Football Governance Act 2025: Statutory guidance on the meaning of 'significant influence or control'
This guidance is to help clarify who can be considered an owner under the Independent Football Regulator's regime.
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The Football Governance Act 2025 establishes a new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to safeguard the future of the national sport. One of the Regulator’s new powers is to introduce stronger, statutory owners’ and directors’ tests to make sure club custodians are suitable.
Following royal assent of the Football Governance Act, this statutory guidance sets out the meaning of ‘significant influence or control’ in the context of who can be considered an owner of a football club. Paragraph 15(2) of Schedule 1 to the Football Governance Act 2025 requires the guidance to be used when interpreting references to the phrase: ‘significant influence or control’ to determine whether someone is an owner. This guidance is particularly relevant to regulated clubs and their existing and prospective owners, as well as to the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).
The examples in this guidance are not a complete list of all possible situations, nor should the guidance be read as an exhaustive statement of what constitutes significant influence or control.
When applying and interpreting this guidance careful consideration should be given to the facts of the particular case which will be important in determining whether significant influence or control exist in any particular case.
The draft guidance was laid before both Houses of Parliament on 27 October 2025 for 40 days during which either House may resolve not to approve it; if no such resolution is made, the Secretary of State may publish the guidance.