New report OUTLINES HOW REGULATOR COULD CHANGE THE FUTURE FOR FANS
“Football clubs are the centres of their communities and to ignore them is neglecting not just decades of history and tradition but also risking the long-term sustainability of the club.”
Mick Totten
Author of Effective Fan Engagement
FAIR GAME today released a comprehensive 111-page report on Fan Engagement, with the simple conclusion: It is time fans are taken seriously.
The report entitled Evaluating Effective Fan Engagement is the result of months of hard work by the acclaimed academic Mick Totten, the former Senior Lecturer at the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University.
The report coincides with the Football Governance Bill, which is currently making its way through the House of Commons. The Bill is looking to address several of the big concerns in football and give fans a proper say.
Fair Game’s report highlights major weaknesses in fan engagement across the football pyramid, and reveals how the lack of regulation exposes fans to the potential lack of care from club owners concerned more with pleasing shareholders than valuing its fans.
It concludes with 11 recommendations ranging from transparency to democratic fan representation, and from ring-fenced funding to identifying who exactly is a fan.
Mick Totten, the report’s author, said:
“We looked at examples across the UK and beyond. And it’s clear when fan engagement is done correctly, the club thrives.
“Football clubs are the centres of their communities and to ignore them is neglecting not just decades of history and tradition but also risking the long-term sustainability of the club.”
Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, added:
“This is a pivotal opportunity for English football to integrate fan engagement within its governance.
“While undoubtedly a positive milestone in efforts to move away from the ‘fans-as-customers’ mindset, the Bill is still a significant way off from establishing meaningful fan engagement as a core value, rather than a ‘checklist’ exercise.
“What is needed is a road map to help football get there. This report provides it.”
On 28 and 29 May, Fair Game will be hosting its annual conference at AFC Wimbledon where the topic of fan engagement will be among the issues being put under the spotlight. For more information on the conference and to buy tickets, click here.
