Football Governance Bill Introduced

March 28, 2024

On Tuesday 19th March The Government introduced the Football Governance Bill to parliament and it has been well publicized in the press.

 

The reason why campaigners and football needs this Bill is because we know that Football cannot regulate itself.

 

The Premier League was created with the help of TV money when 20 League clubs resigned from the Football League to sign up for it in May 1992. Since then, the financial chasm between the richest clubs and those at National League level further down the pyramid has widened. The enormous disparity between the wealthiest and the less well-off mirrors the increasing inequality within society as a whole.

 

The scale of the PL’s bigger and bigger national and international global TV rights packages has piled pressure on all the clubs beneath the PL. Club owners have been tempted to overspend in order to compete, to turn to crooked behaviour, to profiteer for themselves or to gamble too much on club success. We know that this has caused many clubs to go out of business, or to be in danger of going out of business.

 

It is this continuing financial danger faced by smaller clubs in the EFL that has created the perceived need and the political pressure to introduce legislation that will protect football clubs and help to sustain their identities and the communities they serve.

 

Fan-led Review

The fan-led review, conducted by Tracey Crouch MP, consulted with supporters group through the Football Supporters Association {FSA) and she concluded her Football Governance Report in November 2021.

 

It was the storm created domestically by the threat of the European Super League, with the PL’s big six announcing their intention to break way in April 2021, that finally pushed the government into action.

 

The central proposal of the fan-led review was to introduce statutory independent regulation of the game, and now it is here, in the form of the Independent Regulator for Football (IREF).

 

As well as blocking clubs from joining a breakaway league the regulator provides an opportunity to stop clubs being run into the ground, it protects the heritage of clubs and give supporters a much bigger voice in the running of the game.

 

The FSA’s response

Kevin Miles, CEO of the FSA, the organization to which we are affiliated, says, “The FSA warmly welcomes the tabling – at last! – of the Football Governance Bill arising from the 2021 Fan Led Review, and particularly its central proposal to introduce statutory independent regulation of the game.

 

“The regulator must be given the power to impose a financial settlement in the interests of the sustainability of the game as a whole; it’s far too important to be left to the squabbling between the vested interests of the richest club owners.” His full quote can be found here.

 

The EFL Statement is certainly more favourable to the introduction to the bill, compared to the PL’s more apprehensive response.

 

Below are some of the FSA’s key recommendations that went to the Fan-led Review:

  • To ensure financial sustainability of the professional game, IREF should oversee financial regulation in football which should be based upon prudential regulation in other industries recognising that football is obviously sport but also now big business.
  • New owners’ and directors’ tests for clubs should be established by IREF replacing the three existing tests to ensure that only good custodians and qualified directors can run these vitally important community and cultural assets.
  • There should be a new corporate governance code to support a long-term sustainable future of the game. This should be mandatory for all professional clubs with common requirements tailored to different leagues.
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) plans should be mandatory for all clubs with EDI action plans regularly assessed by IREF.
  • As every club’s most important stakeholder, supporters, should be properly consulted by their clubs in taking key decisions by means of a shadow board. Effective supporter engagement should be a licence condition and overseen by IREF.
  • There should be additional protection for key elements of club heritage through a “golden share” requiring supporter consent and overseen by IREF.

 

How could the Football Governance Bill help Bradford City?

Ownership - there should be regular owner’ and directors ‘ tests as well as for new owners overseen by an independent regulator.

 

Fan engagement – The Government report, ‘A Sustainable Future –Reforming Football Club Governance’, February 2023, recommends that Supporters / Shadow Boards, ‘should at least include a club’s Supporters’ Trust and adequate representation for the women’s team if the club has one affiliated’, as well as other representative groups of fans.

 

The ‘Golden Share’ - should be held by a Community Benefit Society (CBS) such as a Supporters Trust which would act as extra protection on ‘heritage’ issues such as:

 

The sale of a Club stadium; The re-location of a Club; The Club joining a new competition; Club badge; Club home colours; Club name.

 

Any changes to the above would require consent of Trust members. The Government doesn’t object to Clubs using the Golden Share model but prefers giving the independent regulator further powers to protect these heritage issues.

 

Greater financial distribution of wealth

Key to the whole desire to protect and sustain the game is seeing a greater redistribution of wealth from the top of the English football pyramid to the bottom. The Premier League cannot agree among its member clubs how an overall sum of around £900m over 6 years, partly tied to future TV revenues, would be paid. It should be those clubs with the biggest profits who can afford to pay more that should fund most of it.

 

The football governance bill is supposed to include new backstop powers around financial distributions between the Premier League and the EFL, so that if the two parties continue to fail to agree on a 'new deal', the regulator can ensure a settlement is reached.

 

Concluding remarks

The Bill has not been debated in parliament so it is not yet enacted, but eventually when it becomes law, football governance's big moving feast will no doubt need constant tweaks to tighten up the many moving regulatory parts, and to beef up the powers of the independent regulator.

