Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has welcomed a Bill that aims to reform football governance in the English football pyramid, by speaking at its Second Reading.
The Football Governance Bill aims to establish an Independent Football Regulator which will ensure the long-term financial sustainability of English football clubs.
Sixty-four football clubs have entered administration since the Premier League was established in 1992, whilst Premier League clubs have reported a loss of £1.23 billion over just the past 12 months.
As a lifelong Portsmouth Football Club fan, Caroline noted, in the House of Commons, Pompey’s plight, when a fan-led buyout rescued them in 2012 from mismanagement by a series of owners.
Caroline has long called for a football regulator through her role as Chair of the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee.
In an oral evidence session held by the Committee in January, Caroline questioned Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters and English Football League Chairman Rick Parry over the bodies’ inability to agree a financial deal for football clubs up and down the pyramid.
Concluding the oral evidence session in January, Caroline said:
“It is clear from all we have heard today that the Football Governance Bill and indeed the independent regulator needs to happen as soon as possible. The Committee has been calling for that for a long time. It is not in the fans’ interest that they have to wait for that to happen before a sustainable deal can come forward from the EFL and the Premier League.”
The Football Governance Bill was introduced to Parliament on 19th March 2024.
Speaking after the Second Reading of the Football Governance Bill, Caroline said:
“The failure of English football’s wealthiest clubs in the Premier League to agree a financial distribution deal is putting the fabric of our national game at risk.
“Meanwhile fans and communities have been devastated by the demise of their beloved clubs due to owners who are prepared to play fast and loose with their finances and their futures.
“As a lifelong Pompey fan, I feel their pain. Unreliable owners who do not have the interest of their clubs or its fans, and who run clubs into the ground, should be held accountable.
“When it comes to football governance, we need a change of tactics. That’s why I welcome the Football Governance Bill and I look forward to seeing it progress through Parliament.”
