So what’s it all about, and how might it affect clubs like Oxford United?

First a bit of background. Former MP Tracey Crouch chaired the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, which reported in 2021.

The review was triggered by three factors: the collapse of Bury FC; the financial challenges to many clubs exacerbated during the Covid pandemic; and the defeated proposals for a European Super League.

It heard evidence from many sources, crucially including football supporters including the Football Supporters’ Association, and through it the views of supporters’ trusts and other groups.

The review led to the Governance Bill, now going through the parliamentary process. It’s unclear at this point whether all of the recommendations in the wide-ranging report will be included in the final Bill.

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What’s in it?

The review itself is a fine piece of work covering many areas of the game, from strengthening the certification of directors and owners, through improving financial sustainability and board level decision-making, and on to issues around securing clubs’ heritage – stadium location, team names, colours and so on.

And the main points?

The standout recommendation in the report was for an Independent Regulator for English Football (IREF). He or she would licence professional men’s football, and improve decision-making, financial sustainability and supporter engagement.

Beyond the regulator?

While focus in national media has been on the powers the IREF might have with regard to financial issues such as parachute payments for relegated Premier League clubs, the report is very wide-ranging, for example calling for a similar review of women’s football, IREF powers to protect clubs’ heritage, and broader measures to sustain the pyramid structure of the professional game and avoid more Bury and Macclesfield situations, where communities lose their professional clubs.

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So what practical difference might the report make to us ordinary fans, and to clubs like OUFC?

The first thought I have is how much of this excellent report will ‘make it’ into law, as it goes through the sometimes arcane process of readings and amendments in Parliament?

The second thought is what actual powers the IREF will have to effect change or protect the interests of fans and to ensure proper consultation of fans in decision-making?

In the Championship, the financial challenges for a club of modest size such as OUFC are massive.

The current parachute payments system is a major factor in preventing smaller Championship clubs like us from operating on a level playing field.

Premier League clubs, particularly those who may be at risk of relegation, will be sure to resist change. Even (perhaps especially) the most successful Premier clubs are also likely to be resistant to a wider share of resources to more clubs.

After all, they got where they are under the current system, and they are likely to see it as logical to keep things as they are. Yet there is finance there which, if shared more widely across the EFL and National Leagues, would increase sustainability and competitiveness.

But this should not be all about finance, vital though that is.

The daily experience of fans, the lifeblood of football, matters too. Locally, we have not suffered appreciable rises in ticket prices, though fans of other clubs have not been so fortunate.

Changes to ticket allocation arrangements, particularly for away matches, have been tolerated rather than universally welcomed.

Changes to long-established routines and match schedules to accommodate broadcasters’ convenience, the proliferation of international breaks leading to compression of club fixtures into tight schedules, and poor scheduling of long away trips have all been our recent experience and are all detrimental to the game we love.

It remains to be seen to what extent the IREF and implementation of other provisions of the Bill will ‘reach down’ to address these practical matters.

But I wish it well and it is high time that football put aspects of its house in order.