Mike Hancock News
Mike Hancock MP welcomes recent response from DCMS
Mike Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South, has welcomed the recent response from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the select committee report on Football Governance.
Mike said, "Overall I am very pleased with what the Government has set out. It is high time these changes entered our game and hopefully these recommendations will be the catalyst to create some real change and inject some impetus into a situation which was in danger of stagnating."
The Government's response sets out a number of recommendations for football that they expect to be implemented by February 2012. These include looking at the creation of an accountable and representative Football Association (FA) Board, the implementation of a licensing framework by the FA in close cooperation with the professional game and changes to the decision-making structures within the FA.
The new licensing system would enforce measures that clubs must recognise. For example, clubs should hold official and regular AGMs at which supporter groups are invited to take part and at which appropriate financial and other information can be shared and consulted upon. There should also be a dedicated fan liaison officer at each club and clubs should have dialogue with supporters groups such as trusts.
In their response, the Government explained that they expect to see "proposals for a plan of implementation" by the end of February 2012. They will look for the football authorities to work together to agree and publish a joint response on how they plan to take these recommendations forward.
The Government has also welcomed the select committee's attention on supporter involvement and would like to see football authorities encourage clubs to have open dialogue with supporters' groups and trusts about how the club is run and for fans to be placed at the heart of the club.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said, "I believe that there are improvements that can be made in the governance arrangements, which have failed to keep up with the changing pace of the modern game. I do not want Government to run football, so this is an opportunity for the football family to work together to benefit the game in the long-term".
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