 

The debate and pressure from below – from the fans in particular, will continue to attract public attention if clubs continue to slide into financial trouble, continue to get points deducted or cease to exist after this legislation is passed. The campaigning work of supporters certainly doesn’t rest once the Bill gets over the line.

Total Amount Raised from Bucket Collection

May 23, 2025
On the 23 rd May the Club announced the total amount raised from the bucket collection before the last game of the season on the 3 rd May. Supporters donated an amazing £7,387.70 during the matchday bucket collection – almost double last year’s total – where volunteers gave up their time to help raise funds around Valley Parade ahead of the game against Fleetwood .  Those volunteers were you, who did an absolutely fantastic job! There were approximately 15 or so volunteers, mostly Trust members, but also from the Disability Club and Shipley Bantams. It is something that has been traditionally been done every year since the fateful tragedy and should be continued as a way of paying our respects to those who we should always remember. A phenomenal £18,580.74 has been raised for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) since our game against Fleetwood Town. For more of a breakdown of what was raised when, please see the Club article here. The Trust would like to give a special thank you to all involved in the collection .

Fans Forum

May 22, 2025
There will be a Fans Forum at the Club on Wednesday 11 th June, where fans can ask questions to Chairman, Stefan Rupp, CEO, Ryan Sparks, First Team Manager, Graham Alexander, Head of Recruitment, Stephan Gent and Head of Football Operations, David Sharpe. The event is free but there is limited capacity of 450, and tickets will be available on a first come first served basis to fans that already have next seasons’ season tickets. It will be in the McCall and Hendrie suites, starting at 7pm. For more details and tickets here . Book early to avoid disappointment.

Your Stories from Valley Parade Community Event June 22nd

May 22, 2025
Bantams Supporters Trust have been supporting a community project led by Chris Gaffney, a professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford, with his team at the University of Bradford, by promoting a survey , City supporters have been asked to fill in that asks you about your best memories of being a City fan when you have been at Valley Parade. Your stories will come to life by local artists and shown through the University's immersive technology at an event at City on Sunday 22 nd June, from 10am till 2pm. “Using their technology and your stories, they will be making the unimaginable imaginable. Enter the immersive igloo, explore the digital copy of the University of Bradford Stadium and watch as supporters’ stories are brought to life by artists from across the city.” The survey is still live so if you haven’t taken part yet, now is your chance. Find out more about the day’s event and to register here .

Share Your Stories from Valley Parade for Virtual Reality (VR) Project

May 13, 2025
Were you at Valley Parade on the 3 rd May 2025 to witness incredible scenes of joy as Bradford City clinched automatic promotion in the 96 th minute? Was this your best and most memorable experience ever? We, as Bradford City fans are being asked to participate in telling our stories of being at Valley Parade by answering online survey questions about your experiences of Supporting City at Valley Parade. You can choose which questions you want to answer and your stories / memories can be told anonymously. The questions include sharing memories of their first Bantams match, most memorable game, how they started supporting the club, family members’ memories of following the Bantams, where they sit at the University of Bradford Stadium and what it means to be a Bradford City supporter. The stories will be shared with artists who will turn them into different art forms e.g. paintings, film, poetry. The different artists interpretations of the stories will be embedded into a digital copy of the stadium that Chris Gaffney, (Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford) and his team are creating, and people will be able to explore using VR. There is an intention to embed the stories in the physical stadium that people will be able to access using a QR code when attending matches. They will be revealed during the Bradford 2025 City of Culture celebrations. The stories may also feature in a book being written to tell people about the different innovations that have been created by the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit as a result of fans donations. Any profits from the book will be go towards the future research of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit. For further reading please go to the University of Bradford’s press release about the project. 

Voice of the Fans Exhibition

May 13, 2025
A new exhibition looking at fanzine culture in English football from the British Library and the Leeds Library service opened just recently on Friday 9 th May and runs until Sunday 10th August. The “Voice of the Fans” exhibition examines the world of long-standing – and some FSA award-winning – fanzines such our own City Gent, the Square Ball ran by supporters east of Pudsey, national indie title When Saturday Comes, and much more. Charting the rise of “fan self-publishing” from the 1960s into today’s digital-era, Voice of the Fans explores more than 60 years of fan-made media, with highlights from the collections of the British Library and Leeds Libraries – a period that has defined the beautiful game. Born out of the DIY ethos of the music and punk scenes, the raw creativity of football zines remains inspiring and relevant in today’s global game. The exhibition showcases fan-driven creativity from the UK and Ireland, and features some of the longest running and most influential football zines, alongside stories of well-known names who started their careers writing for these grassroots publications. 14 th June Show Our very own City Gent Editor, Mike Harrison will be among other writers and editors including Daniel Chapman of Leedsista and formerly The Square Ball, Felicia Pennant from SEASON Zine and Zoë Hitchen from Girlfans who will be discussing fan-driven publishing in the present moment, including its role in the wider media landscape, what it offers audiences, why it’s important and how it has endured despite changes in the globalised game. The discussion will be chaired by Ffion Thomas, Deputy Editor of When Saturday Comes and co-editor of Along Come Norwich zine. See more about this event here . This is part of the ‘Voice of the Fans’ Exhibition. The exhibition is free to all members of the public and there is no need to book in advance. “Voice of the Fans” will run at Leeds Central Library, Municipal Buildings, Calverley Street Leeds, LS1 3AB.

