- 16 April 2026
English football has entered a decisive new chapter. With the Football Governance Act (FGA) entering into law last summer, and the creation of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to oversee the top five tiers of the men’s game, the governance of the national game has been fundamentally reshaped, introducing the most significant regulatory reforms in a generation.
The aim is clear: to protect clubs, fans and communities from the financial instability, ownership failures and governance weaknesses that have repeatedly threatened the long-term sustainability of the sport. But legislation alone will not deliver better football governance without a cultural shift in the behaviours of key actors and the game’s stakeholders. Football’s success depends on the capability, integrity and professionalism of the people running the game - at all levels.
And as England Men’s manager Thomas Tuchel makes his final decisions as to who will be on the plane to the World Cup, another name in English football has already packed their bags. Seventh tier Northern Premier League (NPL) chair Mark Harris has stepped down from his role, while an investigation takes place into an ill-advised email exchange with a fan.
Why is this a governance issue?
Football fans are not known to be shy when it comes to voicing opinions on how their team, the league, and the sport itself should be managed. The FGA enshrined in statute the right of that voice to be heard in clubs’ decision-making processes on key issues.
Passed by the Labour government in 2024 and given Royal Assent in 2025, the Act mandates - amongst strengthened suitability and integrity tests for owners and directors - a greater decision-making voice for fans, and for clubs to engage fans directly on certain decisions.
The email exchange that earned Mark Harris his suspension involved an FC United of Manchester supporter, unhappy about a controversial and late venue change for a vital end-of-season game - from the team’s home ground to more neutral territory.
Laying out their concerns regarding the “diabolical” decision and the “lack of governance” in its implementation, a fan urged Harris to consider the consequences of the action not only on the game in question, but on the league in general, the wider fan base, and future decision-making. Their feelings mirrored those expressed by the chair of FC United, who was further concerned about the financial impact of the move.
Harris, who is also a member of the FA Council, allegedly replied to the fan promptly and succinctly, using decidedly colourful language and sentiment.
The response was particularly unsportsmanlike given Harris argued in a November 2025 article for The Non League Paper that abusive language had no place in football.
What the FGA has cemented in law is that football clubs are not just commercial assets - they are community institutions that require responsible governance. And that community must be supported, respected and protected.
In effect, stronger governance is no longer a voluntary or informal concept in football. It is now a regulatory and professional requirement.
It should be noted that the IFR’s remit extends only to the top five tiers of the men’s game, and issues such as fixture scheduling and fan’s grievances with their team’s league fall outside of its regulatory scope. However, a key principle current in sports governance across the UK is that of cascading good practice. It is to be hoped that the improved practices and robust culture of governance the FGA encourages permeate beyond the top of the pyramid.
As the IFR begins to exercise its powers higher in the English football pyramid, expectations on owners, directors and executives at all levels - from Sunday league to the Premier League - will increase sharply as governance standards are adopted, adapted and implemented across the sport in general. The fallout from Harris’ actions brings into sharp relief key issues around how office-holders engage with stakeholders, as well as transparency of decision making, communication and standards of conduct. Increasingly, those without the right skills and knowledge will find themselves exposed.
The new regulator can’t fix football on its own. People will.
This is where professional education in governance becomes essential rather than optional.
CGIUKI’s Certificate in Sports Governance is designed precisely for this moment. It equips those working in football with the governance knowledge required to operate confidently in a high‑scrutiny, often emotionally charged environment, with a focus on board effectiveness and accountability, financial oversight and risk management, ethical leadership and decision‑making, and transparency, compliance and stakeholder engagement.
Crucially, it addresses governance as it applies in real sporting contexts – at the meeting point of regulatory demands, commercial pressures and public scrutiny. This enables those in sport to proactively protect their assets and, equally crucially, their community - from clubs and fans, to players, participants and stakeholders - rather than reflect on failure retrospectively. For that to succeed, sport needs leaders capable of recognising governance as a strategic enabler, not an administrative obstacle.
Well‑governed clubs across all sports are financially more resilient, better trusted by fans and communities, more attractive to responsible investors and less vulnerable to crisis and outside intervention – no matter what level of the game you are involved in. Good governance is just as crucial at the grassroots level as on the global stage.
The Certificate in Sports Governance supports the development of exactly this kind of leadership - helping to embed the principles the new legislation seeks to enforce.
For current and aspiring board members, executives and governance professionals, investing in governance capability is no longer a matter of good practice, but one of readiness. The future of sport will be shaped not just by rules, but by the quality of those entrusted to follow them.
The Sports Governance Academy, CGIUKI’s partnership with all of the Sports Councils of the UK, offers a number of bursaries to those working or volunteering in the sport and physical activity sector in the UK to undertake the Certificate.