Football Governance in Transition

Who’s running the clubs in the English men’s football pyramid – and what needs to change? 

The Football Governance Act is set to significantly change the way in which men’s football clubs operate in England, bringing in new licensing provisions which will require clubs to be able to demonstrate good corporate governance and financial sustainability.   

In LCP’s recent On Point paper “The Football Governance Bill: Why it’s happening, what it will mean, and will it work?”, published in March 2025, we looked at the background to the Act and considered its main provisions. 

LCP have now teamed up with FTSE250 company The Law Debenture Corporation plc, (“LawDeb”), a firm with extensive and long-standing experience in supporting organisations in dealing with corporate governance in regulated industries, and a history dating back to the foundation of the Football League, to do a deeper dive into the governance provisions of the Act, and also to look at what the boardrooms of the 116 clubs in the pyramid currently look like. 

This report also examines what good governance for a club can look like in practice, through a case study with Lincoln City FC. 

We believe the Football Governance Act, and the introduction of the Independent Football Regulator (“IFR”), offers a real opportunity for generating a sustained and meaningful improvement in how clubs operate, both on and off the pitch, across the pyramid – with good and effective governance being a core engine for change. 

Based on our analysis, we have made three key recommendations: 

1. There should be a legal requirement for all boards of regulated clubs to have at least three directors. 
2. There should be a requirement for directors of clubs to have knowledge and understanding of the structure and culture of the game – and related training provided by the IFR. 
3. The Independent Football Regulator should have a target of improving diversity in football club boardrooms.   

Read the paper