The Trust Always Remembers

May 9, 2025
Remembering the 54 Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln City supporters who went to watch a game of football but never returned home. We stand with everyone at the Memorial Service in Centenary Square and those that join us from all parts of the UK and the world to mark the 40th anniversary of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster.

Memorial Service on May 11

May 8, 2025
This Sunday, the annual memorial service will take place at the Bradford City Fire Disaster sculpture, in Centenary Square from 11am, marking 40 years of the anniversary. The service, jointly organized by Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Bradford City will be attended by relatives and friends of the 56 people who lost their lives and were affected in 1985, as well as Club and Council officials and members of the public. The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Beverley Mullaney, will host a Civic Party from Lincoln who will also attend the service together, with City’s men’s first team players and staff in attendance alongside representatives from the Club, and from Lincoln City. The disaster claimed the lives of 54 Bradford City supporters and two travelling Lincoln supporters, injuring hundreds more, in one of the world’s most devastating sporting tragedies. Bantams Supporters Trust representatives will be laying a wreath on behalf of the Trust.

How we remember the events of 40 years ago

May 6, 2025
An article written four years ago, aimed at perhaps a younger audience of football fans, who may not be aware of the terrible tragedy witnessed at Valley Parade 40 years ago now, is a valuable educational resource. Written by Simon Lloyd of the online magazine www.joe.co.uk , he interviews Mohammed Ibrahim, who recalls his experience of the events of May 11 th , 1985. Simon Lloyd also interviews the Chair of Bantams Supporters Trust, Manny Dominguez how he remembers it too. The article features a short documentary called ‘Unheard Voices’, which is a series of interviews with Humayun Islam from Bangla Bantams, and others, predominantly from the Bangladeshi community who live in the locality around Valley Parade and how they remember too. You can see the article here .

The winner of the Young Player of the Year is...

May 1, 2025
We would like to thank all of you who voted for the Supporters Trusts’ Young Player of the Year 2024/25. They say that football is a game of two halves, and it is, but it needs to be said that our whole season has almost been like a season of two different ones. It was really our home record, a succession of 10 back-to-back home wins that began just before Christmas that propelled the Bantams into the position we are in today. And the future of where we are next season is still to be determined at the last match of what feels like a very long exhilarating rollercoaster ride for the long suffering fans. This season there has been a real team effort on the pitch, a team that has grown in confidence over the course of the season. Congratulations goes to the gaffer, Graham Alexander who picked up the EFL Manager of League Two, while the skipper, Ritchie Smallwood was named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season at the recent EFL awards. And well done to Ritchie Smallwood who picked up the Player of the Year Award from the Club’s main sponsor, JCT600, and most the supporters travel clubs, and from the team itself. Young Player of the Year The winner of the Trust’s Young Player of the Year is of course, Bobby Pointon! He was voted as Trust members’ Young Player of the Year for the second time running! We would also like to give a special thanks to Tony Deacon, who gave Bobby the award. Once again, a big thank you to all of you for taking part. You know who you are and we very much appreciate your involvement in this event and making it a success.

FSA Annual General Meeting Invite 2025

April 29, 2025
The role of supporters in our game is growing ever larger, and it is important that as many fans as possible get involved in fan-related activity both at a local and a national level. From ticket pricing to VAR, governance to broadcasting and fixture scheduling, there are issues in our game that need supporter input. It’s vital. If you have a keen interest in these areas, this is the perfect event to attend. The Trust are affiliate members of the Football Supporters’ Association, and therefore we would like to extend our invite to their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Manchester on Saturday June 14th. The FSA will be welcoming Martyn Henderson, the interim chief operating officer for the incoming independent football regulator (IREF), to discuss his work in building the organisation before the Football Governance Bill achieves royal assent later this year. The FSA will have representatives of PGMOL (Referee officials body) in attendance, as well as an opportunity to have a go at the VAR systems currently in place in the Premier League. As well as that, there will be workshops for members throughout the day on the following topics: Ticketing Supporter engagement Broadcasting/3pm blackout Fans for Diversity Women’s Voice in the Men’s Game Young supporters Governance and Finance in the Women’s game Football and the climate crisis The AGM will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University on Saturday 14 th June, starting at 10:00 am, finishing up at 5:00pm. You can register for the AGM here . More information can be found here .
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