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Football Governance Bill [HL]

My Lords, it comes to my turn to say a few words. It has been a very interesting experience, and I thank the Minister for her engagement and for a number of meetings when she made her time and her staff available to us. I may have walked past the department door on my first meeting, but I certainly did not do so for the next half-dozen. I also thank my noble friend Lord Goddard. It was nice to have a wing-man, and occasionally letting him fly the plane proved a very wise move as well.

I also thank the Minister for some of the specific things they brought in. I always felt social inclusion was lacking, and although football does good work, it is bitty. Making sure it is there means taking on something that has been outside the remit of government; but we have an interest in it and we have now secured it, in its current form or something like it, for the foreseeable future. Making sure that that happens also implies a duty to the community and I hope that, now we have that mentioned in the Bill, the two-way relationship will be expanded.

I was only shouting in the chorus for the inclusion of fans and players in the Bill, but I am very glad it happened. Players have only short careers and most of them, despite the myths, have short and not very well- paid careers in the lower divisions. They deserve some consideration as well.

I also thank many of the people from the Opposition Benches for enlightening me on a range of subjects. I never thought I would learn something about heraldry on this Bill, so I thank the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, for that.

I hope this Bill fulfils its functions and goes forward and I hope we do not have to come back to it.

4 pm