Independent football regulator could cover women’s game, minister says

The independent football regulator, which is set to govern the men’s game in England, could one day be expanded to include women’s football, a Government peer has said.

Baroness Twycross said the body, which the focal point of the Football Governance Bill, will not oversee the women’s game – despite its recent surge in popularity.

Lady Twycross said the sport’s ongoing development meant the regulator, which will have responsibility for the top five divisions of the men’s game, would be unsuitable and could instead hold the women’s game back.

The women’s game has attracted more fans in recent years, accelerated by England winning the 2022 European Championships in front of 87,000 supporters at Wembley Stadium.

Matches in the top-flight Women’s Super League have seen attendances of more than 56,000 this season, comparable to men’s games in the Premier League.

Speaking in a debate in the House of Lords on Monday afternoon, the Labour peer said the Government wanted to see the women’s game “thrive”, and referenced the review led by former England women’s international Karen Carney.

“So while there are some shared features, the problems facing women’s football and men’s football aren’t the same.”

She continued: “However if appropriate in the future and following proper consultation, the regulator’s remit could be extended to include women’s competitions via secondary legislation.”

She added: “The women’s game is by its own admittance at a different stage to the men’s game. It is in our view still in a start-up phase where it needs significant investment and growth to achieve its potential.”

She went on to say: “Therefore neither the Government nor the women’s football industry believes that statutory regulation is the correct approach to help women’s football at this stage.”

He said: “My concern is that amendment may perversely deter some clubs from investing in women’s football, and that would be most unfortunate indeed.”

Former athlete Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson had tabled an amendment for any men’s team, if it had a women’s team, to be mandated to ensure any licensing criteria for the women’s side would continue to be met.

It was not voted on by peers, so did not become part of the proposed legislation.

In a speech read by Labour peer Lord Grantchester, she said: “Dependence on the men’s team is fundamentally problematical. When Reading was in financial trouble it made a decision to cut out support for the women’s team and disbanded it, leaving all their female players without their club.”

Reading withdrew their women’s side from the Championship, the second tier of the women’s game in England, last season as a result of financial difficulties.

The same issues led to the men’s side being docked points in recent seasons.

Lady Twycross said: (The regulator) would have been able to address the financial problem’s at the men’s club, which may have adverted the issue. So it’s an indirect benefit.

“Potentially it would have also had access to information which it could share under certain specific circumstances only with the authorities in the women’s game, which might have allowed them to identify and react earlier to an issue and hopefully protect a women’s team.”