Elite governance desk
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Elite governance desk
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Plain guides to IFR licensing and analysis of the cases shaping football governance, written for the people who run smaller clubs.
Each piece starts with a short answer, cites its sources and says what it means for your club's application. Subscribe with the RSS feed.
Analysis
On 29 September 2026 an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. City has appealed and the sanction is still to come. The lessons for smaller clubs are about records, not headlines.
5 October 2026, 5 minute readGuide
The application window opens on 2 November 2026. This is what the regulator asks for, what usually sits behind each answer, and how to plan the months before the deadline.
5 October 2026, 7 minute readGuide
The forecast is where most applications are won or lost. It has to match the funding documents, the strategy answers and what the board has actually agreed.
4 October 2026, 5 minute readGuide
The regulator does not ask whether your club likes its fans. It asks who you consult, how often, about what, and what changed as a result.
3 October 2026, 4 minute readGuide
The regulator now decides whether the people who own and run a club are suitable. Most clubs will pass easily. The risk is in records that do not say clearly who those people are.
2 October 2026, 4 minute read