Rochdale AFC is proud to be supporting Fair Game Week, with a call for Government legislation to protect football.
Fair Game Week calls on MPs to protect football:
- Clubs and fans take part in Fair Game week from 13 April to 20 April;
- Fair Game warns the game is on a financial precipice and calls on politicians to support the Fan-Led Review into legislation;
- MPs urged to publicly back hard-working community clubs and support legislation.
Rochdale Football Club is part of Fair Game UK, a group of 34 value-driven professional clubs, supported by 40 world-renowned experts, looking to develop realistic long-term solutions to the problems our national game faces.
Football is on a financial precipice. A study from Fair Game found that in 2020 – that’s before the pandemic – 52% of our top clubs were technically insolvent. This means a club is only one bad owner or risky decision chasing football’s riches from ceasing to exist.
Dale Chairman Simon Gauge said: “The main principles of Fair Game UK are what we run our club on, which is why we signed up to the coalition when it first launched in September.
“We believe wholeheartedly in the principles of Fair Game UK – sustainability, integrity and community. They are so closely aligned to our own values.
“We are proud to be one of the 34 Fair Game UK clubs, and that’s why we getting behind this Week to call for action to save the national game we all love.
“We believe that there should be a fairer distribution of money throughout football and stronger governance.
“There needs to be much more support for the full pyramid, whether that’s lower league football, non-league football, women’s football, or youth football.
“The money that’s hoarded in the Premier League at the moment, and to a degree in the Championship due to the parachute payments, needs to be more fairly distributed so it gives everyone the chance to protect these fantastic community assets. I also think there needs to be a lot stronger governance at the top of football to make sure that people, if they are buying or running football clubs, are people that are worthy of that responsibility.”
Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, added: “There’s no doubt that football is at a crossroads. The recent Fan-Led Review has given hope that a new future is on the horizon. But that hope risks being extinguished without legislation.
“We need out politicians to make a firm commitment to back Fair Game and implement all the recommendations of the Fan-Led Review.”
To mark the week, the 34 clubs of Fair Game will share content across their social media channels.