English football licensing regime details emerge

English Football Licensing Regime Details Emerge

Experts say football clubs in England now have the clearest understanding yet of the steps required to participate in the country’s top five leagues. The new football licensing system will be implemented and overseen by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

Trevor Watkins and David Thorneloe of Pinsent Masons commented following the IFR's launch of a consultation on the new licensing regime.

Consultation and Process

The consultation aims to gather opinions on how the licensing process will function and what documents clubs must prepare when applying for a licence. Clubs must submit applications for their initial licences by February 2027.

If a licence is not granted by the start of the 2027–28 season, clubs will not be permitted to field a team that year. A provisional licensing framework will first take effect, granting teams a three-year period to satisfy all full licence conditions.

Licensing Requirements

The IFR will establish mandatory conditions for clubs to achieve full licensing, focusing on:

Financial planning
Corporate governance
Fan consultation

Market Developments

Separately, new owners are currently being sought for Sheffield Wednesday, which is under the control of administrators.

Author’s summary: England’s new football licensing system, supervised by the IFR, sets structured steps and deadlines to ensure financial and governance standards across professional clubs.

Pinsent Masons — 2025-11-04