Football regulator proposes £20.3m club levy for 2027-28

The Independent Football Regulator has proposed a £20.3m levy on English men's football clubs for 2027-28, with the highest-earning Premier League sides facing indicative charges of up to £1.8m. The proposal, announced on October 23 and covered by the Press Association in the Guardian, would replace government funding with contributions from clubs across the top five divisions.

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Most Premier League clubs would pay about £600,000 a season, according to the regulator's announcement. Championship clubs without parachute payments would pay around £45,000, compared with approximately £9,000 in League One and £6,000 in League Two. National League clubs would contribute less than £600. Those amounts are illustrative, not final invoices, and the regulator said they would be updated using the latest available data.

The first-year budget comprises £18.3m in operating costs, £1m for potential litigation and £1m towards recovering establishment costs. The regulator said its operating plan was based on roughly 100 staff. Its chief executive, Richard Monks, described the proposed approach as proportionate to clubs' resources, with most expected to pay around 0.1% of annual revenue. That is the regulator's assessment of the burden, rather than a settled outcome of the consultation.

The Press Association reported that total set-up costs were around £45m, with only £1m to be recovered in 2027-28 and £2m the following year. That would leave roughly £42m to recover over the next eight years. Its report also put the projected levy for 2028-29 at £20.9m, underlining that the first year's bill does not represent the full cost of establishing the new body.

The consultation asks for views on two separate questions: how the overall charge should be shared between clubs, and how the regulator should calculate the amount it needs. The latter covers ongoing expenditure, recovery of set-up funding, reserves and reconciliation of estimated costs with actual spending. Respondents are being asked whether the plans are appropriate, affordable, proportionate and understandable.

Responses can be submitted until 5pm on December 4, 2026, according to the consultation page. The regulator intends to consider that feedback before issuing final levy rules in 2027. It has also provided draft rules and an interactive fee calculator alongside the consultation document, allowing clubs to examine the proposed charges before responding.