It is little over a year since I wrote on these pages about plans to introduce a new Regulator to protect football clubs, their fans and the local communities which they serve.

At the last General Election I stood on a manifesto commitment for a fan-led review of football governance.

The Government accepted the review’s report and in his first State Opening of Parliament as monarch five months ago, King Charles III confirmed that legislation “will be brought forward to safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans.”

In recent weeks the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport formally introduced the Football Governance Bill to Parliament.

No one wants to see the state running the national game and the new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will be established as a standalone body: independent of both the Government and the football authorities.

The Regulator will cover the top five divisions of men’s football in England: this includes Crawley Town and all 116 clubs from the Premier League to the National League.

It will ensure fans have a louder voice, and that their interests are placed front and centre. This will include a greater say for fans in the running of clubs, such as on important issues such as club names, badges and kit colours.

New owners and directors will be subject to enhanced tests to prevent clubs from falling into the wrong hands, with the possibility of being removed and struck off from owning football clubs if they are found to be unsuitable.

Fans will need to be consulted on off-field decisions and owners will be required to have approval prior to relocating a stadium.

These measures follow extensive consultation with fans, clubs and the football authorities. The Regulator will have the power to take action to protect the interests of fans.

It may have been the case that whenever we heard a news report about a football club being endangered by the actions of its owners, we simply hoped that something would turn up and the club would be saved. The situation which faced Bury fans – their club was expelled from the English Football League in 2019 – provided a stark reminder of what can happen to a club which is not run properly.

The Regulator will adopt an advocacy first approach, rather than an overly-interventionist one, and be backed up by powers to investigate suspected non-compliance, compel information and enforce if necessary.

The Regulator will be tasked with three core objectives: to improve financial sustainability of clubs, to ensure financial resilience across the leagues and to safeguard the heritage of English football.

Henry Smith MP