I AM PROUD to represent Redditch, and to have Redditch United as our local club. It is a fantastic benefit to our town as I saw for myself on a recent visit to the TRICO Stadium.
I must congratulate The Reds who beat Evesham United 2-0 on February 20 to reach the Worcestershire Senior Cup final.
I’m sure we can all agree that football is part of our heritage and so I am pleased to see the developments taken by the government to safeguard its future.
The success of English football is an achievement that should rightly be celebrated. Our clubs, across the top divisions, have been great generators of tourism, jobs, and local pride.
The Premier League is often looked at as the international standard for topflight football and attracts more viewers and revenue than any of its rivals.
It demonstrates the best of the UK on the world stage.
We, however, have all seen the litany of issues plaguing the footballing world of late.
Poor governance, lacklustre industry self-regulation and poor incentives have left many clubs endangered, with growing numbers of organisations across the top five tiers at risk of financial failure.
Debt has been growing in all tiers of the sport, with pre-tax losses across the Premier League and Championship totalling nearly £1.1billion in 2020/21 and net debt reaching a combined £5.9billion.
Other challenges have threatened to derail the sport – the efforts to create a breakaway ‘Super League’ tarnished the reputations of, and trust in, many clubs.
It is clear greater protection of the grassroots core of the sport is needed, and following the fan-led review, the government is setting out measures to ensure this.
I fully support the proposals for a new regulator, empowered to safeguard the interests of fans and local football communities.
This regulator will set out, and operate, a licensing system to ensure all clubs operating professionally are licensed, and therefore meeting the relevant requirements for appropriate financial resources, management, conduct and fan engagement.
As part of this system, the regulator will properly scrutinise the ownership, management and wider corporate governance of professional clubs, ensuring any changes to these are in the best interests of the club as a whole.
The regulator will also put fans at the heart of football. This will include implementing minimum standards for fan engagement, reinforced protection of club heritage, and fan consultation and approval for any sales or relocations of the club.
It will also ensure clubs are only able to compete in approved competitions, preventing future ‘super-league’ attempts.
Across the board, these changes will ensure we protect the beautiful game and most importantly the fans, current and future.
