Football Governance Inquiry
Encyclopedia
The Football Governance Inquiry is an ongoing British public inquiry into the governance of football in the United Kingdom
. The inquiry was announced on 7 December 2010.
John Whittingdale, the Committee Chair said: “The Government has said that it will encourage the reform of football governance rules to support the co-operative ownership of football clubs by supporters, and there is widespread concern that the current governance arrangements are not fit-for-purpose.”
's ownership of Manchester City F.C.
, leveraged buyouts by Tom Hicks
and George Gillett at Liverpool F.C.
and Malcolm Glazer
at Manchester United, Portsmouth F.C.
's administration and four successive ownerships within the space of 12 months, public in-fighting within The Football Association
, England's unsuccessful multi-million pound bid for the 2018 World Cup, record high amount of money being paid to sports agent
s and record numbers of clubs entering administration, there was scope to see what could be done to improve Governance of football in United Kingdom
.
's Sports Editor David Bond criticised the scope of the inquiry as being "too broad to deliver anything worthwhile".
The Government published a 447 page document containing written information from members of the public, football supporters' trusts, universities and football clubs notably Chester F.C. and Scarborough Athletic F.C.
On 8 February 2011, the Committee held the first evidence session for its inquiry into football governance took place at Portcullis House
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The inquiry was announced on 7 December 2010.
John Whittingdale, the Committee Chair said: “The Government has said that it will encourage the reform of football governance rules to support the co-operative ownership of football clubs by supporters, and there is widespread concern that the current governance arrangements are not fit-for-purpose.”
Committee members
The committee of inquiry, the members comprises:| Member | Party | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Whittingdale John Whittingdale John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale OBE, , is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1992.-Education:... MP (Chair) |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Maldon Maldon (UK Parliament constituency) Maldon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
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| Louise Bagshawe MP | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Corby Corby (UK Parliament constituency) Corby is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system, and is currently a marginal seat between Labour and the Conservatives.... |
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| David Cairns David Cairns (politician) John David Cairns was a Scottish Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 2001 until his death. He represented the constituency of Inverclyde. He was the Minister of State at the Scotland Office until he resigned on 16 September 2008... MP |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
Inverclyde Inverclyde (UK Parliament constituency) Inverclyde is a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced Greenock and Inverclyde and the Port Glasgow and Kilmacolm areas from West Renfrewshire for the 2005 general election.... |
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| Therese Coffey Therese Coffey Therese Anne Coffey, Ph.D, is an English Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament for the Suffolk Coastal constituency, having won the seat at the general election in May 2010.-Early life and career:... MP |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency) Suffolk Coastal is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983.... |
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| Damian Collins Damian Collins Damian Noel Thomas Collins is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe in the 2010 general election.-Education:... MP |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Folkestone and Hythe | ||
| Philip Davies Philip Davies Philip Andrew Davies is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Shipley in West Yorkshire.-Early life:... MP |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Shipley Shipley (UK Parliament constituency) -Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1910s:... |
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| Paul Farrelly Paul Farrelly Christopher Paul Farrelly is a British Labour Party politician and journalist, who has been the Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme since 2001.-Early life:... MP |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency) Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :... |
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| Alan Keen Alan Keen David Alan Keen was a British Labour Co-operative politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston from 1992 until his death.-Early life:... MP |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... Co-op |
Feltham and Heston | ||
| Adrian Sanders Adrian Sanders Adrian Mark Sanders is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon.-Personal life:... MP |
Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
Torbay Torbay (UK Parliament constituency) -Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Notes and references:... |
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| Jim Sheridan MP | Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
Paisley and Renfrewshire North Paisley and Renfrewshire North (UK Parliament constituency) Paisley and Renfrewshire North is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election, replacing most of Paisley North and Renfrewshire West.... |
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| Tom Watson Tom Watson (politician) Thomas Anthony Watson is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East since 2001. Watson was a Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2009... MP |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
West Bromwich East | ||
Background
After several high-profile controversial events in football including but not limited to Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
's ownership of Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, leveraged buyouts by Tom Hicks
Tom Hicks
Thomas Ollis Hicks, Sr. , is an American 'leveraged buyout' businessman living in Dallas, Texas. Despite Forbes Magazine estimating Hicks' wealth at USD 1 billion in 2009, Hicks was unable to pay off joint loans of circa £200 million the following year...
and George Gillett at Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Irving Glazer is an American businessman and sports team owner. He is the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, most notably in the food processing industry...
at Manchester United, Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
's administration and four successive ownerships within the space of 12 months, public in-fighting within The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, England's unsuccessful multi-million pound bid for the 2018 World Cup, record high amount of money being paid to sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
s and record numbers of clubs entering administration, there was scope to see what could be done to improve Governance of football in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Criticism
BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Sports Editor David Bond criticised the scope of the inquiry as being "too broad to deliver anything worthwhile".
The inquiry
Members of the public were asked to submit written evidence for the inquiry, the following questions were asked:- Should football clubs in the UK be treated differently from other commercial organisations?
- Are football governance rules in England and Wales, and the governing bodies which set and apply them, fit for purpose?
- Is there too much debt in the professional game?
- What are the pros and cons of the Supporter Trust share-holding model?
- Is Government intervention justified and, if so, what form should it take?
