Contributions
466 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)I asked Richard Masters that question when he gave evidence to the Committee and he was clear then that it would require two green lights, as he put it: a person has to pass the…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)I echo what my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford said. Part of the problem with the lack of oversight of spending, particularly in the Championship, is that club…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)I want to repeat the point I made on Second Reading about the corporate governance statement, which is part of the licensing condition. I think this is incredibly…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)My hon. Friend makes a very important point. That is exactly correct. I think it is a question of being clear as to what the corporate governance statement should include, either…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)My right hon. Friend makes a good point. The requirements will differ at different levels of the pyramid. It would be wrong for us to require a club in League Two to meet the same…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fifth sitting)My right hon. Friend’s response is helpful. If the Government are not willing to amend the Bill, and do not feel the need to do so, would he consider writing to the Committee,…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)I will be interested in the Minister’s remarks about amendment 1. I understand the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford is making, in seeking to create a…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)I will make a few points on parachute payments. It is fair to say that they are not part of the redistribution mechanism between the Premier League and the Football League. They…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)I agree with the hon. Gentleman. The strength of the pyramid is one of the most important parts of the English game. It is probably the reason why the Premier League is such a…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)One of the reasons why the Bill is important is that the biggest problem in the pyramid at the moment is the financial sustainability of Championship clubs. There are different…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)I will draw my remarks to a conclusion. I appreciate that—the hon. Member for Sheffield South East makes a similar argument—it is not an argument for the abolition of parachute…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Sixth sitting)Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a slight danger, if we go down the path suggested by the amendment, of creating an even bigger gap between the big six and everyone else?…21 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Third sitting)Q You mentioned the requirements for the club licensing conditions in schedule 5. Looking at that schedule, it seems to me that the corporate governance statement that clubs will…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Third sitting)Q The language you quoted from the schedule is largely lifted from the Companies Act 2006. What you set out is what you would expect from any other corporation looking at a…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Third sitting)Q This is principally to Tim Payton because it relates to your written evidence, but if the other witnesses have anything to add I would be happy to hear that. Tim, you…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Third sitting)Q Do you agree that, as Steve Parish said on Tuesday, the clause as drafted puts a far greater onus on the smaller Premier League clubs, for whom the Premier League broadcasting…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fourth sitting)Does my right hon. Friend agree that part of the tension here is that the FA is under pressure from UEFA to free up days in the football calendar? That means it is left in the…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fourth sitting)I am following what the Minister is saying carefully. Does he believe that it would be appropriate for the regulator to require the clubs to engage effectively with their fans, as…16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Fourth sitting)I think my right hon. Friend is right. I would not suggest a prescriptive requirement, but simply a requirement for the club to state its policy.16 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (First sitting)Q I have one other question. One of the biggest concerns for fans is when a club leaves its ground. That can be an extreme case, as in years ago with MK Dons and Wimbledon, which…14 May 2024