CULTURE SECRETARY Lisa Nandy says the government wants to put grassroots football facilities in the hands of the clubs which use them in a bid to “cut through bureaucracy.”

Nandy was in Berlin on Sunday night as England suffered defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 and hopes the appearance of the men’s and women’s teams in four finals in four years can be repeated in the future through investment at the grassroots level.

The government believes the Football Foundation’s Home Advantage Programme, which helps clubs secure long-term leases to take over previously council-owned facilities, is vital in achieving that.

“We’re talking about transferring our public facilities to the public through these local clubs that are founded by and for people in our communities,” Nandy told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“They’re run by amazing people who care about their community and who are rooted in their community and want to see their kids succeed and have opportunities. But too often they can’t cut through the bureaucracy.

“They can’t take ownership of those assets. We want to put real power back in their hands.”

Meanwhile, Nandy insisted the creation of an independent regulator for the top five tiers of English football was a “top priority” amid expectation that the Football Governance Bill will be included in the King’s Speech tomorrow.

She added: “We want to ensure that football is enabled to come to an agreement about fairer financial flow, [that is] not heavy-handed, it’s light touch from the government.

“We want to make sure [the football authorities] are enabled and incentivised to do that, so we can support the next generation to come through and support top-flight football.”

The Bill did not make it through to Royal Assent after the general election was called in May.