Senior Account Manager Alex Thompson writes in City AM on the IFR and reputational risk in football

Our Senior Account Manager Alex Thompson has written for City AM on the introduction of the Independent Football Regulator (“IFR”) and what it means for communications and reputational risk in English football.

Introduced through the Football Governance Act 2025, the IFR marks a pivotal moment for clubs at all levels of professional English football. Alex explains how the new regulator’s licensing regime will place increased scrutiny on financial resilience, ownership credibility, corporate governance and fan engagement – areas that all sit firmly in the media spotlight.

With significant powers to intervene, the regulator raises the stakes for clubs deemed “high risk”, making compliance and transparency not just operational priorities, but reputational ones.

Drawing on recent examples, Alex highlights how scrutiny is already playing out across social media and in the back pages. Financial rule breaches at Leicester City, Everton and Nottingham Forest, alongside Chelsea’s historic ownership issues, demonstrate how governance challenges can quickly become headline news. Meanwhile, ticketing disputes at Manchester United show how even routine commercial decisions can escalate into reputational flashpoints when they collide with fan sentiment.

This scrutiny will only be intensified by the IFR, and Alex argues that its introduction represents a structural shift for football clubs from the top to the bottom of the pyramid. He suggests that reactive crisis management will no longer be sufficient, and clubs must now take a proactive approach to reputational risk: anticipating scrutiny, clearly communicating decision-making, and using the regulator’s framework to evidence financial stability, strong governance and meaningful fan engagement.

As the IFR begins to shape media narratives, fan debate and commercial confidence, Alex argues that communications teams will play an integral role in how clubs are perceived by the public.

Governance and transparency will become visible measures of performance – not only behind the scenes, but also in the court of public opinion.

Read Alex’s article in City AM, here.