Football was in crisis as recently as the beginning of this decade. Bury FC had just folded. Another regular opponent of Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town, followed. At the opposite end of the spectrum, wealthy clubs wanted to form a breakaway European Super League. COVID lockdown switched off the game’s income streams overnight.

The Conservative government launched a Fan Led Review in 2021. The Football Governance Bill was then introduced into Parliament, seeking to turn the Review’s recommendations into law. The Bill has now received Royal Assent: the Football Governance Act 2025 is now the law of the land – English football has an Independent Regulator.

It’s perfectly fair to say that significant change will not happen immediately and that powerful vested interests will still cause problems. But simply having the Act in existence is truly a momentous event for the future of football. We are now at the start of a new journey and the direction of travel is clear. Clubs will eventually have to operate in a financially sustainable way. Rogue owners should play no part. There should always be meaningful engagement with fans.

We’re proud that the key investors at Lincoln see themselves as custodians of the club for the time being for the fans, both now and in future generations. Our club’s investors have been vocal advocates for football to operate in a financially sustainable way. And the manner in which they have embraced the need to engage with fans is first rate. They have encouraged our Trust to be a critical friend. Everyone who is a season ticket holder or who joins one of the other club membership schemes is automatically a Trust member. There are democratic elections for two representatives of the Trust on the club’s Board of Directors. The Trust has been given power to veto (if requested by fans in a democratic vote) any proposals for stadium relocations or changes of club name, colours and badge. There’s a Fan Advisory Board.

Our Trust has worked tirelessly to support the embedding of that culture in recent years. In doing so, we haven’t just collaborated with the club and with other fan groups associated with it. We’ve also sung the club’s praises to external parties, such as our friends at The Football Supporters’ Association, various other clubs’ supporters’ trusts and our contacts in the House of Lords and in the House of Commons.

Red Imps Community Trust welcomes the Football Governance Act and looks forward to the part that the Regulator will play in safeguarding the future of football.

The game is now in a much better place because of the new legislation.