Fair Game has today revealed 11 Tenets of Good Governance for football clubs. The Tenets are at the centre of Fair Game's new Code of Governance - the first time such a code has ever been produced for the nation's clubs.

Commissioned by Fair Game and produced by experts and leaders from within and beyond the sports industry, the Code is now out for full consultation.

Developing a Code for Governance for English men’s football clubs is expected to be one of the first tasks for a new Independent Regulator for English Football (IREF). Fair Game’s draft code, along with the consultation process, is designed to provide a comprehensive template for IREF to build on.

The 11 Tenets are:

1. Effective board
2. Integrity
3. Long-term sustainability
4. Respect for heritage and culture
5. Engagement
6. Transparency and communication
7. Accountability
8. People
9. Equality, diversity, and inclusion
10. Continuous improvement
11. Spirit of the rules

The Tenets come from a document which sets out guiding principles and provisions for the governance of football clubs. It is based on having three bands, according to the sizes of clubs, so that the largest clubs are expected to meet more stringent requirements, while it is lighter-tough for smaller clubs.

The document is the culmination of over six months of research and analysis from leading figures across the sports industry.

Led by Greg Campbell of management consultancy Campbell Tickell and Dr Mark Middling of Northumbria University, the Code draws from several established governance codes, including the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Sport England Code for Sports Governance, the Charity Governance Code, the EPL Charitable Fund and EFL Trust Capability Code of Practice, the Wates Code for Larger UK Private Companies, and the National Housing Federation Code of Governance.

The result is a wide-ranging Code of Governance which could transform football for the better. With clubs required by the IREF to comply with the Code of Governance, fans will see their teams safeguarded against the pitfalls of bad management.

The code’s co-author Greg Campbell said:“Good governance is at the heart of sustainability for any organisation or business. There is little doubt that football needs the added structure to ensure its longevity, so that it can ensure clubs are well run and engage effectively with their fans and their communities.

“We’ve looked at numerous codes across the sport, business and charity sectors and have worked with football clubs and industry experts to produce a code that we believe can put football on a solid foundation for generations to come.”

Co-author Mark Middling said:“It has not been an easy task, but it is an essential one. Football needs an overhaul.

“Each of our 11 tenets is vital to the future of the game. Enshrining them in how the game runs will help eradicate the heartache that comes when a club collapses, at the same time as giving proper structure to the owner-fan relationship.”

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, added: “Research is at the heart of everything Fair Game does. It is no use just sitting there and saying the game is broken: we need to develop realistic long-term solutions, and with the publication of the Code today, we believe we have achieved that.

“Fair Game is also about constant improvement, which is why our Board and our Advisory Council recommended that the Code goes out for full consultation. We want football clubs throughout the pyramid and stakeholders within the game to help us produce the strongest possible document that will ultimately help the IREF deliver a better and fairer game for all.”

Fair Game’s Code of Governance for Football Clubs can be found in its entirety here