Sara Britcliffe is delighted a new regulator will be introduced as part of a ‘Football Governance Bill’, which has now had its second reading in Parliament.
The Hyndburn and Haslingden MP has been campaigning for more than two years about the ‘financial disparities’ in the football pyramid over the decades.
Sara spoke in Parliament last week, at the second reading of the bill, and talked about how she had been working with officials from Accrington Stanley about issues they face.
Speaking after it was given the green light in Parliament, she said: “Football clubs are part of our heritage and play a big part in our lives offering a release of so many emotions for people up and down the country.
“I am lucky to represent a great club in my constituency – Accrington Stanley. It is run by local people and is at the heart of the community.
“Stanley was one of the 12 founding members of the football league but in 1962 they had to resign from the Football League and went into liquidation in 1966.
“It was not common back then, but we are seeing it happen with many of our clubs going into administration such as Bury FC and we don’t want to lose all those prized home grounds, memories, and great times.
“Since I was elected, I have been chatting to Andy Holt and other officials from Accrington Stanley and I want to thank them for supporting me on this.
“Andy has said that we need to protect clubs lower down the leagues.
“We need not only to give them a level playing field but to provide them with the space to invest in their communities, whether through investment in facilities or working with children and young people.
“We have to be proud of football in England but we have seen issues such as poor governance, lacklustre industry self-regulation and poor incentives leaving some clubs in danger of financial failure.
“Hopefully, this regulator will go some way to improving things.”
The new football regulator will implement a new licensing system to give fans a greater say in the administration of clubs.
Sara believes establishing an independent regulator is ‘long overdue’ as EFL clubs operate on massive losses collectively losing £471m during the 2022-23 season alone.
She added: “We must also address the need for fair distribution of revenues.
“As it stands, the financial gulf between the Premier League and the EFL has become a chasm.
“Reforms in revenue sharing and financial regulations are necessary to prevent smaller clubs from financial catastrophe when they fall from the Premier League or attempt to compete without adequate support.”
