§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers are available to him to allocate Football Association Premier League funds to activities other than football. [130845]
§ Mr. Chris SmithNone. The FA Premier League and the Football Association are fully responsible for their own decisions on funding.
The Government will shortly announce details of a new body to distribute funds for the development of football—the Football Foundation—to which the Premier League, the FA and Sport England will make substantial contributions. It will be for the new body to decide on its funding criteria. In dealing with applications, though, the Foundation may wish to consider whether proposed football facilities may be used for other sports.