Football clubs in England may be overseen by a new licensing regime, set to be revealed this Thursday by former sports minister Tracey Crouch.
The proposals could require clubs to set up ‘shadow boards’ for fans to have greater influence over non-football matters, according to a report from Sky News.
Clubs may also be forced to prove a fully funded three-year business plan under the proposal, although it is yet unclear whether this would apply to existing owners or new potential owners.
Crouch, a Conservative MP, is expected to make 50 recommendations, some of which may require legislation to ensure implementation, a process that could take years.
Prospective and existing owners and directors are currently overseen by the Premier League and English Football League respectively.
Under her proposals, a new officiating body, the Independent Regulator for English Football would assume control.
Calls for reform in the football pyramid comes after Bury FC were forced into administration following a series of poor financial decisions back in 2019.
The attempted formation of the European Super League by the ‘big six’ clubs earlier this year also triggered cries for a transformation of the current hierarchy.
Swiftly abandoned, the European Super League would have earned the participants an additional hundreds of millions of pounds, further widening the gap between themselves and the rest of English football.