Lib Dems call for urgent government action to save Reading FC

It is absolutely vital that the government does more to help the dire situation at Reading Football Club. The Liberal Democrats' parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, Clive Jones, is calling for immediate action from the government to save a proud local institution.

Clive Jones says “football clubs are the heart and soul of communities up and down the country. For many people in Wokingham, their weekends are spent watching Reading FC. 10 years ago, Reading were playing Premier League football. We want to get them back in the Championship and then one day back in the Premier League”.

Now, after 16 points deducted in 3 years due to many negligent actions from the owner - including; not paying staff wages on time, and relegation to League One as a direct result of these actions, the club could consequently face administration.

Clive Jones adds that “it is not acceptable for owners to treat football clubs as vanity projects - without a thought or care for the thousands of people who are Loyal Royals”.

The Wokingham Liberal Democrats fully support the ‘Sell Before We Dai' movement - the supporter-led protest group campaigning for a change in ownership at Reading FC. It’s time for the government and the EFL (English Football League) to step in.

The Wokingham Lib Dems propose the following actions:

• We call on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to look to see how it can assist the EFL to avoid the risk of administration and secure new ownership for Reading FC.
• The EFL should review its methods of disciplinary action taken against football clubs in relation to cases of mismanagement. Points deductions hurt supporters the most, rather than owners. This is the wrong way around.
• The government must accelerate any plans to instil a regulatory body to help regulate ownership of professional football clubs.

Clive Jones says “Reading Football Club has over 150 years of history behind it, and we must be doing all we can to make sure it can continue as the much-loved local institution that it is. This is the time for action from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport”