Keir Starmer calls for review of late kick-offs at football matches

Keir Starmer has called for a review into late kick-offs at football matches, warning they are increasing costs for supporters who want to travel to games.

The Labour leader told the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast he wanted a new football regulator to look into whether the Premier League should be allowed to hold games late in the evening, such as at 8pm on Saturdays.

Late kick-offs have become controversial with supporters because while they allow broadcasters to show more live games, they make it more expensive for travelling fans, many of whom have to book overnight accommodation.

Starmer, who has a season ticket at Arsenal, told Football Weekly in an interview: “[Going to football matches] is too expensive, particularly the upper end, and I’d link that to some of the late kick-offs.

“If you’ve got, for example, an 8 o’clock kick-off on a Saturday, then the away fans in all likelihood have got to pay to get to the ground, they have got to pay quite a lot of money then to get into the ground.

“And then if the game finishes at 10 o’clock at night, and it’s the other end of the country, in all likelihood they’re also then having to pay for overnight accommodation. It becomes a very expensive package.”

He added: “One of the things that will happen … or envisaged, is that [there will be] the review into pricing and into start times for games as well. I’d actually put the two together.”

Last season the Premier League held about 40 games at 8pm, most of which were midweek, with several on a Saturday. Before the Covid pandemic, the latest game on a Saturday was usually at 4pm, but that was changed during lockdown to enable fans to watch more games on television.

Labour has promised to revive a package of football regulation measures that was dropped by the government at the end of the last parliament, including the establishment of an independent football regulator, if it gets into power next month.

Starmer told Football Weekly that as well as reviewing kick-off times, he wanted the regulator to enforce stricter rules on who can own a football club, though he rejected calls for an outright ban on foreign states owning clubs.

“I don’t think any government – and certainly not an incoming Labour government – will want to put off foreign investment into our businesses, into our football.”

But he added: “I do think that the independent regulator will have a big role in who is actually, you know, suitable to run a club, lots of issues about transparency and accountability.”

The Labour leader said his party would pass the football regulation legislation quickly in order to stop clubs trying to rekindle controversial plans to form a breakaway European Super League.

The proposals were abandoned in 2021 almost immediately after they were launched following a backlash from supporters, domestic leagues and governments.

However, Starmer dismissed suggestions that the package of football regulations could include a proposal to levy a 10% charge on transfers that would then be distributed to lower league clubs.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow sports and culture secretary, suggested on Monday she would be open to such an idea, saying: “I’m going to look at absolutely everything that might help increase the financial sustainability.”

But Starmer told an LBC radio phone-in on Tuesday: “Let me just kill that one. We’re not looking at that … We will get that football governance bill in. It’s much needed for fans, but that isn’t part of it.”