clubs from joining breakaway leagues that did not
have the support of fans or that threatened the heritage or
sustainability of English football.
- Having a backstop power to intervene in the distribution of
broadcast revenue if the leagues failed to reach an agreement.
- Establishing a compulsory “Football Club Corporate Governance
Code”.
The Bill would extend to England and Wales only.
Follow the progress of the Football
Governance Bill
The Football Governance Bill [Bill 187 2023-24] was introduced in
the House of Commons on 19 March 2024. The Bill's second reading
was held on Tuesday 23 April 2024.
Oral evidence sessions are expected to be held on Tuesday 14 and
Thursday 16 May.
Guidance on submitting written evidence
Deadline for written evidence submissions
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written
evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time
the Committee will have to take it into consideration and
possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which
amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course
under Selection of Amendments on the
Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an
amendment it will not revisit it.
The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be
on Tuesday 14 May and the Committee is scheduled to report by
Thursday 6 June. However, please note that when the Committee
concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to
receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the
expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 6 June. You a re strongly
advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.
Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk
