Radical Changes For The FA?

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 12/08/2005

The Guardian reports today that Lord Burns will be presenting his recommendations to the FA with far reaching changes to be made if the FA take on board his proposals.

The proposals will probably include:

The FA board to be split between six representatives of the professional game (four from the Premier League and two from the Football League) and six from the amateur game, and a non-voting chairman and chief executive. Conflicts of interest are rife.

Burns is expected to recommend that the professional game board, a sop to the Premier League introduced in the wake of Adam Crozier's tenure as chief executive, will go and the main board will be replaced by a smaller group with greater independence and executive power.

Burns will propose that the professional and amateur games have a degree of autonomy, with formal processes for dealing with the FA and the distribution of funds. He will also suggest an autonomous disciplinary and compliance department.

It is anticipated that the professional game's representation will be cut to three seats (two from the Premier League and one from the Football League), with at least two non-executive directors added to the board to provide balance and the granting of a vote for the chair and chief executive. Burns is expected to propose that the finance director join the board, with voting power.

This structure is intended to force the competing interests to seek consensus, and will give the chief executive Brian Barwick more power.

Burns is likely to make the case for an independent chairman, but could leave the decision to the board for fear of imperilling the consensus which is required to have any of his measures passed.

Burns is likely to recommend that the FA council be turned into a "parliament", with those currently excluded - players, managers, women and supporters - likely to be given a place.

He will also propose that the grass roots game be formalised as the "Community Football Alliance", with its own department at Soho Square.

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