- Are there lessons to be learned from football governance models across the UK and abroad, and from governance models in other sports?
The Government published a 447 page document containing written information from members of the public, football supporters' trusts, universities and football clubs notably Chester F.C. and Scarborough Athletic F.C.
Scarborough Athletic F.C.
Scarborough Athletic Football Club are an English football club formed on 25 June 2007 following the winding up of Scarborough. Although they bear the name of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, they ground-share with Bridlington Town...
On 8 February 2011, the Committee held the first evidence session for its inquiry into football governance took place at Portcullis House
Portcullis House
Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings....
.
Witnesses
| Date | Witness(es) | Location | Available online |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 February 2011 |
|
Portcullis House Portcullis House Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings.... |
Video stream |
| 15 February 2011 |
Gordon Taylor Gordon Edward Taylor was a Canadian politician, businessman and teacher.-Provincial political career:He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1940 provincial election representing Drumheller for Social Credit and continued to sit in the legislature for 39 years... OBE, Chief Executive, The PFA |
Portcullis House Portcullis House Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings.... |
Video stream |
| 8 March 2011 |
David Gill (executive) David Alan Gill is British football executive, currently Chief Executive of Manchester United F.C. and a board member of the Football Association... , Chief Executive, Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... Peter Coates Peter Coates is a businessman and current owner of the Stoke City Football Club. He has been listed as the 25th richest person in British football. He founded Bet365 in 2000, as well as Signal Radio in 1983.... , Chairman, Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... Niall Quinn Niall John Quinn honorary MBE is a former Irish international footballer, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing... MBE, Chairman, Sunderland Henry McLeish Henry Baird McLeish is a Scottish Labour Party politician, author and academic. Formerly a professional association football player, McLeish was the Member of Parliament for Central Fife from 1987 to 2001 and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Fife from 1999 to 2003, during which... |
Palace of Westminster Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons... |
Video stream |
| 15 March 2011 |
Barry Kilby Barry Kilby is an English businessman, the chairman of Burnley Football Club.-Career:Kilby founded and built Europrint Group, the largest supplier of media games in the world... , Chairman, Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... John Bowler (chairman) John Bowler is the current chairman of Crewe Alexandra Football Club, who currently play in the fourth tier of the English league.... , Chairman, Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... Dave Boyle Dave Boyle is an American Director, Writer and Actor. He has Wrote and Directed the films Big Dreams Little Tokyo , which premiered at the AFI Festival in Hollywood, California, and which he stars in as the character "Boyd", White on Rice , Dave Boyle is an American Director, Writer and Actor. He... , Chief Executive, Supporters Direct Supporters Direct Supporters Direct are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the United Kingdom government to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure a greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within football's governing structures... Malcolm Clarke Malcolm Clarke was a British composer, and a member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for 25 years from 1969 to 1994.Clarke proved somewhat controversial when he joined the workshop, due to his views that Radiophonic music should be, in his words, "fine art," a philosophy that was not shared by... , Chair, Football Supporters Federation |
Turf Moor Turf Moor Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of... Stadium |
|
| 22 March 2011 |
Ian Watmore Ian Watmore , is an English accountant and current civil servant.Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was schooled at Trinity School, Croydon and then graduated with a degree in mathematics and management studies from Trinity College, Cambridge... , former Chief Executive, Football Association League Managers Association The League Managers Association is the organisation which collectively represents all Premiership and Football League managers in English football... |
Portcullis House Portcullis House Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings.... |
Video stream |
| 29 March 2011 |
David Bernstein (executive) David Bernstein is a British business executive who was the former chairman of French Connection.A chartered accountant by trade, Bernstein has also been involved in the footballing world and was the chairman of Manchester City Football Club from 1998 to 2003, a period of revival and stability in... , Chairman, Football Association Alex Horne Alex Horne is a British comedian.He was educated at Lancing College and the University of Cambridge, where he was a member of Footlights.-Career:... , General Secretary, Football Association Stewart Regan Stewart Regan is the current Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association. He was appointed to the position on 28 July 2010, replacing Gordon Smith.... , Chief Executive, Scottish Football Association Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations... |
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007... |
Video stream |
| 5 April 2011 |
Dave Richards Sir Dave Richards is the chairman of the FA Premier League, member of the Football Association 's Board, chairman of the FA's international committee, president of the European Professional Football Leagues organisation, chairman of UEFA's Professional Football Committee and former chairman of... , Chairman, Premier League Richard Scudamore Richard Scudamore is currently Chief Executive of the F.A. Premier League, a position he has held since November 1999.-Biography:Scudamore attended Kingsfield School in Kingswood, Bristol, where he was Head Boy in his final year and which he left in 1977. He studied law at the University of... , Chief Executive, Premier League; |
Palace of Westminster Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons... |
Video stream |
| 26 April 2011 |
William Gaillard William Gaillard is the director of communications and Public Affairs for Union of European Football Associations . He is also the Senior Advisor to the President of UEFA Michel Platini.... , adviser to the President, UEFA |
Palace of Westminster Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons... |
Video stream |
| 10 May 2011 |
2018 FIFA World Cup The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was... bid |
Palace of Westminster Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons... |
Video stream |
External links
- Football Governance Inquiry at www.parliament.uk