Middlesbrough MP says ‘keep football the people’s game’
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP Andy McDonald gave his backing to an independent football regulator in a Westminster debate on March 6.
The former Labour frontbencher spoke in favour of the Football Governance Bill on Thursday, saying “there is enough money in English football for sustainability throughout the pyramid.”
Mr McDonald is a lifelong Middlesbrough FC fan and spoke about the club during the debate, also referencing Thornaby FC, a team he has ‘growing support’ for.
“Football is more than just a sport in this country,” he said.
“It’s a cornerstone of local pride and community identity.
“And I say that as a proud Boro fan and also now a fan of Thornaby FC.
“But since the Premier League’s formation in 1992, its revenue gap with the EFL has grown from 33 per cent to a simply staggering 1,600 per cent.
“Two seasons ago just 25 clubs received 92 per cent of English football’s distributable revenues, around £3.3bn, leaving the remaining 67 clubs to share only 8 per cent, or £2.245mn.
“I very much welcome the Football Governance Bill and the establishment of an independent football regulator with enforcement powers to ensure financial security.
“Football is often called the beautiful game, but we must ensure that it also remains the people’s game.”
Today I joined a debate on football governance and financial sustainability.
The Premier League finances have come to dwarf other leagues in an unrecognisable way since 1992.
So I welcomed the new Football Regulator proposed in the Football Governance Bill. pic.twitter.com/UZrZOyludd
— Andy McDonald MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East (@AndyMcDonaldMP) March 6, 2025
The MP pointed to the disparities in finance between the Premier League and the rest of football but made the point that regardless of where a club sits in the football pyramid, support of a team always comes back to community identity.
The debate heard 50 clubs have gone into administration in the top six tiers of English football since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.
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Plans to introduce an independent regulator for football came as a response to the breakaway European Super League announced in 2021.
Although clubs involved pulled out after widespread criticism, the need for regulation of the game has been a bipartisan issue with advocates including Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, and Sir Keir Starmer.
Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock said the Government was “determined to make sure that the regulator is up and running as soon as possible.”