Sport
The Independent Football Regulator
An overview of the new Independent Football Regulator, examining its owners test, licensing regime and how it sits alongside the Premier League's own rules
Younas Ficel ·
In July last year, the Football Governance Act came into force, creating an Independent Football Regulator for English football. The idea came from the fan-led review chaired by Tracey Crouch after the proposed European Super League in 2021 and the financial collapse of clubs such as Bury.
The regulator will license clubs in the top five tiers of English football. Provisional licensing begins for selected clubs during the 2026-27 season, and from 2027-28 every club must hold a licence and meet ongoing conditions, including submitting financial plans and engaging with fans. The regulator can also stop clubs joining new competitions, a direct response to the Super League, and has backstop powers over how money is shared between the Premier League and the EFL. It will not run the Premier League's own spending rules.
Its most important tool is a statutory Owners, Directors and Senior Executives test, which it has been able to use since December. It applies to a wider group of people than the existing tests and looks closely at the source and sufficiency of an owner's funds, with access to government agencies for due diligence. Owners found unsuitable can be given a removal direction and, if they do not comply, forced to sell. The EFL plans to hand responsibility for testing owners to the regulator, but the Premier League is keeping its own Owners' and Directors' Test, meaning buyers of Premier League clubs may face two tests.
Overall, the regulator marks the first time English football clubs will be regulated by law, and future deals such as Ineos at Manchester United or the Bezos-backed investment in Liverpool will increasingly need to satisfy both the league and the state.
In an interview
Why it matters: English football clubs are now regulated by law, with a statutory owners test that can force an unsuitable owner to sell.
Use it to: talk about regulatory due diligence in sports deals, and why buyers of Premier League clubs may now face two tests.
Likely question: "Will the regulator put investors off English football?"
Sources
- Lewis Silkin, ‘Football club owners take heed: inside the IFR's new Owners, Directors and Senior Executives test’ (February 2026)
- Dechert, ‘The UK Football Governance Act 2025: Key Changes for Owners and Investors’ (April 2026)
- City AM, ‘Football clubs concerned as EFL set to axe its rogue owners test’ (2026)