FA Council unanimously backs Clarke's reform plan

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke took a big step towards delivering the governance shake-up he has promised at the national game's governing body on Monday when the FA council backed his reform plans unanimously.

The key decision at the Wembley meeting was wrapped up by lunchtime and the package of reforms will now go to the FA's annual general meeting on May 18, when they will need a 75 per cent majority for approval.

For Clarke, who took over from Greg Dyke in August, this represents a significant achievement as FA bosses have been trying to modernise the game's governance for decades.

But credit must be shared with sports minister Tracey Crouch, who came up with the idea of linking reforms to public funding for elite or grassroots sport, or both.

Her sports governance code, which came into force on Saturday, is mandatory for all national governing bodies in receipt of National Lottery or exchequer money, and they have until October 31 to make their decision-making more accountable, diverse and streamlined.

The FA received £30million from grassroots agency Sport England between 2013-17 but stands to lose about £15million of that if it fails to get these reforms over the line.

In February, the House of Commons passed a "no confidence" vote in the FA's ability to reform itself, a testimony to the frustration many have felt about the national game's "blazers" over the years.

But Clarke, who promised to quit if he fails to meet the governance code, has travelled the country explaining his plans to the county FAs, as well as lobbying supporters and the various stakeholders in the professional game.

The main proposals are for the FA board to be reduced from 12 members to 10, with three of those positions reserved for women by 2018 - Dame Heather Rabbatts is the only woman on the current board.

Eleven new members will be added to the council, football's so-called parliament, to better reflect what the FA has described as "the inclusive and diverse nature of English football", which means more black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) members, more women and a louder voice for disability football and fans.

All council members will have to be active members of the organisations they are elected or nominated to represent, ending the creation of senior vice-presidents and life vice-presidents, who will also lose their voting rights.

And term limits of three three-year stints will also be introduced for board and council members.

But these plans, while radical for the notoriously conservative FA, have not gained universal support from the whole football community. Some anti-racism campaigners have asked why there is a minimum requirement for female representation but not for BAME voices, while the likes of the Professional Footballers' Association and League Managers' Association are understood to still feel their expertise is still undervalued.