Plans for Independent Football Regulator back on

In the first King's Speech under the new Labour Government, King Charles confirmed that the new Labour Government will revive the introduction of the Football Governance Bill.

The Bill was first introduced in March 2024 under the last Conservative Government and is set to introduce a new independent football regulator in England to “ensure that English football is sustainable and resilient for the benefit of fans and the local communities football clubs serve”. 

The timeline for when we can expect the Bill to be enacted is not entirely clear. Under the last Government, the original aim was for the Bill to be introduced before the commencement of the 2024/25 season – that seems extremely unlikely, though, if there were no changes to the Bill as originally introduced, it could pass through the enactment process fairly quickly, especially given the Bill has cross-party popularity and support.

However, with the Labour Party coming into power, it is likely to make changes to the Bill including in relation to: 

• increased fan engagement with the independent regulator and increased protections around stadium moves and changes of club names; and 
• giving the regulator powers to impose an agreement between the Premier League (PL) and the English Football League (EFL) for the distribution of broadcast revenue (including parachute payments to clubs relegated to lower leagues), when the PL and the EFL cannot agree. 

Interesting times ahead for English football!