Posted on 9th August 2022
New FA rules to protect club crests and home colours
The FA has said it will be introducing new rules to protect the heritage of football clubs in the men’s and women’s game.
The new rules will protect a club’s crest and home kit colours and require any club seeking to substantially change either to consult with supporters.
“In the event a club is found to be in breach of the rules,” the FA said. “The FA is able to take appropriate action, such as ordering a club to revert back to a previous crest or home shirt colour combination.
“The aim of the new rules is to put supporters at the heart of the decision-making process regarding these important club heritage matters.
“As part of our ongoing response to the fan led review, we will be continuing a consultation process regarding potential ground relocation rules this season.”
Starting from the 2022-23 season, those rules will cover the Premier League, EFL and National League in the men’s game and the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship.
The FSA was consulted about the new rules alongside the relevant leagues.
FSA vice chair Tom Greatrex said: “This is a significant step forward in terms of protecting the heritage of our clubs and ensuring supporter consultation is in the FA rules – as playing name changes already are.
“This wouldn’t have happened without the Fan-led Review and the determination of supporters who’ve continued to make the case for our clubs, which are vital community assets, to be protected.”
What does the FSA think?
This is a welcome and positive step, but there is more to do.
One of the key recommendations of the Fan-led Review was that there should be additional protection for key items of club heritage through a “Golden Share” for fans requiring supporter consent and overseen by an independent regulator.
The FA’s new rules stop short of that and the FSA will continue to work to ensure the Fan-led Review’s recommendations are implemented in full.
