Part 1

Purpose, overview and key definitions

Key definitions
2
1
In this Act—
- “club” or “football club” means a body that operates a team;
- “competition”, in relation to football, means a league (or a division of a league), a cup, a tournament or any other competition;
- “competition organiser” means a body that organises a competition;
- “English football” means all regulated clubs and all specified competitions, taken together;
- “football” means association football;
- “the IFR” means the Independent Football Regulator;
- “licensed club” means a club that holds an operating licence;
- “operating licence” means a provisional operating licence or a full operating licence (see section 15);
- “regulated club” means a club that operates a relevant team (whether or not the club is a licensed club);
- “relevant team” means a team that is entered into, is a member of, or participates in a specified competition;
- “specified competition” means a competition specified in regulations under subsection (3);
- “specified competition organiser” means a body that organises a specified competition;
- “team” means a football team.
2
For the purposes of this Act, a club “operates” a team if it is responsible for the team’s entry into, membership of, or participation in a competition.
3
The Secretary of State may by regulations specify a competition; but the Secretary of State may not specify a competition unless the teams that are entered into it, or that are members of it, or that participate in it are exclusively or predominantly English teams.
4
For the purposes of subsection (3), a team is an “English team” if the ground at which the team customarily plays its home matches is in England.
5
Before making regulations under subsection (3) the Secretary of State—
a
must assess whether it would be appropriate to exercise the power and, if so, how,
b
in carrying out the assessment, must consult—
i
the IFR,
ii
the Football Association, and
iii
any other persons the Secretary of State considers appropriate, and
c
must publish and lay before Parliament a report on the outcome of the assessment.
6
Subsection (5) does not apply in respect of the first regulations made under subsection (3).
7
Sections 3, 4, 26, 56, 67 and 92 define other terms used in this Act.