What could Andy Burnham as Prime Minister mean for sport?

Andy Burnham is only into his second day as the UK's Prime Minister, but already people are wondering what this could mean for sport.

Consistency appears guaranteed, because Lisa Nandy will stay as the secretary of state for the department of culture, media and sport (DCMS).

The pair already have a close working relationship.

Nandy is the MP for Wigan which sits within the area of the Greater Manchester mayor, a post which Burnham had held for the past nine years.

Everton season-ticket holder Burnham is an avid sports fan and has backed several initiatives throughout his political career.

After being elected as the new MP for Makerfield last month, he gave his speech outside Edge Green Street - home to Ashton Town of the North West Counties League.

The 56-year-old held Nandy's position at the DCMS for 18 months from January 2008.

From the Olympics, to infrastructure to how sports are governing, BBC Sport looks at what his premiership could bring.

The UK last hosted the Olympics in 2012, and London mayor Sadiq Khan is eyeing up another bid for the 2040 event.

But in his role as Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham has already backed an Olympic Games for the north.

In February, Burnham said, external it would be a "defining moment for the north" and "a powerful opportunity to unlock future growth".

A northern Olympics bid would fit Burnham's vision of taking some of the attention away from the capital.

The 2035 Women's World Cup will be hosted by England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Burnham has backed the regeneration of Old Trafford with a new ground for Manchester United.

Plans are set to be signed off by Trafford Council on 21 July, with the intention the 100,000 venue would be ready for the Women's World Cup.

Might a men's World Cup bid get government backing now too?

Burnham has also supported shifting FA Cup semi-finals away from Wembley, having been exclusively hosted at the stadium since 2008.

Burnham has not shied away from clashing with the Premier League and football's authorities.

In 2023, he wrote to Premier League insisting that Everton's 10-point penalty for breaching profit and sustainability rules should be declared "null and void".

There should be no concerns about the future of the independent football regulator, set up by Nandy and whose powers are just starting to kick in.

In 2020, Burnham was the co-author of a manifesto for change called 'Saving Our Beautiful Game'.

It laid out a number of recommendations, including "an effective and independent body to oversee the financial regulation of the game".

Burnham has long been involved with fans' groups and he founded Supporters Direct, one of the forerunner organisations to the Football Supporters' Association.

He backs expanding supporter ownership and representation, in 2022 creating a taskforce for fans to buy Oldham Athletic., external

The club was eventually bought by local businessman Frank Rothwell, with the supporters' foundation taking a 3% shareholding and a seat on the board.

There could be a ban on unlicensed casinos from sponsoring sports teams, too, with Burnham a long-time critic of the negative effects of gambling.

An eight-week consultation has opened, external to consider proposals. Burnham's Everton have a link to Stake.com, a crypto casino without a licence to operate in the UK.

Burnham was also a staunch supporter of justice for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

His work as an MP partly led to the Hillsborough Law, which was passed last week and is intended to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state.

When Burham was at the DCMS he ordered the first review of the "crown jewels" sports events in 10 years.

It recommended that the home Ashes cricket series be made free-to-view, but this was shelved when Labour lost power in 2010.

Sir Keir Starmer's government had recently proposed new legislation to prevent streaming and catch-up rights being put behind a paywall for UK viewers.

Burnham is a huge rugby league fan, serving as president of the Rugby Football League and is a Leigh Leopards supporter.

"I would back this sport from the highest office," Burnham said recently. "This sport does need more. Where's the investment in the grassroots facilities?"

In his time as the MP for Leigh, Burnham was a driving force behind the construction of Leigh Sports Village.

The 12,000-capacity stadium is the home to Leigh Leopards, plus the Manchester United women's team and the men's youth teams.

It also hosted four games at the Women's Euros in 2022.

In March, Burnham began the process of trying to get golf's Ryder Cup to the north of England for the first time in nearly 60 years.

Bolton's Hulton Park would be the venue, although the £250m course has not yet been built on the historic estate.

A decision on the host of the 2035 Ryder Cup is not expected until around 2029.

But with Burnham in power, could it have a greater chance of taking place?

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