Football Governance Bill [Lords]

Tom Morrison Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 28th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Tom Morrison (Cheadle) (LD)]

I want to start by congratulating Cheadle Town Stingers, which yesterday confirmed its second place in the women’s national league division one north, just missing out on promotion by goal difference in what was their first season in the national league. I hope the House will share my congratulations to manager Dylan Wimbury and the whole team for this fantastic campaign. I have every confidence that the team will go one better next season.

Football has been a key part of my life since I can remember. When I was a youngster of about seven, I remember scoffing down my Sunday lunch so I could rush in front of the TV and watch my heroes, John Barnes and Ian Rush, put every team they played to the sword. I was a seven-year-old glory hunter, transfixed by the way Liverpool would seem effortlessly to breeze past teams. The iconic red kit became my uniform whenever I played in the park with my friends.

I can still remember my first game. I remember the long walk up what seemed like an endless mountain of steps to then come in full view of that bright green carpet, surrounded by a sea of scarves, banners and flags, and the players. My heroes were warming up on the pitch. I can still remember how it made me feel. It felt like falling in love for the very first time, because football has that power. It can bring people together in a way that only a few cultural spectacles can. Whether it is a few hundred people watching a non-league club in Greater Manchester or 90,000 people watching the FA cup final in Wembley, for 90 minutes football encourages us to dream together.

[Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) (Lab)]

I am interested in the community involvement aspect. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Mental health among men particularly is at a crisis point; in fact, suicide is a leading cause of death under 50. Will the hon. Member commend my club, Forest Green Rovers, which is trying to re-enter the English Football League, for developing a scheme of “football on prescription”, which refers men to football so that they can feel better and more socially included?

[Mr Morrison]

That is absolutely fantastic work. Football creates togetherness and is incredibly important for our communities. That is why the Football Governance Bill is so important. For too many years, we have seen our game threatened by a variety of actors, be it poor owners, the creation of super leagues or the ever-increasing prices of matchday, which mean that only a smaller and smaller group of people can experience the game. The aims of the Bill to fix that are highly commendable, and I fully support them.

[Clive Jones]

Terms for the sale of Reading football club have been agreed, but we are currently waiting for Dai Yongge’s signature for a deal to go through. Sadly, we have been here before. His ownership has been a Shakespearean tragedy. He has attempted to asset-strip the club, bleeding it dry and holding it back from success. Does my hon. Friend agree that Dai must sell and allow Reading football club to enter a new era?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Before the hon. Member for Cheadle responds, let me say that if interventions are long, even fewer colleagues will be able to get in. Interventions should be short. They should not be speeches.

[Mr Morrison]

I thank my hon. Friend for making that point, which is absolutely key. We have a history in this country of poor owners taking our clubs for granted, and it is the fans who pay.

There are things in the Bill that I would like us to consider further. I would like to see more detail and focus on how football governance can support the wider football pyramid outside the football leagues. I mentioned Cheadle Town Stingers at the beginning of my comments. Cheadle Town is a wonderful example of a community-run football club that champions excellence, not only on the field but off it. The club sits in the heart of Cheadle and plays an active role in its community, providing support for local food banks and coaching for local schools. It is also, in my view, an exemplar of how both the men’s and women’s game should be championed in this country. There is a true “one club” mentality in Cheadle Town, where the successes of both teams are worked for and celebrated equally, exactly as they should be. This is a true community club, and everything that the Football Governance Bill needs to protect.

The campaign organisation Fair Game puts it best:

“Addressing the deeply flawed financial flow in the game could see extra money flooding into the towns and cities that have lower league football clubs.”

We all know that the Premier League receives the lion’s share of the market revenue. In 2023, just 25 clubs received a massive 92% of the revenues across the English game, while the other 67 clubs in the football leagues received just 8%. This disparity is completely eye-watering, but it does not even begin to take into account the clubs further below. These are the clubs that are at real risk. They have to fundraise and save to make sure they can put the floodlights on. Many non-league clubs are now struggling with the rise in energy prices, which have quadrupled in the last few years, while others have had to sparingly cut the grass on their pitches to save further costs. Facilities are also a key issue. Across Cheadle, there are just three full-sized 3G pitches, which are shared between 40 different teams, while of the 18 grass pitches in Stockport, five have no changing facilities at all, which has a disproportionate impact on women’s teams and disability teams.

The issues in our game are not just impacting the premier and football leagues; they are having a massive and sometimes fatal impact on our grassroots game. Although the Football Governance Bill starts to mitigate these issues, it does very little to encourage clubs, particularly the larger premier league clubs, to support the very lower tiers of the football pyramid. I would like to see that changed as the Bill progresses and more thought given to how our grassroots game can be supported. Football is about community and often represents what is best about community spirit, so supporting the game at its very base needs to be more of a priority. This Bill is a step forward for football in this country and should be welcomed, but there is more to do. I hope the Government will take that on board and introduce a regulator that not only protects this wonderful game but promotes it at the community, grassroots level.

Finally, if I may crave your indulgence for 10 more seconds, Madam Deputy Speaker, allow me to channel that seven-year-old who was obsessed with the likes of John Barnes, Jan Mølby and Ian Rush, and say this: Arne Slot, Big Virg and Mo, thanks for bringing home No. 20.