MPs have voted in favor of the Football Governance Bill, backing the creation of an independent football regulator to oversee financial sustainability, protect clubs, and prioritize fans across the English game. The bill marks a seismic shift in how football will be governed, though calls for free-to-air Premier League games and other reforms were denied.
MPs Approve Independent Football Regulator in Historic Premier League Governance Shake-Up
English football is on the verge of its most significant structural reform in decades, as MPs voted to establish an independent football regulator tasked with safeguarding the integrity and future of the men’s game. The Football Governance Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons with an emphatic 415 to 98 majority, signalling broad political consensus across party lines.
The bill, set to become law, introduces a standalone regulator charged with overseeing the financial health of clubs across the top five tiers of English football. Its mandate includes preventing reckless ownership, improving transparency, and putting fans back at the heart of decision-making. Crucially, the regulator will function independently from both Westminster and the Premier League’s power structure.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the move as a long-overdue rebalancing of priorities in a sport where profit has too often trumped principle. “I am proud to be part of the winning team that has put our fans back on the pitch at the heart of the game, where they belong,” she said.
The legislation follows years of discontent from supporters who watched in despair as clubs like Bury, Bolton, Derby, and Wigan teetered or collapsed under mismanagement. Labour revived the bill after the general election, framing it as a promise fulfilled to a footballing public long treated as an afterthought.
Supporters’ groups welcomed the move as transformative. Campaign group Fair Game called it “a historic step forward” and “a victory for fairness, sustainability and the future of football.” For many fans, it marks the first time their concerns have been meaningfully addressed at a legislative level.
Despite the landmark approval, not all proposed reforms made it through.
A Liberal Democrat amendment to make at least 10 Premier League matches free-to-air each season was voted down. Citing falling subscription numbers for Sky Sports and TNT Sports, the party argued that the £660 per year cost to access all games locks ordinary fans out of the sport. Yet Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock rejected the idea, warning that tampering with broadcast rights could harm investment into the game’s grassroots and professional levels.
Campaign group Fair Game hailed the vote as “a historic step forward,” calling it “a victory for fairness, sustainability and the future of football.”
“Of course, we all want more matches to be accessible, but that must be balanced against the need to preserve vital commercial revenue,” Peacock said.
Other proposals failed to gain traction as well. A Conservative-led push to revisit the long-standing ban on alcohol in the stands was dismissed, despite concerns that current rules create congestion in stadium concourses. A Labour plan for a compensation fund for former players suffering from dementia was also turned down, along with suggestions for mandatory transparency over board appointments to the new regulator.
One appointment in particular drew scrutiny. David Kogan, a media executive confirmed as chair of the independent regulator, faced criticism over political donations made to both Lisa Nandy and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Calls for the creation of a political register for appointees were rejected, though opposition MPs expressed concerns about transparency.
Still, the main thrust of the bill remains intact. The independent regulator is now expected to take shape in the coming months, ushering in an era of accountability that many in the game have spent years calling for. Clubs will face stricter checks on ownership models, clearer standards around finances, and more robust measures to prevent the kind of collapses that have rocked local communities.
While debates about broadcast access, alcohol, and transparency will persist, the legislation’s passage represents a defining moment for English football. For too long, the game’s most passionate stakeholders — the fans — have watched as their voices were sidelined. Now, with the foundation laid for systemic change, their concerns may finally take centre stage.
