Kogan is a former media executive and journalist who has worked on major sports TV rights deals.
UK.- Secretary of state for culture, media and sport Lisa Nandy has named David Kogan OBE as the UK government’s preferred candidate to chair the new Independent Football Regulator. The media executive, historian and journalist will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.
Kogan has held senior positions in the television and sports industries during a 45 year career as a media executive, business leader and corporate advisor. He negotiated a string of high-value TV rights deals for major sporting bodies, such as the Premier League and the English Football League. He has also advised UEFA, The Scottish Premier League, Six Nations, Premier Rugby and the NFL. Most recently, he sold the broadcast rights for the Woman’s Super League.
He is a former managing director of Reuters Television and an ex-CEO of the Magnum photo agency. He co-founded both Reel Enterprises and the Women’s Sports Group and is currently an advisor to the New York Times Group and CNN on commercial, digital and AI strategies.
Among public boards, he was a non-executive director at Channel 4, a member of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Services board from 2007-14 and Chair of Westminster Kingsway Corporation. He is the author of three books, including The Battle for the Labour Party and The Attack on Higher Education.
The Independent Football Regulator will be established under the Football Governance Bill, which is currently going through Parliament. The aim of the Regulator will be to tackle rogue owners and directors, implement a club licensing regime to help ensure a more consistent approach in how clubs are run, monitor club finances and improve fan engagement throughout the football pyramid, from the Premier League to the National League.
It will also have a backstop measure to mediate a fair financial distribution between Leagues, should they be unable to come to an agreement. The government says the regulator will help to ensure English football remains a major export.
There will be no direct remit over the relationship between football with betting, however, the regulator’s leadership is likely to have an influence over any future conversations about the future of gambling advertising and sponsorship in the sport. The Premier League is to introduce a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship deals from next year, but that hasn’t stopped continued calls for more stringent measures.
A House of Lords proposal to tag a ban on gambling sponsorship onto the Football Governance Bill was voted down, but partly because members believed it wasn’t relevant to this specific legislation.
Korgan said: “Across the country millions of us share a passion for football, a game that is not only part of our national heritage but one of our most valuable cultural exports.That’s why as both a supporter and someone with many years spent working in football, I am honoured to have been asked to be the preferred candidate for chair of the newly created Independent Football Regulator.
“Our professional clubs, whatever their size, are a source of local and national pride. They generate economic growth and investment, unite communities, and create shared experiences and memories that transcend generations.
“The job of the regulator is to work with those clubs, their owners, and their supporters to create a dynamic framework that will ensure the game is on a sound financial footing so that it can continue to flourish and to grow. I cannot wait to get started.”
Nandy said: “David brings with him a wealth of expertise from the sport and media industries having worked across a number of high-profile governing bodies, competition organisers and major media corporations in a very impressive career. It makes him an outstanding candidate to be the chair of the independent football regulator.
“This will be a vital, public role to ensure sensible, light-touch regulation helps to strengthen financial sustainability and put fans back at the heart of the game”.
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