Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Football Clubs: Financial Sustainability

Thursday 27 February 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government invested over 57,000 in Wolverhampton West through Sport England in 2023-24.
  • Yuan Yang met the Sport Minister and Reading football club fans to discuss an independent football regulator.
  • Legislation for the independent football regulator was delayed in the House of Lords by Conservative members.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

AFC Wulfrunians, a local football club in Wolverhampton West constituency, faces financial challenges. The club also runs an excellent boxing gym catering to the community.

Question

Given the financial challenges faced by lower league football clubs such as AFC Wulfrunians in my constituency of Wolverhampton West, which also has an excellent boxing gym catering to the local community, can the Secretary of State confirm what steps the Government are taking to ensure that clubs such as AFC Wulfrunians have access to sustainable funding models to secure their long-term financial stability, so that they can continue to foster community relationships, increase local engagement and develop young talent within our communities?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he has done in supporting his local clubs. Across all sports, Sport England invested over £57,000 in Wolverhampton West in 2023-24. The Government are committed to continuing to support local clubs through investment in the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme, as well as through Sport England, which invests over £250 million of lottery and Government funding each year.

Answered
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Q2 Yuan Yang Lab Earley and Woodley
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The Sport Minister met with Reading football club fans last year to discuss the need for an independent football regulator. The legislation is currently held up in the House of Lords by Conservative peers.

Question

The Sport Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), was kind enough to meet me and Reading football club fans last year to discuss the urgent need for an independent football regulator. Since then, the legislation has been held up in the other place by Conservative peers, and I was appalled to hear that the Leader of the Opposition sees an independent regulator as “a waste of money”. Fans and staff in Reading will be able to tell the Secretary of State the importance of the need for a regulator, so will she visit the stadium in my constituency to meet them in person?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)

I would be delighted to support my hon. Friend as she continues to fight the good fight for football fans in her constituency. Like her, I was appalled by the Leader of the Opposition’s comments. The independent football regulator began life under the last Government; it was in the Conservative manifesto, it was in our manifesto, and we were elected to deliver it on behalf of millions of football fans. I very much hope that the right hon. Member for Daventry (Stuart Andrew) will disassociate himself from the Leader of the Opposition’s appalling comments.

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