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Football Governance

That is absolutely right, and we need a mechanism so that the FA, the Premier League and the Football League can set up a system whereby they can hear the voice of those people at that level, and take action when necessary and when that comes under their jurisdiction. Finally, I want to consider the role of agents and their influence on the game. That was highlighted in recent court cases, and by my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn. In the Premier League last year, more than £70 million was paid in agents' fees, but only £10 million goes to grass-roots football from the Football Association. That cannot continue. In the Football League, it was £16.7 million. I know that action is being taken following the Stevens report, which was published in 2007, and some work has been done to tighten up the activities of agents, but those figures are not justifiable. They cannot continue, and more must be done to restrict agents' activities, and the malign influence that they still have on the game. We must address that factor in our game. Paragraph 254 of section 8 of the report states;"““There is a need for a strong FA””." There is a need for a strong and robust response from the Football Association to the issues that have been highlighted in today's debate, and in the Select Committee's report. I hope that its shows the same strength that it has shown in the response to the issues that have occurred in the last couple of weeks. I sincerely look forward to reading its response.