My Lords, no amendments were submitted.

Supporter Ownership in Football Fund Bill

A

BILL

TO

Encourage supporter ownership of football clubs through a dedicated fund and the expansion of the right of first refusal.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

Section 1: Interpretations

(1) In this act, “the Secretary” means the Secretary of State with responsibility for Sport.

(2) In this act, “the 2021 act” means the Supporter Ownership in Football Act 2021.

Section 2: Fund Establishment

(1) There shall be a Football Club Supporter Ownership Fund, hereafter referred to as the Fund.

(2) The Secretary may issue grants from the Fund to community interest groups, as defined in Section 2(2)c of the 2021 Act, for the purpose of exercising a right-of-first-refusal purchase pursuant to Section 2(2) of the 2021 Act.

(a) If the fund is not allocated five million pounds each year, the Secretary is obligated to make a statement explaining the rationale for such lack of funding and detailing the possible negative ramifications.

Section 3: Expansion of the Right of First Refusal

(1) In Section 2(2) of the 2021 Act, after “In the event of a club coming up for sale for entering insolvency” insert “or planning to move the location of the pitch on which it plays regularly more than 20 miles within 10 years, as determined by the Secretary of State”.

Section 4: Elimination of the Specification of the Secretary

(1) In Section 3(1) of the 2021 Act, “responsible for” is substituted in for “for Culture, Media and”.

Section 5: Extent, commencement, and short title

(1) This Act shall apply to England.

(2) This Act shall come into force immediately upon receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Supporter Ownership in Football (Fund) Act.

This Bill was submitted by The Rt Hon. Dame u/Captainographer GCMG PC on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government.

• The Supporter Ownership in Football Act 2021.

Opening Speech:

Deputy Speaker,

I am very pleased to present this legislation today. The government promised a fund to help supporters purchase bankrupting football clubs, and today we are delivering.

This bill will establish a program to give funds to community organisations wishing to exercise their right of first refusal and purchase local football clubs if they are going bankrupt. I am extremely grateful to numerous other members for creating such a right in the first place, and I think a fund to help supporters exercise this right is an enhancement of their original vision.

This bill also provides for an expansion of the right to instances where football clubs intend to initiate a major relocation. These institutions are fixtures of their local communities, and if that community can generate sufficient support to organise to keep their club local, they ought to have the ability to. This would allow for purchase in cases like the relocation of Wimbledon to Milton Keynes.

This bill will strengthen local sports and thereby local community, and for that I think it is worth enacting.

This division will end on the 11th October at 10pm BST.