Political heavyweights Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram have been unveiled as keynote speakers for the first Fair Game Conference to be held outside London.
Fair Game, the football campaign group which championed the creation of the Independent Football Regulator, has secured the two high profile mayors to close its annual conference, which will be held at the National Football Museum, Manchester, on March 24th and 25th, 2026.
Greater Manchester’s Burnham and his Liverpool City Region counterpart Rotheram, will join forces to discuss the future of football on March 25th.
Under the banner Building a Fairer Future for Football, the conference will bring together football’s leading minds and tackle the issues that will come under the scrutiny of the recently appointed Independent Football Regulator.
Following the success of its first two-day event in May, Fair Game is repeating the winning formula with a day of industry-focused workshops, followed by the conference itself featuring expert panels, thought-provoking discussions, and stakeholders and fans’ zones.
The workshops, which cover five streams, are designed to tackle football’s issues head-on and will bring together key voices from across the football ecosystem to discuss how the game can be fairer, more transparent, and financially sustainable.
Fair Game has a strong presence across the north with a number of member clubs including Altrincham, Bury FC, Carlisle United, Chester FC, City of Liverpool, Curzon Ashton, Darlington, FC United Women, Gateshead, Grimsby Town and Tranmere Rovers.
Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said: “Football continues to be at a crossroads and our conference aims to look at the issues facing the game as well as providing solutions that will build a fairer future for football.
“It is great to be able to bring the conference to the footballing hotbed of the North West, and to be able to hold it in the National Football Museum.
“This brings a fresh dimension to the event and the opportunity to reach more stakeholders and supporters of the beautiful game.
“Building on our last conference, we are looking to add new elements as well sticking with what was a successful two-day formula with a day of high-impact workshops on March 24th, with the conference the following day.
“We are looking forward to hosting both mayors, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, and to hear their views as our closing speakers.
“We will be announcing more speakers over the coming weeks as we create a conference that will align with the new Independent Football Regulator and the issues facing football.”
The move North certainly seems to make sense statistically, given that the last eight Premier League titles have been won by teams from Manchester or Liverpool (mostly Manchester, and blue). Looking further back, the North West holds a total of 66 top tier titles, more than any other region, and almost three times London and the rest of the South’s 23. Four of the top five teams in terms of top flight titles, meanwhile, are from either Manchester or Liverpool, with only Arsenal making an appearance from outside the region, in third place with 13 titles. Manchester’s 30 titles as a city, and Liverpool’s 29, meanwhile, dwarf London’s cumulative 21, and the rest of the South’s cumulative two, courtesy of Portsmouth, rather begging the question of why it took so long.
Up to 250 delegates are expected to attend with registration for the two day conference now open. Sponsorship opportunities for the conference are also available, along with a working agenda, on the website.
