The Independent Football Regulator requires every club across the top five tiers of English football to hold an operating licence from 2027–28. The application window opens November 2026. Most clubs don't know where they stand.
Pitch Governance is the diagnostic platform that tells you exactly what the IFR will look for — and exactly what your club needs to fix before it applies.
Early access members receive a priority diagnostic slot, a complimentary pre-assessment advisory call, and a founding-member rate when Pitch Governance launches.
We'll be in touch shortly with your early access confirmation and next steps. Watch your inbox.
The Football Governance Act 2025 created a regulator modelled on the Financial Conduct Authority. It expects documentation, evidence, board accountability, and structured governance — at a standard most football clubs have never had to meet before.
The IFR will require beneficial ownership documentation, director declarations, financial plans, corporate governance statements, fan consultation logs, and evidence of heritage decision procedures — across ten governance domains.
Without a structured framework, these tasks fall through the gaps between the CEO, finance director, and club secretary. Pitch Governance maps every action to an internal owner with a due date and priority level.
The IFR draws heavily on FCA supervisory practice. It expects formal board minutes, decision registers, and evidence trails. Many clubs have never needed to operate at this level before.
The ODSE regime is live now. Prospective owners must pass a suitability test with source of funds and source of wealth evidence. Deals that ignore this face significant delays or IFR challenge.
Pitch Governance is not a compliance checklist. It is a risk outcomes platform — designed to reduce the probability of regulatory problems, not generate paperwork for its own sake. Working through the diagnostic is a structured, worthwhile exercise that gives your club a clear picture of where it stands and what needs to change before the IFR application window opens.
Work through 42 structured questions across 10 governance domains at your own pace. Each question is written in plain language with the IFR's regulatory rationale explained alongside it. This is a focused exercise that repays the time invested.
10 domains · 42 questions · Board-level exerciseEvery domain is scored 1–5 from Informal to Regulator-Ready. The score is weighted by regulatory significance — and generates a specific evidence gap list, not a generic recommendation.
Weighted · Evidence-specific · InstantA professionally generated PDF: club maturity score, domain breakdown, risk heatmap, missing evidence list, and a 30/60/90-day priority action plan with internal ownership fields.
PDF · Instant · Board-readyDocument-level specificity. Not "improve your governance" — but "you are missing a beneficial ownership chart, a conflict-of-interest register, and a board-approved financial plan."
Document-level · Actionable · SpecificEvery gap becomes a structured action: owner, due date, priority level, evidence required, and the risk outcome that closing it achieves. Designed for clubs, not compliance officers.
Owner · Due date · Risk outcomePair your report with a 90-minute structured session with a governance specialist. They interpret your results, map internal ownership, and orient your board around the November 2026 application window.
90 min · Expert-led · Board-ready outputThe diagnostic covers all four Mandatory Licence Conditions, the ODSE regime, financial resilience, heritage protections, risk management, sponsor due diligence, and DEI — mapped to their precise regulatory source.
"I know we're not ready. But I don't know where the gaps are, who owns what, or what the board needs to approve before November."
Pitch Governance gives you a structured picture of where your club stands across every domain the IFR will examine — and a board-ready report to present the week after.
"I can produce financial data but I don't know what format the IFR wants, or how to stress-test it against their criteria."
The diagnostic tells you exactly what the IFR's financial plan template requires and where your current documentation falls short.
"I'm being asked to produce things I've never had to produce before — board registers, declarations, fan consultation records."
An evidence checklist with document-level specificity tells you exactly what to gather, create, and file — nothing more, nothing less.
"We want to complete this acquisition quickly. The IFR ODSE regime is live — and I don't know what it means for our timeline."
Understand owner suitability requirements, source of funds documentation, and deal-structuring implications before you sign.
"I've been asked to advise on IFR readiness but I need a structured framework to run the board through — not a regulatory textbook."
Pitch Governance gives advisors a professional diagnostic framework to deploy with clients — with advisory session support available.
"We're building toward promotion. We want to get our governance right now so we're not scrambling when we enter a regulated tier."
Start building IFR-standard governance before you need it — so promotion means opportunity, not crisis.
"Licensing is not a one-off exercise. It is an ongoing obligation that requires clubs to maintain and evidence their governance standards year on year."
The Football Governance Act 2025 received Royal Assent. The Independent Football Regulator became a statutory body. All 116 clubs across the top five tiers are now subject to its oversight.
The owners, directors and senior executives regime came into force. Incumbent owners and managers must comply now. Prospective owner suitability tests began processing from May 2026. Deals in motion are affected today.
Since 5 May 2026, clubs cannot dispose of or deal with their home ground without IFR approval. Administrator appointments require IFR sign-off. Material changes to crests or home colours require majority fan support.
The IFR runs a pilot licensing scheme with selected clubs. Pitch Governance launches its IFR Readiness Diagnostic for early access members — providing the structured self-assessment framework clubs need ahead of the official window.
All 116 clubs must apply for a provisional licence between November 2026 and February 2027. Applications require a personnel statement and a strategic business plan evidencing compliance with all four Mandatory Licence Conditions.
Most clubs must submit their financial plan using the IFR's forecasting template by 31 May 2028 — within one year of holding a provisional licence. The earliest a full licence can be granted is June 2028.
From 10 July 2029, professional football clubs and agents across EU member states become obliged entities under the AMLR — with full KYC, CDD, and suspicious activity reporting requirements. Pitch Phase 2 covers this transition.
Whether your club needs a rapid picture of where it stands, a structured advisory session to build an action plan, or an ongoing compliance workspace to carry it through to licence — Pitch Governance is built for each stage of that journey. Pricing is shared directly with waitlist members.
The foundation product. Your club works through the structured self-assessment across all ten IFR governance domains and receives a complete Readiness Report — maturity score, evidence gap list, risk heatmap, and a prioritised action plan. This is an exercise worth doing properly: it tells you exactly where you stand and exactly what needs to change.
The diagnostic paired with a structured advisory session led by a governance and financial crime specialist. Your board walks away with a fully interpreted report, an action plan with clearly assigned internal ownership, and a concrete orientation toward the November 2026 application window. For clubs that want to move from awareness to action quickly.
The ongoing platform for clubs that want to track, evidence, and manage their IFR compliance position continuously — not just at point of application. As actions are completed and evidence is filed, the club builds the documentation trail the IFR will look for at provisional and full licence stage. Designed to scale as the regulatory environment develops toward 2028 and beyond.
Join the Pitch Governance waitlist. Early access members receive a priority diagnostic slot, founding member pricing, and a complimentary pre-assessment call with our team.
No spam. No data sharing. Unsubscribe anytime.