Governing the beautiful game:

This Civitas publication looks at the prospect of regulation within English men’s football, something
that has a large impact on football fans and the local community. Aaryaman Banerji is a sports
researcher at Civitas looking at how we regulate ‘the beautiful game’.
Against the backdrop of football’s growing institutional graveyard, with centuries-old clubs now
condemned to administration or insolvency, Banerji explores the standing of English football and
proposals for a new regulator proposed by the Fan-Led Review led by former sports minister, Tracey
Crouch. The proposed independent football regulator would oversee several key areas of
governance, including financial sustainability and a new test for club owners and directors.
Several Premier League clubs, however, raised concerns about the report’s findings, particular
around the establishment of an independent regulator. This report, therefore, makes an
independent evaluation of the proposals from the Fan Led Review. Whilst viewing the establishment
of a regulator as necessary, it also seeks to review some of the difficult challenges facing the long-
term future of men’s football.
In a climate where football is becoming increasingly monetised and commercialised to the point of
financial peril, as well as wielding greater geopolitical influence, this report looks to analyse how
football clubs in England can remain vital local community assets, as has historically been the case,
whilst having to adapt to a more global ecosystem.​
Banerji looks at the extent to which the current governance structures in English football align with
UK Sport’s Principles of Good Governance and how to bring English football closer to a traditional
model of good governance. The governance of English football is increasingly fractured with Banerji
arguing that any new regulator should be a temporary fix, not an additional power broker in the
game. He argues that the Football Association could reclaim its traditional role governing English
football.