Football Governance White Paper

Katherine Fletcher Excerpts

Thursday 23rd February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I assure the hon. Lady that for me grassroots football and grassroots sports are really important. It is a force for good in so many ways. It is important in increasing people’s activity levels, it is good for their mental health and it has so many other benefits. That is why we have already committed nearly £300 million for the provision of grassroots sports facilities. We will continue to work with the Premier League, the EFL and others across sport to encourage more investment in grassroots facilities, because we recognise the huge benefits that brings to the population as a whole.

[Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble) (Con)]

Fans in South Ribble of proper football clubs such as Manchester United—I am aware that there may be others—were deeply worried about the European super league and will hugely welcome the regulatory proposals to prevent a travesty such as that happening in future. So I thank the Government, but I note that this is covering only the men’s game at the moment. We have LetGirlsPlay Day coming up on 8 March, when junior schools such as St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School in Penwortham and St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School in Leyland will be encouraging women and girls to get involved. What does this review have to say to women’s football, in order to both increase ground-level participation and ensure that investment is going into the ever-expanding women’s professional game?

[Stuart Andrew]

My hon. Friend is right to raise that important issue, which was of course an important area of work within the review. I am pleased to say that we have set up an independent review of women’s football. We can all celebrate the wonderful expansion in the popularity of women’s football that we have seen since the Lionesses’ tremendous success. I have been meeting colleagues within the Department for Education to talk about the provision of sport for women and girls, because we recognise that that is an important area of work. I am looking forward to that review concluding and providing its report. Obviously, we will give our comments on it once it is published.