Premier League clubs meeting – Five year EFL deal to head off government’s independent regulator | OneFootball

Premier League clubs have been sparked into life by the Football Governance Bill.

Details of that were published this week by the Government.

Premier League clubs discovering details of the powers that the independent football regulator will have, once the bill becomes law.

Sky News have now reported (see below) that their information is that Premier League clubs will now discuss that bill’s implications at their next planned meeting on the 22 November.

With their top priority trying to come to agreement on a deal for the EFL

The intention being to put in place a five year  financial settlement/agreement, ahead of the Football Governance Bill becoming law and the independent football regulator potentially getting involved in ‘helping’ to decide that EFL settlement.

‘The Premier League is drawing up plans to present its clubs with fresh proposals for a financial settlement with the English Football League (EFL) as soon as next month.

Sky News has learnt that a meeting of the top flight’s shareholders on 22 November is expected to include a discussion on a range of new offers to be made to the rest of the professional football pyramid.

The meeting will take place a month after the government introduced legislation paving the way for the creation of an independent football regulator that will have the power to impose a far-reaching financial deal on the sport.

Insiders said that the Premier League had drafted in a heavyweight team of consultants, including Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Lord Mandelson, to advise it on issues including the new regulator.

One cautioned that the formal agenda for the 22 November meeting had yet to be finalised.

However, several club executives said they expected it to be featured amid growing demand from some Premier League shareholders to present a revised deal to the EFL board, chaired by Rick Parry.

“Getting a deal done now that the EFL accepts would offer a five-year fix, which means it is resolved for the medium term and out of the regulator’s reach,” said an executive at one top-flight club.

“A sensible deal is more likely to get support from 14 clubs [the requisite majority] now,” they added.

Protracted discussions at the Premier League about an £836m agreement to distribute a proportion of commercial income to the Championship, League One and League Two ground to a halt in March because of a stalemate between its clubs.

At one point in the autumn of 2023, a £925m agreement looked to be close.

Last December, however, Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, notified clubs that it was calling a temporary halt to talks with the EFL because of internal divisions about the scale and structure of the proposed deal.’

When Premier League clubs claim that an independent football regulator isn’t needed, is very much undermined by what we see now.

The Premier League clubs having dragged their heels for so long, in terms of sorting out the EFL deal, yet now they see the Football Governance Bill set to go through the various stages before becoming law, they are suddenly sparked in action.