Bury AFC has welcomed "radical" government plans to transform the running of football clubs in England.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has outlined proposals on how it will give fans a greater say on how clubs are run and to protect clubs from financial failings.
The White Paper, published earlier this week, also details plans to introduce an independent regulator established in law to oversee the financial stability of the game.
The regulator will implement a new licensing system requiring clubs to demonstrate sound financial business models and good corporate governance as part of an application process before being allowed to compete.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Bury AFC said the club hoped the White Paper would “help to preserve the security of football clubs in years to come".
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It said: “We were pleased to see that the White Paper includes many of the proposals we have been supporting throughout the process.
"Critically, this includes the introduction of an independent football regulator, which we have always believed was essential in converting well meaning intentions into real action.
"Football clubs continue to attract the wrong type of people as owners. It is a soft target with limited governance and poor enforcement of its own rules.
“We need football to be unattractive to the wrong people, and encourage, nurture and reward those who demonstrate the right behaviours and good intentions.
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“This is a long-term cultural change, not simply a legislative one.
"A regulator is not an instant or perfect solution to football’s problems, but it can create a better environment where this change can happen. This is where it starts.
“Bury fans have heard the words 'lessons will be learned' enough times already. It’s time for some real action before more clubs are lost.”
Last week, members of the club met with the new Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer MP, where they discussed the “anger and frustration” felt by fans after Bury FC were expelled from the English Football League in 2019.
The plans come months after the government announced “major reforms” to men’s football last April.
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