English Football: Financial Sustainability

Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, asked the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, what steps she is taking to support the financial sustainability of English football. In her response, the Secretary of State acknowledged the importance of football as one of the country's greatest exports and a source of joy for people across the nation. She expressed concern that robust protections have not been in place to ensure that every community can share in the sport's success. Nandy paid tribute to the former Sports Minister, Dame Tracey Crouch, for her work leading the fan-led review of football governance, and confirmed the Government's commitment to introducing the football governance Bill shortly. Yuan Yang followed up by associating herself with the tribute to Dame Tracey Crouch and thanking the Secretary of State for her reply. She highlighted the situation of her constituency's club, Reading FC, which has been the victim of financial mismanagement by absent owners. Yang expressed the urgent need for the Government's football governance Bill, which will establish a regulator to safeguard clubs like Reading and prevent future abuses. She requested that the Minister meet with local fans and herself to discuss how to protect the club. In her response, the Secretary of State stated that the Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, would be delighted to meet with Yang and the local fans. Nandy paid tribute to Yang and the three Reading MPs for their work to protect something that is so incredibly important to their town. She acknowledged the devastating impact on generations of fans when a football club is under threat from mismanagement or poor ownership, drawing on her own experience of the work to save Wigan Athletic. Nandy reiterated the Government's commitment to introducing the football governance Bill without further delay and to working with Yang and her colleagues to ensure the strongest possible protections are put in place to put fans back at the heart of the game.