Introduce an Independent Regulator for Football in England by December 2021
This petition gathered 142,931 signatures between 13 May 2021 and 13 November 2021, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 7 June 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 14 June 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Introduce an Independent Regulator for Football in England by December 2021
The Government should use the recently established fan led review of football to introduce an Independent Football Regulator in England to put fans back at the heart of our national game. This should happen by December 2021.
1. Like a referee, an independent regulator would safeguard our beautiful game impartially. This doesn’t currently exist.
2. An Independent Regulator could protect the game against another attempt at a super league or other efforts to put money ahead of fans.
3. Water companies, energy providers and the media all have an independent regulator. Football matters to millions and should also have a regulator of its own.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 7 June 2021. Its summary:
Football clubs are the heart of local communities and have a unique social value, which is why we are proceeding with our commitment to undertake a wide ranging, fan led review of football governance.
The response in full:
As announced in the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Oral Statement on 19 April, Tracey Crouch MP is chairing a fan-led review of governance. She will engage extensively with fans to ensure their experiences are at the centre of the review. Fans are the lifeblood of the sport, and the Government is committed to ensuring that their views are at the heart of the review.
The Government has published the Terms of Reference and the members of the advisory panel, including representatives of fans, the women’s game, and non-league.
The first meeting of the advisory panel has been held, and fan engagement meetings with the Chair and panel are underway. The Government has announced that there will be an interim report from the review before the summer and a full report in the autumn.
The review will be a comprehensive examination of the English football system looking at issues of ownership, governance and funding through the football pyramid. This will include assessing calls for the creation of a single, independent football regulator to oversee the sport’s regulations and compliance, and its relationship with the regulatory powers of The Football Association and other football bodies.
It would not be right to pre-judge the recommendations of the review but the Government looks forward to receiving its report later in the year and acting on its recommendations accordingly.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,888, came from Stretford and Urmston.
139,040 of the signatures were from the UK and 3,891 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Stretford and Urmston | 1,888 |
| Manchester Central | 714 |
| Salford and Eccles | 663 |
| Manchester, Withington | 648 |
| Altrincham and Sale West | 578 |
| Warrington South | 515 |
| Wythenshawe and Sale East | 511 |
| Cheadle | 510 |
| Bury South | 502 |
| Worsley and Eccles South | 483 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 25,748 |
| South East | 17,838 |
| London | 16,662 |
| East of England | 11,727 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 11,525 |
| West Midlands | 10,820 |
| South West | 9,861 |
| East Midlands | 9,624 |
| North East | 6,496 |
| Wales | 5,337 |
| Scotland | 4,337 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,236 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 14 June 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/584632.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
10d1890464a15ab2… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.