Football Governance Bill concludes Lords committee stage

The Football Governance Bill seeks to establish an independent football regulator and introduce a licensing system for football clubs as part of a new regulatory regime for men’s football in England. 

Line by line examination 

Committee stage is a thorough examination of the individual parts (clauses) of the bill.

Starting from the front of the bill, members work through the clauses in order, considering changes (amendments) to the wording or proposals for new clauses.

Seven days of committee stage were scheduled:

• Wednesday 27 November
• Monday 2 December
• Wednesday 4 December
• Monday 9 December
• Monday 16 December
• Wednesday 18 December
• Wednesday 15 January.

Proposed changes   

Members speaking on day seven of committee stage put forward amendments to the bill on subjects including:

• match ticket prices
• reporting on the effect of the legislation on the operation of the Premier League
• closing financial gaps between divisions.

Catch up

• Watch on Parliament TV.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript.

Explore further information 

Find out more about the bill in the House of Lords Library briefing. 

Next steps

Report stage, a further chance to closely scrutinise elements of the bill and make changes, is yet to be scheduled.

What's happened so far?

Committee stage day six: Wednesday 18 December

Members speaking on day six of committee stage put forward amendments (PDF) to the bill on subjects including:

• modern slavery considerations
• ability of the Independent Football Regulator to restrict clubs' spending.

Committee stage day five: Monday 16 December

Members speaking on day five of committee stage put forward amendments (PDF) to the bill on subjects including:

• a code of practice for competition organisers and licensed clubs
• the Independent Football Regulators' consultation with the FA
• gambling advertising and sponsorship.

Catch up

• Catch up on Parliament TV - part one and part two.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript part one and part two.

Committee stage day four: Monday 6 December

Members speaking on day four of committee stage put forward amendments (PDF) to the bill on subjects including:

• governance structure of regulated clubs
• football clubs' climate and environmental impacts
• growth of TV viewership and fan engagement.

Catch up

• Watch the Parliament TV recording - part one and part two.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript - part one and part two.

Committee stage day three: Wednesday 4 December

Members speaking on day three of committee stage put forward amendments to the bill on subjects including:

• financial assistance to the Independent Football Regulator
• inclusion of English clubs in international competitions.

Catch up

• Catch up on Parliament TV - part one and part two.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript - part one and part two.

Committee stage day two: Monday 2 December

Members speaking on day two of committee stage  put forward amendments (PDF) to the bill on subjects including:

• environmental, social and financial sustainability
• potential economic harms of overregulation.

Catch up

• Catch up on Parliament TV - part one and part two.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript - part one and part two.

Committee stage day one: Wednesday 27 November

Members speaking on day one of committee stage put forward amendments (PDF) to the bill on subjects including:

• the value of football stadiums to the local community
• participation in international competitions
• increasing TV viewership and match attendance. 

Catch up

• Catch up on Parliament TV.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript.

Second Reading

Second reading, a full debate on the key principles of the bill, took place on Wednesday 13 November.

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