New regulator set up for for English football league
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Football: New regulator announced for English leagues
The government has set up a new group to make sure men's football clubs are run well and to allow fans a say in their team's futures.
It's after a big review where fans got to tell the government how they feel about how English football is run.
The new regulator will be able to stop clubs trying to set up new leagues.
It will also give fans a chance to say no to plans to change their favourite team's kit colours, name or their logo.
It also wants to make sure teams don't have money problems which might put them out of business.
A regulator is a person or group of people who make sure a job is done properly
Regulators are usually experts but don't work in the business anymore to make it fair
They can bring in new rules, and punish people not doing their job
Lots of jobs have regulators - Teachers are regulated by Ofsted
Protests over a new Euro Super League sparked plans to try and prevent future ideas like it
Why has football got a new regulator?
One of the big reasons is because many fans were upset by plans to create a European Super League in 2021.
This would have seen 8 of the biggest clubs in Europe compete against each other every year.
Big fan protests were held because some saw it as a greedy way for the biggest clubs to make more money.
Eventually the plan for the European Super League was scrapped.
But the new football regulator will be able to stop any British clubs from joining similar competitions in the future.
Bury FC crashed out of the English Football League after a string of money problems
One of the other reasons for bringing the new rules in was because some clubs were spending lots of money to try and get promoted but then failing.
Because they'd risked so much gambling on being in a bigger league they didn't have enough money to survive without the extra promotion cash.
The new regulator wants to try and stop that happening.
What new rules can the regulator bring in?
As well as being able to stop break-away leagues, the new regulator has been set up to:
Make stricter rules on who can become an owner or director of a football club.
Prevent football clubs from having big money problems (like Bury FC or Macclesfield Town).
Give fans a say on whether their team's logo, football kit or name changes.
Make sure some money earned by Premier League clubs is spent supporting smaller teams in lower leagues.
How do people feel about the new regulator?
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he's proud to "safeguard the beautiful game for future generations" but opposition parties say it should have come sooner.
The Football Supporters' Association "warmly welcomed" the plans, adding that anything giving "fans a greater say" in how clubs are run is good news.
The FA says more money for grassroots football is a good idea and The English Football League said it supported the proposals around enhanced regulation.
But the Premier League is less enthusiastic, it says "it is vital regulation does not damage the game".
The co-owner of Crystal Palace FC says "the devil is in the detail", meaning that the first announcements sound good, but there is still a lot to work out.
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