MPs and Pompey chief back fan-focused reform bill

Amanda Martin MP for Portsmouth North and a Pompey season ticket holder, co-signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, highlighting the club’s backing for the proposed legislation which passed its second reading in the House of Commons on April 28.

If passed into law, the Football Governance Bill would establish an independent football regulator tasked with overseeing financial sustainability, ownership, and fan engagement across the top five tiers of men’s English football. The regulator would introduce a licensing system for clubs, monitor compliance with financial rules, and work to “safeguard the heritage of English football”.

The bill could also prevent clubs from joining competitions deemed “not fair and meritocratic”, such as the controversial European Super League.

Martin said she was “proud” of the bill and its progress: “We all know that Football would be nothing without its fans, and this strengthened Bill will put them firmly back at the centre of the game. Any Pompey fan knows that for too long, financial instability has meant loyal fans and whole communities have risked losing their cherished clubs because of mismanagement and reckless spending.

“This Bill will tackle rogue owners and directors, implement a club licensing regime to help ensure a more consistent approach in how clubs are run, monitor club finances and improve fan engagement throughout the football pyramid – from the Premier League to the National League. So never again can any Football club be put in a position that our cherished club has been subject to in the past.”

In the letter, the Prime Minister was invited to Fratton Park to demonstrate the “social impact the football club creates throughout the city”.

The protections outlined in the bill reflect recommendations made in the 2021 Fan-Led Review, chaired by Dame Tracey Crouch. Commenting on the bill, she said: “For far too long fans have been at the back of the queue when it comes to their beloved football club. Football means so much to millions of people and I’m grateful the Government is taking action to protect football from the threats of rogue owners and breakaway competitions.”

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has also backed the bill and speaking in the House of Commons, she reminded MPs of the reasons the Regulator was necessary, speaking to her own experience as a Portsmouth fan – who were subject to the biggest fan-led buy out in history after the club went into administration – as well as the context of the European Super League.

She said: “I understand very well what a football club means to a community, a local way of life and the fans, and what they will do to protect it.

“Some irresponsible club owners continue to play fast and loose with club finances and assets. Far too many clubs have been on the brink of collapse, and that is why the regulator must have a role in protecting English football.

“I suggest we take a moment to remind ourselves of the findings of the fan-led review, and of why the idea of a regulator was conceived in the first place.

“It was conceived because self-regulation simply is not working, although it was given many chances over many years. The leagues have not been able to reach a deal on financial distribution themselves.

“We should not forget that, left to their own devices, six greedy clubs planned to break away to form the European super league, risking English football itself.”