Expert Panel For Fan-Led Review Of Football Announced
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced the full membership of the panel which will join Chair Tracey Crouch MP as she commences the Government’s fan-led review of football.
The UK Government announced its manifesto commitment to conduct the review and published its Terms of Reference last month in the aftermath of the failed European Super League bid which included six of England’s leading clubs.
The panel features fan representation at its heart and also includes former players and managers, current administrators, representatives of non-league and the women’s game as well as independent members.
The Chair and panel will now begin a series of roundtable meetings that will reach out to fans and football organisations throughout the football pyramid, to hear their views on the future of the national game.
The full panel is as follows:
Kevin Miles (Chief Executive, The Football Supporters’ Association)
Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale (Chief Executive, Everton FC)
Clarke Carlisle (former Burnley player and former Chair of Professional Footballers Association)
Dan Jones (Partner, Football Finance)
Dawn Airey (Chair, FA Women’s Super League)
David Mahoney (Chief Operating Officer, England and Wales Cricket Board)
James Tedford (Former Secretary, Southport FC)
Godric Smith (Director, Cambridge United)
Danny Finkelstein, independent member
The Chair and panel will canvass fans’ views on ownership, governance and financial flows within the game. It will add to the recommendations of the English Football League’s Governance Review and the Government’s 2016 Expert Working Group on Football Supporter Ownership and Engagement.
In addition, they will assess if there is a need for an independent football regulator, charged with implementing regulation and compliance, and how that could work within the existing framework provided by the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League.
Oliver Dowden said: “This expert panel brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience from across the football family to shape the future of our national game.
“Their job will be to listen to fans and ensure their views are at the heart of reforms on governance, finance and improving day to day experience of supporters. Football is nothing without fans, and today we deliver on our promise to put them in the driving seat.”
Fan-led Review Chair, Tracey Crouch, added: “I am thrilled to have such a strong team with a wealth of experience across the whole ecosystem of football to help support the fan-led review.
“The fans will be at the heart of the review panel’s work and I look forward to kicking off the formal meetings with fan groups and others next week.
“The focal point of the review panel will be to engage with fan groups, to hear views on what they believe needs changing in football governance.”
Further plans around the initial fan engagement sessions will be set out in due course with the final report expected in the autumn.
