Football Governance Bill [Lords] — 28 Apr 2025 at 21:50
“Without fans, football clubs are nothing. We would all do well to remember that as we work towards reform to secure a brighter future for football.”
“have regard to the foreign and trade policy objectives of His Majesty’s Government”
“this House declines to give a Second Reading to the Football Governance Bill [Lords], because, notwithstanding the need for financial sustainability in the English football league pyramid, the Regulator proposed to be established by the Bill will damage the independence of English football, particularly given the Government’s proposed choice for the Chair and because the Bill will increase the regulatory burden and costs on all English football clubs-particularly lower league clubs-leading to increased ticket prices for fans and will in turn reduce the international competitiveness of, and increase the risks to, English football.”
“Despite the phenomenal success of football at home and abroad, we have seen too many examples of the devastating impact the failure of a beloved club can have on a local community.”
“Independence means operations and decision making are independent from the government”.
“One particular area of concern stems from one of UEFA’s fundamental requirements, which is that there should be no government interference in the running of football. We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition.”
“We call on the leaders of the football industry to act with urgency in allocating a small proportion of their massive wealth to address the tragedy of dementia and other neuro-degenerative diseases suffered by so many ex-professionals”
“to meet the needs of these victims with respect and kindness through best-in-class support, including care home costs and financial assistance for their widows, as required.”
“to ensure clubs like ours continue to make a valuable contribution to supporters and the community, the game’s fractured governance model and inequitable distribution of finance need to be urgently addressed”.
“Fair distributions are vital to the long term health of football. The Premier League should guarantee its support to the pyramid”.
“Addressing the deeply flawed financial flow in the game could see extra money flooding into the towns and cities that have lower league football clubs.”
“a massive thank you to the staff, volunteers, board and players. It goes way beyond match days. Endless meetings, endless hours behind the scenes trying to create the best experience for supporters. You would not believe the half of it…It is selfless, and it deserves celebrating. From the stewards, the board, the bar staff, the kit room and everyone in between, you are remarkable.”
“We would never want to see another club and its fans suffer in the way Derby did both before and during the period of administration. Anything that can prevent that, including this Bill, should be supported and applauded.”
“It’s Grimsby giving it away in a very dangerous part of the pitch, for the first time the visitors becoming the architects of their own downfall, it’s tucked in by the substitute Luther Wildin and Stevenage you sense are going up today!”
“the key test…Is this going to make our economy more dynamic? Is this going to…unlock investment?”
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death…I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
“To have to politicise football fans is not something we ever wanted,”
“I genuinely think that this is an excellent Bill”
“a good Bill to crack on with, because it is important for the future of football and, crucially, for the future of football fans”.––[Official Report, Football Governance Bill Public Bill Committee, 23 April 2024; c. 244.]
“Fans are not customers; we are the key stakeholders in the football clubs… Football clubs are not businesses, they are cultural heritage assets born of and represented by their communities”.
“We urge those parties to continue to work together to progress this legislation and…to listen to the fans as the game’s primary stakeholder, rather than be swayed by out-of-touch figures with vested interests”.
“a good Bill to crack on with”.
“crucially, for the future of football fans. They are the ones we have been thinking about through the whole process.”––[Official Report, Football Governance Public Bill Committee, 23 May 2024; c. 244.]
“They’ll always hit you and hurt you”.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
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