Premier League clubs face £1.8m annual levy as regulator costs double to £20m

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has confirmed its annual running costs have doubled to £20m — twice the figure originally estimated by the Government — with Premier League clubs set to shoulder the largest share of a new levy designed to fund the world’s first independent football regulator.

The highest-earning top-flight clubs, defined as those competing in European competition or generating more than £150m in commercial income, will be required to contribute up to £1.8m per season. The majority of Premier League clubs will pay £600,000 a season, while Championship clubs not in receipt of parachute payments face a significantly smaller bill of around £45,000 per season.

Despite the doubled cost, the IFR has sought to contextualise the figures against the scale of English football’s finances. The regulator’s own State of the Game report, published last week, placed the sport’s annual revenue at £9bn, meaning the levy will represent approximately 0.1 per cent of revenues for most clubs.

Total set-up costs for the regulator have reached £45m, with the bulk to be recovered over time from clubs through the levy.

IFR chief executive Richard Monks said the announcement marked “another big moment” for the organisation. “Over the last year we have been busy laying the ground for the world’s first independent football regulator,” he said. “We have already started to deliver real change in football — whether that’s through the stringent suitability checks we are running on owners and directors or through the State of the Game report which shone a light on how the football industry needs to change.”

Monks described the proposed levy as “a fair and balanced approach”, adding: “We are confident football will see this is a relatively modest investment to help achieve a more sustainable ecosystem which will provide peace of mind for fans, clubs and the communities they serve.”

The IFR, which employs around 100 staff, has already begun conducting suitability checks on club owners and directors since its establishment, with the levy now formalising how its ongoing operations will be financed across the English football pyramid.