Three former sports ministers have thrown their weight behind Fair Game and backed our calls for an independent regulator, fixing football’s financial flow and protecting the heritage and traditions of clubs.

The call comes in an open letter coordinated by Fair Game just days before the expected publication of Tracey Crouch’s long-awaited fan-led review into the governance of football.

The three - Helen Grant, Gerry Sutcliffe and Richard Caborn - served as sports minister for a combined total of 11 years between 2001 and 2015. Crouch herself is also a former sports minister having held that position 2015 to 2017. Grant, Sutcliffe and Caborn all expressed their support for her efforts with the review in the letter.

In the joint letter, the three wrote: “In the decades we have spent in office, we have seen these problems arise again and again. We are now beyond what Tracey Crouch called the ‘last chance saloon’… That’s why we welcome the Review by Tracey Crouch MP”

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said:“It’s time to draw a line under the sand with the past.

“Let’s end the spectre of a closed European Super League. Let’s make sure there are no repeats of the sad demise of Bury or Macclesfield. And let’s ensure the financial futures of all of our clubs.

“The football authorities have failed to deliver for decades and that’s why we need an independent regulator.

“Fair Game wants to see a clear legislative timeline put in place as soon as possible. The Fan-Led Review must not end up gathering dust in some dark cellar buried underneath the Houses of Parliament. And that’s why we offer our full support to Tracey Crouch.

“Fair Game wants to see an introduction of the Sustainability Index. An index that incentivise clubs to run well. An index that reallocates football’s wealth to clubs on four criteria: financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards and fan engagement.

“If our politicians can do that then this review will go down in history as being truly transformational.”