The Guardian/Owen Gibson
Government sets February deadline for overhaul of English football FA must become 'modern, accountable and representative'
• New structure likely to cause conflict with Premier League
The Football Association have been given a February deadline to introduce reforms. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
The government has given English football until the end of February to deliver plans to overhaul the way the game is governed, including a new licensing system for clubs and wholesale reform of the Football Association board, or face the prospect of legislation forcing it to do so.
In response to a recent parliamentary select committee report, the government has called for immediate reform of the FA board to make it "modern, accountable and representative", agreement on the new licensing system to be administered by the FA and overhaul of its antiquated decision-making structures.
The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, has vowed to legislate if the FA, Premier League and the Football League are unable to agree a collective way forward.
"We have given them a clear – some would say forceful – steer on where we want to go and we are now giving them the opportunity to work together and provide us with a means to get there," he said.
In its response to the select committee, placed before parliament on Wednesday, it rubber-stamps a proposal to reconstitute the board in a way that will enhance the independence of the FA and reduce the influence of the professional game.
At present the board is made up of five representatives of the professional game, five from the grass roots, the FA chairman and the general secretary. The chairman, David Bernstein, has won permission from the board and the FA council to add two nonexecutive directors.
The government said the select committee's proposal of a reduced board of 10 "offered a potential way forward". It would be made up of the FA chairman and general secretary, two FA executives with "wider football expertise", two nonexecutives and only two each from the professional game and national game.
That could leave the Premier League with only one representative on the FA board, a situation that would be unpalatable for an organisation that has always argued it should be a representative body.
But Robertson held open the door for the Premier League, the Football League and the FA to come up with an alternative – as long as it addressed long-standing concerns about the balance of power on the board.
"I am more interested in the balance of the board than being tied up on numbers. I would be prepared to allow a board of 12 rather than 10 providing it delivered the correct balance between independence, the executives and those who come at this representing different parts of the game," he said.
The new licensing system, in which the government envisages the FA playing a key role in overseeing the rulebooks of the Premier League and Football League, should "ensure appropriate and consistent checks and balances are in place to protect the overall financial integrity of the national game and its long-term viability".
The government also urges immediate reform of the FA council, often criticised for being unrepresentative and out of touch. It calls for the body to become "genuinely representative of the modern game" and for FA committees to report directly to the board instead of the council.
It "shares the concern expressed by the committee at the extent of losses and the number of clubs on the edge of viability". The new licensing system should address issues of "financial sustainability" and be administered by a new arm of the FA, while also allowing the professional leagues room to implement their rulebooks.
In order to boost the national team, it suggests that no club should be granted a licence unless it agrees to release players at every age level for international duty.
The proposals also include the idea of ensuring a fans' representative on every club's board and requiring them to open their accounts and AGMs to fans' groups as a condition of being licensed by the FA.
The government said that football should come up with a joint response by the end of February – with the priorities being reform of the FA board, its relationship with the council and the introduction of a licensing system – and implement changes by the start of next season.
Robertson said: "This country is hugely passionate about our national game and there are many reasons we should be pleased with how it has progressed over the last two decades.
"However, I believe 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."
The FA, Premier League and Football League said in a joint statement that they would "take time to consider the department's response as we formulate what the most appropriate actions might be".
They added: "Representatives of the national game are already engaged in this process and are committed to keeping the minister and his department informed of our progress."
1 Reform the FA board to make it smaller, more representative, less beholden to vested interests and with more independent expertise
2 Reform the FA Council ensuring it is "genuinely representative of the modern game and ensuring FA committees report to the board
3 Introduce a new licensing system to include oversight of club finances and ownership – to be overseen by the FA but administered by the various leagues
Other proposals
1 Expert group to be convened to support measures on fan ownership
2 As part of licensing regime, supporters' groups to be given access to club accounts and AGM and perhaps given a seat on the board
3 Mandatory release for all players for England U-17, U-19 and U-21 teams
4 Split the disciplinary process into a new, independent organisation
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/12/fa-football-association-months-reform
