[...]... 1988 The prompting for action came from the Prime Minister herself following a meeting with the President of the Football League and the Chairman of the Football Association The rationale for the Working Party was the difference of opinion between the government and the football authorities, who were vehemently opposed to any scheme The objectives of the working party were twofold: ‘to review the main... expensive and this factor militated against intervention Economic considerations, and especially football s parlous finances led to the establishment of the Chester Committee in 1966, which produced the Chester Report (1968) The impetus for the report came from the governing bodies of the game (the Football Association and the Football League) who made representations to the government with respect to the. .. responses to these interventions in the 1980s and beyond FOOTBALL S PROBLEMS The 1960s represented something of a glorious era for British football in terms of performances on the pitch, notably the World Cup success in 1966 and the European Cup wins of Celtic and Manchester United in 1967 and 1968 respectively However, it was the latter end of this decade and particularly the 1970s that saw the emergence... developed for the public good: and to make recommendations’ (Chester 1968: 1) It was made clear at the outset that the recommendations were addressed, in the main, to the football authorities rather than to the government The Report covered an enormous amount of ground, extending from the amateur game to the highest professional level It also examined the position of the clubs, the players, referees and Context... Luxembourg and France in 1983 and 1984, and led to the government setting up another working party, the Department of Environment Working Group.11 The 22 recommendations were largely aimed at preventing opportunities for hooliganism, with the emphasis on action by both the Football Association and the clubs themselves The Working Group, interestingly, decided there was no specific need for any new football. .. the worst safety record of any of the developed nations, despite the existence of no less than eight official reports between 1924 and 1985.’ One of the crucial factors that greatly affected the shape of the game 4 Regulating Football throughout the 1970s and 1980s was the condition of the grounds themselves A large number of these had been built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which... perceived football culture, as we note in the preface, the face of football was irrevocably changed by Italia ’90 and the events that followed this In political terms the demise of Thatcher and the rise of John Major began a shift in approach First and foremost, the new Prime Minister was an avowed ‘sports nut’ and a keen follower of football Football became acceptable and, again as we note in the preface,... home or abroad) in the competition for the European Cup, the Cup Winners Cup, or the UEFA Cup, association football matches within the jurisdiction of the Scottish Football Association Ltd and association football matches at a sports Context and Development of Regulation 23 ground outside Great Britain in which one of the participating teams represents the Football Association Ltd, the Football Association... Levy Board for football on the basis of the model used in horse racing The government felt unable to support the measure, but undertook to establish an inquiry into the game Accordingly, the terms of reference of the Committee were: ‘To enquire into the state of Association Football at all levels, including the organisation, management, finance and administration, and the means by which the game may... Report, the government pursued the idea of a form of membership scheme The Football League had, by the time of the final Popplewell Report, produced its own proposals That there was a difference of approach between the government and the football authorities was identified in the Report from the Sir Norman Chester Centre: Context and Development of Regulation 13 More interesting, however, are the clear . which produced the Chester Report (1968). The impetus for the report came from the governing bodies of the game (the Football Association and the Football League). from the amateur game to the highest professional level. It also examined the position of the clubs, the players, referees and 8 Regulating Football the