There are more than 120 FA Council members, including some of the most influential figures in the game, such as the English Football League chair, Rick Parry, Professional Footballers\u2019 Association chief executive, Maheta Molango, and senior Premier League executives.<\/p>\n
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If you don’t have the Guardian app, download it from the\u00a0iOS App Store<\/a>\u00a0on iPhone or the\u00a0Google Play store<\/a>\u00a0on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n FA Council members can attend England and FA Cup matches \u2013 including the FA Cup semi-finals and final \u2013 held at Wembley and bring one guest free of charge. They receive complimentary meals and drinks, and sit in premium seats.<\/p>\n \u201cFA Council members are invited as our guests to the England matches and FA competitions that we host,\u201d an FA spokesperson said. \u201cThey are just one of the groups invited to these fixtures, alongside others such as the competing clubs and any visiting national associations. The hospitality offering at these matches was updated over the past year to better reflect the hospitality offered by clubs and other football stakeholders, which has resulted in an increase in expenditure in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n The accounts indicate ticket and hospitality costs are likely to increase further due to the Fellowship of Council, an honorary membership scheme introduced in 2017. It allows members who have served on the FA Council for at least nine years to continue receiving free tickets, food and drinks even after stepping down.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the number of members of the Fellowship increases annually, the costs associated with match tickets and hospitality are likely to increase,\u201d the FA company secretary, Richard McDermott, writes in the accounts. \u201cWe propose to introduce changes to the benefits that go with membership of the Fellowship so that from 2027 these costs will start to reduce.\u201d<\/p>\n
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