The Government’s response to the consultation on the Football Governance White Paper confirms the scope of an independent regulator will not include equality, diversity and inclusion.
The justification given for this decision is that: “in the government’s view, there should only be intervention in an area where there is clear evidence of a market failure.” This fails to acknowledge football’s current failure to provide an equal experience for disabled fans on a consistent basis.
The consultation response is available to read in full.
The 2022 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey results revealed the most common barrier disabled fans face when attending live sport is ‘Physical access at stadiums.’ It is indisputable that this is a market failure and rectifying it falls under governance.
Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Sport and Minister for Equalities, claims that the independent regulator will “ensure fans are always at the heart of football.”
Not all fans will be at the heart of football, while barriers remain in place. Based on the Government’s own estimates, 16 million people in the UK had a disability in the 2021/22 financial year, which represents 24% of the total population. That is almost a quarter of those whom they claim to serve, that this decision neglects.
Level Playing Field has fed into the process of the Fan Led Review and Government White Paper consultation at each stage. This included the direct input of disabled fans, which must have been disregarded in order to reach this outcome.
Chair of Level Playing Field, Tony Taylor, said: “The lack of consideration for disabled fans in the Football Governance White Paper is shameful.
“The Government has shared its gratitude towards engagement during the consultation. Where Level Playing Field and disabled fans are concerned, they have been grateful to listen and do nothing.
“The introduction of the regulator has been described as a once in a generation opportunity, but the decisions on implementation have squandered the opportunity to improve the experiences of disabled fans.
“The White Paper looks to ensure the game is protected for some supporters, while many disabled fans will continue to miss out each and every weekend, as they are not deemed an important enough consideration for the regulator’s involvement.
“The accompanying requirements on fan engagement have no measures on accessibility. Instead, it promotes hollow discussion, which has resulted in a neglection of disabled fans over the course of this process and I see no evidence for why that would change with no set standards and less public attention.”
Level Playing Field has always demonstrated its commitment to be part of a solution to problems across sport and remains committed to working with Government officials with the potential to improve access and inclusion for disabled sport fans.
The 2023 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey results are soon to be published and will detail the key barriers which disabled fans face when attending live sport. This year’s survey received more than 1750 responses and the charity will share initial analysis with Government officials, in order to further inform their decisions.