BLACKBURN MP Kate Hollern writes her fortnightly column for the Lancashire Telegraph

Blackburn is a shining example of a football community that can have the difficult conversations and make strong commitments to inclusivity. To save our game we desperately need a national conversation around fan engagement and behaviour.

The Rovers have been having a very promising season (a shame to see the loss to Hull City but the team are still in with a great chance of promotion) and it’s great to see the whole community behind them. Seeing the team in such good form is exciting and I’m sure that as they keep it going, we’ll be celebrating a return to topflight football this year – where the Rovers have always belonged. No pressure, I guess!

In recent weeks, I have been reflecting on the juncture and the challenges that are facing football in our country. I am glad that these issues are being placed at the forefront of a productive national conversation. The recently published Fan Led Review of Football Governance chaired by Tracey Crouch MP has brought about an opportunity to discuss, amongst other things, the misaligned incentives that are putting clubs’ finances in danger, the lack of a proper voice for supporters in many clubs’ corporate structures and the growing difficulty of regulating the modern game.

It’s also very welcome to see the collaboration taking place throughout football to bring down the financial gap between the top two divisions and help make clubs in the lower divisions financially sustainable. COVID has dealt a real blow throughout our communities, clubs haven’t been an exception and these sorts of measures are a start to making sure they not only survive but thrive.

I am also very excited at the opportunity that the Review’s recommendations present for working to safeguard important club assets and community heritage, having the voice of the fans at the heart of important decisions around heritage changes. It goes without saying that football clubs and the community assets like stadiums are a vital part of our local communities. That asset stripping that took place with Bury mustn’t be allowed to happen again.

Our national game is under threat from many fronts, not just by the financial and governance challenges that clubs like Bury, Derby County and others face. In Coventry both men’s and women’s clubs have been affected, with the situation at Coventry City described in 2018 as an ‘unmitigated disaster’ with no optimism or end in sight, as following the club being bought out what followed is widely regarded as some of the worst mismanagement and blind belligerence in English football this century, more recently, Coventry United Ladies FC have been faced with liquidation.

But it’s become painfully clear that there are ongoing fan engagement and behaviour issues that are also threatening the sustainability of football and access to the rich matchday experience for a new generation of fans. Rovers themselves recently have done well to put out messages about the use of pyrotechnics, and as regards to inappropriate behaviour.

The recent work at Ewood Park to make thoughtful strides towards a more inclusive and accessible experience to all members of our community speaks to both the challenge and the opportunity that we’re presented with.

English football will struggle incredibly if action isn’t taken to address the broader ‘fan engagement problem’ along with issues of violence, criminality, abuse, and youth engagement.

However, I am warmed by the fact that – along with the other points of pride for me as Blackburn’s Member of Parliament – Blackburn Rovers and the community that makes it and supports it have always been a shining example. Not that we have it all figured out – as much as I’d love to boast that, but we’re an example of a football community who is ready to have these difficult conversations and make the strong commitments to inclusivity. I must pay tribute to the leaders across Blackburn Rovers, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, and the Rovers Supporters Trust for this work.

As I continue ensure that Rovers get the best deal in this national conversation, I look forward to also putting us forward as an example to the rest of the country.