Football Governance Bill - what will it mean for clubs in the Midlands ?

As journalists we are always aware of hyperbole or exaggerations, but the announcement of legislation for an independent regulator is hugely significant.

The Government have acted off the back of a wide consultation with supporters in the wake of the failed attempt by the most powerful clubs in England, to join a European Super League in 2021, which brought huge protests across the country and threatened to destabilise the English game.

There have been concerns for some time that the way football is managed in the country - and that includes fans in the Midlands - is not in the best interests of supporters who are marginalised and left on the bench, while having to put up with unpopular decisions as their club lurches from one crisis to another.

The legislation is designed to give fans more of a say and is important as it means clubs can't change key sentiments like badges, kit colours or move the club away without going to the fans first.

I should point out that numerous clubs have made those changes without listening to fans and the mistrust and bitterness continues even now, years after.

An independent regulator will be set to look after the top five leagues in the country and it could be the one to govern finances, deal with appropriate punishments for financial irregularities, and have more stringent tests for prospective owners to pass.

In the Midlands, Derby County and Nottingham Forest have been duly punished for breaking financial regulations with point deductions by both the English Football League and the Premier League respectively.

The rival supporters have at least one thing in common - their disdain for both organisations.

As such, a regulator will be widely welcomed.

The English Football League which looks after the Championship, League One and League Two and the Premier League have rarely seen eye to eye - a simmering tension since clubs resigned en masse to join the Premier League as you guessed it, a breakaway league in 1992 which allowed clubs a greater say over TV revenue.

Only recently, the EFL have criticised the Premier League for dragging their heels and failing to find an agreement over EFL funding, which the Football League needs to help clubs survive.

For those who aren't aware of the complexities, all leagues are connected via the football pyramid which means in essence a village team can gain multiple promotions through their local leagues, to the EFL and then the Premier League.

Both control the top four divisions in the country but it is an irony that the breakaway league of 1992 is helping to fund the division it left behind.

This means that the EFL have cautiously welcomed a regulator, a hint that suggests the Premier League has too much power.

Unsurprisingly, the Premier League is less keen, who may see it as a threat to their independence and the ability of clubs in the league to make their own decisions.

That's not to say that it's the good guys vs the bad guys.

As mentioned previously in the Midlands, there's not much love for either organisation - supporters from Birmingham City and Derby County say they've suffered under previous ownership and been punished for it, while Leicester City and Forest will feel aggrieved about any points deductions or fines because of perceived financial failures.

The fact that two Premier League sides have had points deducted and that the usual clubs seem to be promoted and relegated season after season, point towards a broken model and fans are fed up of being sidelined.

For clubs like Darlington, Bury and Scarborough who went out of business, this regulation has come far too late.

Had the same happened to Derby - and it was close - we might have seen the end of the EFL as we know it. Instead this legislation's aim is preserve football heritage and ensure long-term financial stability for clubs.

Quite how that will be implemented is unclear but huge gulfs exist between EFL clubs and their richer cousins in the Premier League.

It's why the regulator will also have the power to make sure both organisations reach an agreement over money when there's an impasse, and perhaps that's another fear of the top flight.

It has to be noted that neither organisation has come out well in this. Instead, it's the Government who have taken matters into their own hands after listening to supporters, who have had enough.

Concerns over 'unscrupulous owners' have continued, with supporters seeing points being taken away. Fans will say this huge change is long overdue - a forced change which would not have happened otherwise.

In 2021 after clubs U-turned on the Super League, the-then Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to stop any other team even entertaining the idea. Three years later, fans have that and more.