Fair Game proposes plan to reform English football finances

Fair Game have released a "ready-made solution" for the incoming Independent Football Regulator (IFR), the culmination of a year-long project focused on devising a way to overhaul the financial foundations of English football.

Their 89-page report entitled "The Four Pot Solution: Redrawing Football's Finances" and released on Thursday sets out a redistribution model they said is designed to curb reckless spending, reduce club insolvencies, and restore competitive balance across the leagues.

Fair Game, a band of clubs campaigning to improve football governance, made three main recommendations: Introducing a four-pot distribution model; shrinking parachute payments and rebalancing divisional distribution.

The group argue that their plan provides an answer to the long-running stalemate between the Premier League and the English Football League over how to share the game's 3.2 billion pounds ($4.26 billion) annual broadcast revenue.

Meanwhile, the number of clubs across the top four divisions that are technically insolvent has climbed to 62%, average losses in every league have surged, and competitive balance both within and between divisions continues to deteriorate.

The new Independent Football Regulator, a government-backed body created in 2025 to enforce financial sustainability, tighten ownership rules and protect fans' interests, is expected to release its first State of the Game report later this year.

Fair Game's proposal divides central revenues into four distinct pots, each aimed at tackling a different structural weakness.

Pot 1, "The Lights-On Pot," would be for core funding to cover essential staff and infrastructure needed simply to keep clubs operating safely;

Pot 2, "The Don't-Be-a-Numpty Pot," would be a reward system paying out only to clubs that demonstrate responsible financial management, fan engagement, and good governance;

Pot 3, "The Future Pot," would be ring-fenced money for long-term investments such as stadium upgrades, training facilities and community assets, but barred from being used on wages;

Pot 4, "The Safety-Net Pot," would be mandatory escrow reserve to shield clubs from sudden financial shocks, including abrupt ownership collapses.

Fair Game's CEO Niall Couper said football has been "built on hope, handouts and blind faith" for too long.

"The Four-Pot Solution gives the game a financial system that rewards responsibility, protects communities, and stops clubs gambling with their own futures," said Couper. "This is the moment to fix the foundations of our national game – and the Regulator now has both the power and the obligation to act."

Fair Game believe their model would reduce wage inflation, ease dependence on wealthy owners, improve competitive balance, and support clubs across every division, including the National League.

Couper said he hopes the paper "sparks a much-needed debate in football that leads to a realistic solution for the entire football community, one that works for every club at every level, and for every fan."

($1 = 0.7515 pounds)

(Reporting by Lori Ewing)