[LU] Parliamentary Enquiry into Football governance

[Rick Duniec]

The All Party Parliamentary Football Group is to launch a new Inquiry into 
the governance of English Football.

Four years ago, the All Party Parliamentary Football Group published a 
comprehensive report into football and its finances which received 
widespread coverage. The Report, the conclusion of a detailed nine month 
investigation by the APFG, recommended a radical re-distribution of 
football's largesse coupled with tougher corporate governance standards 
throughout the game.

Since then there have undoubtedly been improvements within the game and some 
of the report's recommendations have been taken forward to a 
greater-or-lesser extent. However, it has not all been rosy in the football 
garden. There has been no, or slow, progress on the majority of the Group's 
recommendations. Much of the game's corporate governance structure is 
opaque, to say the least, and does not reflect the best examples of British 
business.

With this mixed track record, the All Party Parliamentary Football Group 
believes it is timely to look again at some of the key issues affecting our 
national game starting with a new look at corporate governance structures.

Alan Keen MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Football Group said:

" English club football is enjoying great success in Europe at the moment. 
Yet many questions remain about the standard of corporate governance and 
whether it is best equipped to deal, at every level, with the long term 
challenges of the game's future. This is the focus of the Group's new 
Inquiry.

"The Group will examine case studies on governance, including Liverpool FC 
where the role of the owners has raised significant public concerns and 
overshadowed achievements on the field.

"It is important to understand that the All Party Parliamentary Football 
Group's intention in initiating this inquiry is not that politicians should 
be involved directly in the governance of football but to provide a platform 
for all those who care about our great game to contribute their views in 
open debate.

"We plan to produce a report in the Autumn based on the input from all 
parties at the Inquiry sessions which we hope will be a constructive way 
forward in dealing with some of these thorny issues."

The Inquiry will cover all aspects of football governance. Anyone wanting to 
prepare a written submission is invited to do so which can be based around 
the following areas:

· The inter-relationship between the Premier League, the Football League and 
the Football Association
· Disparities in the standards of governance between the Leagues
· The representativeness of the Leagues and the FA
· The application of the 'fit and proper person' test
· Dispute resolution between clubs
· The ability of existing governance structures to regulate the increasing 
demands of the game
· The probity of decision-making processes
· The ownership of English football clubs

The Group will invite a limited number of speakers to make presentations to 
the Inquiry. The first two oral evidence sessions will take place in May and 
a later press notice will give details of this and subsequent sessions 
before the publishing of the report into its findings in the autumn.

The following MPs and Peers from the Group will form a panel that will 
consider the submissions and hear presentations from interested parties:

ALAN KEEN MP (Lab) (CHAIR)
JOAN WALLEY MP (Lab)
CHRISTINE RUSSELL MP (Lab)
LORD FAULKNER of WORCESTER (Lab)
MARK FIELD MP (CON)
IAN LUCAS MP (LAB)
BOB RUSSELL MP (LIB DEM)
MARK HENDRICK MP (LAB)
IAN DUNCAN SMITH MP (CON)
CLIVE BETTS MP (LAB)
LORD TAYLOR of WARWICK (CON)
RUSSELL BROWN MP (LAB)
ANDY REED MP (LAB)

It would be helpful if submissions could be received no later than noon on 
Friday 30 May 2008 by e-mail (Word format) followed up by a signed hard copy 
in the post.

The e-mail address is alankeenmp at parliament.uk The postal address is Alan 
Keen MP, Chair, All Party Football Group Inquiry, House of Commons, LONDON 
SW1A OAA

Further information about the Inquiry can be found at 
www.allpartyfootball.com