Fair Game Annual Conference 2026

Day one: setting agenda for football’s future

Tuesday 24 March @National Football Museum, Manchester

Register your interest

Easy access from numerous train stations.
Click this link for full travel information on how to get to the ground.

Sponsorship opportunities are available here.

Day overview: who is it for?

Football is at a turning point. With the introduction of an independent regulator on the horizon, the sport faces fundamental questions about governance, financial sustainability, and inclusivity.

Day one of the conference is designed to tackle these issues head-on, bringing together key voices from across the football ecosystem to discuss how the game can be fairer, more transparent, and financially sustainable.

Through five dedicated streams, attendees can choose practical workshop sessions that align with their interests—whether it's fan engagement, equality and ethics, governance, finance, or club operations.

This day is particularly valuable for:

  • Club executives and owners navigating regulatory changes and financial challenges

  • Policymakers and football regulators shaping the governance framework for the sport

  • Fan groups and supporters’ trusts advocating for greater influence in club decision-making

  • Equality and inclusion campaigners working to make football a safer and more accessible space

  • Football finance experts and economists analysing the distribution of wealth in the game

  • Academies and lower-league representatives ensuring fair compensation for player development

  • Journalists and industry analysts reporting on football’s biggest governance and ethical challenges

Register your interest

day one: Programme

09:00 - 10:15 | Registration

Check in, grab a coffee or breakfast, and network with fellow attendees before the conference begins.

10:15 - 10:30 | Conference welcome

Niall Couper, CEO, Fair Game
An introduction to the day’s themes, setting the stage for key discussions on governance, finance, and football’s future.

10:30 - 12:00 | Workshop block one

  1. Fan stream: Effective fan engagement
    How can football engage fans of the men’s and women’s game

  2. Ethics stream: Online Harms
    (facilitated by Dan Kilvington, Leeds Beckett University)
    Looking at the damage online abuse causes in football

  3. Diversity stream: Homophobia in football
    Concentrating on best practice

  4. Finance stream: How to grow the grassroots
    How football can help bring communities together

  5. Community stream: The social impact of football
    (facilitated by Anthony May, Birmingham City University)
    How much does football benefit its community

12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch

13:00 - 14:30 | Workshop block two

  1. Fan stream: Gambling and football (sponsored by Chapter One, part of Gambling with Lives)
    (facilitated by broadcaster Clive Tyldesley)
    Looking at the issues around betting

  2. Ethics stream: How green is football
    Does the sport care about the environment

  3. Diversity stream: Sexism in football (sponsored by The Immersion Lab)
    Is it still a problem? And how can it be addressed

  4. Finance stream: Changing football’s distribution
    (facilitated by Niall Couper, Fair Game)
    Building the steps to create a fairer financial flow

  5. Community stream: Building the impact of Foundations (sponsored by The Sports Effect)
    (facilitated by Mark Lewis, The Sports Effect)
    Revealing the results of the new Foundations Impact report and exploring best practice

14:45 - 16:15 | Workshop block three

  1. Fan stream: What is football heritage
    (facilitated by Josh Bland, Cambridge University)
    A key part of the Regulator’s remit, but do they know what it means?

  2. Ethics stream: Accessibility in football (sponsored by Level Playing Field)
    Looking at how to improve access in stadia

  3. Diversity stream: Racism in football
    Why are there so few black people in senior positions

  4. Finance stream: Why governance matters (sponsored by Campbell Tickell)
    A session looking at the importance of good governance

  5. Community stream: Building Foundations in Health (sponsored by Man v Fat)
    (facilitated by Richard Crick from Man v Fat and Phillip Smith CEO of Northampton Town FC Community Trust)
    How can club based community trusts and non league clubs support the health of their local communities?

16:30 - 17:00 | Archives Launch

Sports Local Action and Walk 92

17:00 - 17:45 | Panel: The legacy of Hillsborough

with David Conn

18:00 - 20:00 | APPG on Football hearing on Online Hate

Join us for a day of insightful discussions, expert analysis, and collaborative problem-solving as we shape the future of football together.

Register your interest
Day Two agenda