It’s hard to put into words what football means to this country. It’s a sport that sits at the very heart of our national identity, and one that inspires everything from ecstasy to heartbreak – as anyone who’s experienced the bittersweet agony of a Euros or World Cup knockout game will tell you. While it’s difficult to define, it’s easy to identify: You see it week after week in the fact that thousands upon thousands of fans travel to grounds across the country to cheer on teams not just in the top tier, but in the second, in the third, fourth, fifth and even sixth tiers of our football leagues – a dedication not matched in any other country in the world. It’s in the deep pleasure that comes from the halftime pie, or the pure joy of the sight of a topless fan baring his glorious belly in baltic conditions, in a declaration of love for his team. 

In a home city like mine, people hold three things truly dear: religion, politics, and the beautiful game. In fact, football goes beyond community for me. Football is in my blood. Though I’m a Red (if only on the pitch), my great-grandfather was one of the founding members of Everton Football Club, and played in goal in the club’s first ever competitive game in 1880. You’ll find stories like that up and down the country; stories that when stitched together, make football an irreplaceable piece of our national fabric.

Yet over the last decade or so, something has gone wrong with our national game. While the Premier League has grown to be the best in the world, the foundations of football have been rocked by poor governance and mismanagement. Historic clubs like Derby have taken unsustainable financial risks, endangering the integrity of the entire football pyramid. Owners have meddled with priceless pieces of football heritage, or pursued reckless schemes that strike at the very spirit of football, like the European Super League. Meanwhile the fans – the very people who make the game what it is – have felt increasingly alienated from their own clubs. 

Reform has become desperately needed. Now we are delivering it. 

In our manifesto, this government committed to undertaking a root-and-branch review of football, with fans at its very heart. The Fan-Led Review was chaired by Tracey Crouch MP – one of Westminster’s true football obsessives – and she and her panel pored over 21,000 survey responses from fans and spent over 100 hours talking to representatives from over 130 clubs before making a number of key recommendations for reform. On Monday, we endorsed all 10 of them. 

First, and most importantly, we have confirmed that we will be introducing an independent regulator of football, enshrined in law. That independent regulator will oversee a new and stronger era for our national game. They will establish strengthened owner’s and director’s tests, including a new integrity test. Our football clubs are priceless pieces of our cultural heritage. As Chelsea has shown us, we need to ensure they’re placed in the hands of the right custodians. 

We’ll also introduce reforms to corporate governance to mitigate the financial mismanagement of recent years, and support fans having a veto over any changes involving vital parts of their club’s heritage and identity – like the club stadium, colours and badge. We’re also working on plans to give fans a greater role in the day-to-day running of their clubs, including the option of a ‘shadow board’. 

At the same time, we’re endorsing the recommendation that the Premier League should increase its financial support across the lower leagues, to protect smaller but no less valuable clubs. The clock is ticking and we reserve the right to empower the regulator with backstop powers should a solution not be realised. All of this and more will be set out in a White Paper in the summer.

All in all, this represents fundamental reform of our national game. This is a turning point for football. For a few years, the sport lost its way. But we’ve put fans back in control, so that we can safeguard the future of something that’s key to our national character and beloved by millions across the country. This is the fans’ game, and we’re doing what’s needed to protect it.