EFL chairman Rick Parry is optimistic that the introduction of the Football Governance Bill in Parliament can be an ‘important milestone’ in shaping the game’s future in this country.
The bill was launched on Tuesday and must go through parliamentary process before it is made law.
The government announced plans to appoint a regulator in February last year, following a fan-led review in 2021.
Legislation would grant powers to a body, independent of government and football authorities, to oversee clubs in England’s top five men’s tiers.
The regulator would have powers revolving around three core objectives: improving financial sustainability of clubs, ensuring financial resilience across the leagues and safeguarding English football’s heritage.
The bill includes backstop powers around financial distribution between the Premier League and the EFL, so that if the parties continue to fail to agree on a ‘new deal’, the regulator can ensure a settlement is reached.
The Premier League had been expected to come up with proposals to put to the EFL almost two weeks ago – anticipated to be around £900m over six years – but nothing was forthcoming, adding to EFL frustration.
Parry, below, said: “The EFL welcomes today’s arrival of the Football Governance Bill to Parliament in what we hope will be an important milestone to help us secure the long-term financial sustainability of England’s football pyramid.
Broken
“If delivered on the right terms, this landmark legislation can help fix the game’s broken financial model by offering the independent input ultimately needed to help ensure that all clubs can survive and thrive in a fair and competitive environment.
“The establishment of the Independent Football lator will be at the heart Reguof this reform, and we are encouraged that the regulator will be given backstop powers to liver financial redisdetributions should the game be unable to agree a deal itself.
“In recent years, we have been working with Government and across parliament on a cross-party basis. It is clear there is an appreciation of just how important professional clubs are to their communities and why they must be protected.”
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association, also backed the plans.
“The FSA warmly welcomes the tabling 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,” he said.
