Member

I turn next to the amendments from my noble friend Lord Mann and Amendment 161 from my noble friend Lord Shamash. It is important not to bind clubs to expectations on how to raise fan engagement standards. That is why flexibility in how clubs engage has been prioritised and bespoke approaches can be taken at clubs, and why the legislation does not specify supporters’ trusts or any other specific form of fan group in the Bill. Supporters’ trusts are often dedicated to championing fans’ issues and can be vital to dialogue between fans and their clubs. Where this is the case, we expect that many clubs will utilise the pre-existing structures to meet the fan engagement requirements, including consultation. If the regulator felt a club was excluding or not working with their supporters’ trusts where they should be, the regulator could require this through a licensing condition. This is highlighted in paragraph 271 of the Explanatory Notes. However, there will not always be the optimal form of fan engagement. It can be the case that there are competing supporters’ trusts or no supporters’ trusts. This makes it possible that such amendments would not work in practice.