Mayors sign up as fair game conference heads to ‘northern powerhouse’

• Mayor of Greater Manchester,
  Andy Burnham, and Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, announced as keynote speakers

• Conference to be held at National Football Museum in Manchester on 24-25 March 2026

• Early bird tickets on sale now

POLITICAL heavyweights Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram have been unveiled as keynote speakers for the first Fair Game Conference to be held outside of London.

Fair Game, the football think tank which championed the creation of the Independent Football Regulator, has secured the two high profile mayors to close its annual conference, which will be held at the National Football Museum, Manchester, on 24-25 March 2026.

Greater Manchester’s Burnham and his Liverpool City Region counterpart Rotheram, are due to join forces to discuss the future of football on 25 March.

Early-bird tickets starting from just £50 are available here. 

Under the banner Building a Fairer Future for Football, the conference will bring together football’s leading minds and tackle the issues that will come under the scrutiny of the recently appointed Independent Football Regulator.

Following the success of its first two-day event in May, Fair Game is repeating the winning formula with an opening day of workshops, followed by a day of expert panels, thought-provoking discussions, and stakeholders and fans’ zones.

The workshops, which cover five streams, are designed to tackle football’s issues head-on and will bring together key voices from across the football ecosystem to discuss how the game can be fairer, more transparent, and financially sustainable.

Full details of the conference can be found here.

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said:

“Football continues to be at a crossroads and our conference aims to look at the issues facing the game as well as providing solutions that will build a fairer future for football.

“It is great to be able to bring the conference to the footballing hotbed of the North West, and to be able to hold it at the National Football Museum.

“This brings a fresh dimension to the event and the opportunity to reach more stakeholders and supporters of the beautiful game.

“Building on our last conference, we are looking to add new elements as well sticking with what was a successful two-day formula.

“We are looking forward to hosting both mayors, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, and we will be announcing more speakers over the coming weeks as we create a conference that will put a spotlight on the issues facing football and look at developing realistic solutions.”

Up to 250 delegates are expected to attend with registration for the two-day conference now open. Places can be secured online here.

The are opportunities to partner or sponsor the conference, which attracts leading figures from across the football landscape. More details ae available at https://www.fairgameuk.org/fg26sponsorship

More details on the Conference, including a working agenda, can be found on the website -  https://www.fairgameuk.org/fairgameconference26

If you would like to be considered to be a speaker or a panellist for the event please email us.