Contributions
466 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q I wish you well—I think you said the Premier League in three years for Bolton? I think that was the target you set yourself there for people. Sharon Brittan: Please do not quote…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q It is inherent in what you said that the financial sustainability rules in the National League are more effective than those in Leagues One and Two. Steve Thompson: We were the…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q Would you have a problem if it was merely a requirement for clubs? Clubs have certain obligations they are expected to meet by their competition organisers or by the Football…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q Obviously, the principal job of the regulator will be financial sustainability. Briefly, do you think one of the issues that we have is this? We have inherited a structure for…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (First sitting)Q Clubs have to produce a corporate governance report annually as part of their licensing agreement. Do you think there is scope there for the clubs to be required by the…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q Following on from the previous question, I have asked different witnesses about the corporate governance statement that clubs are required to make. I think you touched on that.…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q Tony, do you have anything to add to that? Tony Bloom: Obviously I have had many years in the Championship and League One, and we have had many discussions there. The…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q I suppose ultimately, however it is done, we would want the same standards to apply to everyone. Clubs that have a men’s team and a women’s team should be regulated in the same…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q But the three clubs I mentioned—Brentford, Luton and Ipswich—is it simply about owners putting in enough money to be able to compete, and without it they cannot? Is that really…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q You are saying that they had external investment that helped them to compete? Obviously, Luton has gone from League One to the Premier League, as has Brentford. What is the…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q Would you want some assurance that the job of the regulator in this regard might be to request the information and check up on the clubs, but not to have a role in setting the…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q If we passed an amendment to the Bill that made parachute payments illegal and they were scrapped, how would that affect your preparations for next season? Tony Bloom: I think…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q I was interested in what you said about artificial pitches, Mr Thompson, because in my constituency I have Folkestone Invicta, in the Isthmian League. From what I can see, the…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q One of the comments on the Football Bill is that it does not particularly mention players, and that the scope of the regulator is purely financial and about financial…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q I want to ask Steve Parish first, and then I would welcome your comments, Tony. Steve, you referred to the danger of domination by the big clubs—I think you rightly alluded to…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (First sitting)Q How would you respond if you were overruled? What would be the effect if the regulator took a different view from you? Richard Masters: Maybe a bit like “The X Factor”, you need…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q That was perhaps not the best use of words. I meant if information was brought to the regulator, or if it had reasonable grounds to be concerned; its primary job would not be to…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (Second sitting)Q One final question. The commercial development of women’s football seems to be on an exciting path of growth. Where you have Premier League clubs that have men’s and women’s…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (First sitting)Q It would seem that there is a real role for the regulator here, because the regulator could make this a lot simpler by saying, “You demonstrate the proof of funds and where…14 May 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill (First sitting)Q Richard Masters, at the beginning you raised some concerns about the checks on new owners. You said you wanted a process that was governed by objectivity and certainty—I think…14 May 2024