Town chair welcomes big review

GRIMSBY Town chairman Jason Stockwood has welcomed the publication of a review into how football is governed.

A fan-led review, headed by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch, was released last week.

The 162-page review was the result of three points of crisis in the national game - the collapse of Bury, the Covid-19 pandemic and the attempted set-up of the European Super League in April 2021.

The review worked alongside supporters of clubs to discuss and identify methods and ideas to reform the professional game and ensure the long-term sustainability of the footballing pyramid.

In May 2021, the Mariners joined a number of clubs as founding members of a new initiative called Fair Game, whose vision is to have a game governed with fairness, openness and transparency and with four principles - sustainability, transparency, integrity and community.

Stockwood said: “I would like to thank and congratulate Tracey Crouch on the output of the fan-led review.

“Whilst there is work to do, it sets a clear path towards a bettergoverned game for generations to come.

“An independent regulator is an important and welcome step and I think it is right to allow the Premier League and EFL to come up with their own improved model of financial support for the football pyramid. Having the backstop that the regulator can step in should this not be resolved within 12 months seems fair.

“I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the GTFC to Niall Couper and everyone at the Fair Game initiative. Niall and the team have been heavily involved in the process on behalf of all fans.”

Ahead of the publication, Couper said: “It is now for government to reflect, as we will, on the findings and make proposals for how the recommendations are to be implemented.

“We cannot allow this once-in-alifetime opportunity to fail.”