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The Football Governance Bill begins its second reading in the House of Lords today, bringing the establishment of an independent regulator for the top five tiers of men’s football in England a step closer.

Similar legislation to create a regulator was tabled by the previous government and made considerable progress through Parliament, but was lost when an early general election was called.

We are neutral on the financial purview of the regulator, which is not within our remit as an organisation, but we welcome the introduction to the new bill of provisions covering equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). In contrast to much standard practice in corporate governance, EDI was significantly absent from the previous version of the bill.

In order to strengthen these EDI provisions, WIF has contributed to a proposed amendment to the bill proposing that clubs must fulfil particular criteria to retain their licence to operate, including making positive progress relating to EDI.

Women in Football’s amendment appears in a section tabled by the Fair Game group which creates a “corporate responsibility condition” for clubs.

It would require each club to “establish and keep updated a target, which is consistent with corporate governance best practice, in respect of the gender diversity” of its executive personnel.

 

Activities

Women in Football’s contribution to the Football Governance Bill is our latest in a series of lobbying activities to support gender equality in the game. We gave both verbal and written evidence to the committees debating the earlier bill, and have briefed parliamentarians with key findings from the 2024 WIF survey about the experiences of women working in football.

WIF has also organised two events in parliament to rally support for our Open Doors Agenda, which proposes a number of measures for governance reform, so that women working in and playing football feel safe, supported and welcomed.

As always, Women in Football is ready and prepared to collaborate with legislators and stakeholders to create a fairer football industry. We know that more inclusive organisations and sectors are more effective organisations and sectors, and our insights and expertise are available to all who share our vision of a gender-equal future for the game.

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