For the latest SLO Spotlight interview, our attention turns to League of Ireland club Shamrock Rovers and its SLO Richie Carroll.
Through this feature, we aim to elevate awareness of SLOs by providing an opportunity for SLOs to learn from each other and for supporters to grow their understanding of this important role too.
Richie has been the SLO for two years and was appointed because of his experience as a supporter. This interview comes as the ‘Hoops’ are about to begin the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League in a matter of weeks.
The Republic of Ireland is seeing a fresh emphasis on the function since the SLO Education Programme was delivered by FSE and UEFA in Dublin in 2023, with a growing network active across the country including SLOs from standalone League of Ireland women’s clubs.
How long have you been your club’s SLO and what made you decide to want to do the role for your club?
“I have been in the role for 2 years. I had been involved with the club on a voluntary basis for 15 years in various roles such as ticketing, turnstiles, and helping out in the club shop. I had also travelled extensively throughout Europe attending games so when the then-CEO approached me about taking on the role, I felt I understood the issues faced by fans home and away, and felt I could really make a difference in the role.”
What are you most proud of achieving since becoming your club’s SLO?
“I feel the greatest sense of achievement when lifelong Shamrock Rovers fans tell me they feel they now have a voice within the club that they didn’t have before. This was my main goal when I took on the role so it’s always a great sense of accomplishment when I hear it.”
Shamrock Rovers has qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Conference League. How do match days differ when it’s a European fixture?
“When it comes to European ties everything goes up a notch – security, away fans, ticketing, other clubs’ SLOs, match delegates – everything is a level above what we would be used to in our league. In particular, the interactions with other clubs’ SLOs are markedly different. The role of SLO is still relatively new in Ireland and so we are still learning and developing the role here, whereas almost all European SLOs that I have interacted with are vastly experienced. Whilst this has of course been challenging at times, they have all been very generous with their time and advice. I have learnt an enormous amount through the European experience.”
How well are you known among the staff at Shamrock Rovers and the fans of the club?
“I attended games as a fan for about 10 years before I began my stint as a volunteer so altogether I’ve been around the club for almost 25 years in total. As a result of this, I would be very well known by staff, players, management, Board Members and fans.”
If you were giving advice to other SLOs, what do you think is the key to success in the role?
“The key to success is having buy-in from the club. Regardless of how much you do or how hard you work, if the club only have you in the post as a box-ticking exercise and doesn’t value your input then your ability to make a difference will be extremely limited.”
What advice would you give to those new to the SLO role?
“Open lines of communication across your club – the Board, the security team, the stewards, the management team, and most importantly the fans – make sure they know who you are and understand your role. It’s only with clear and open communication with all these parts of the club that you can be a successful liaison between the club and the fans.”
If you could give one clear message to all supporters of your club about the SLO role, what would it be?
“It would be that the role of SLO is as a liaison only and ultimately, whilst I will always make the strongest case possible on behalf of the fans, the final decision will always be the club’s to make.”
You took part in the SLO Education Programme for the SLOs, what was the biggest takeaway for you?
“My biggest takeaway was that as a group of SLOs, Ireland has a long way to go to achieve full acknowledgement from clubs of our role’s benefits. It was clear from the training what can be achieved if we can secure the backing of our National Association and all League of Ireland clubs.”
How well do you know your counterparts in the other Irish clubs?
“I have gotten to know them very well. We have an SLO WhatsApp group where we regularly share advice and ideas. This has been a great tool to help all of us grow and develop our role within our respective clubs.”
What would you say is the biggest challenge for Irish SLOs in the coming seasons?
“As previously mentioned, buy-in from the clubs and the league as well as the support of our National Association is, and will remain, our biggest challenge. The League is growing in terms of attendance figures which means the role of SLO will become ever more important in the coming years. To be effective, the role of the SLO needs to be recognised for the value it brings and the very important link it achieves between fans and the club.
FSE would like to thank Richie Carroll and Shamrock Rovers for taking part in the series.
Our previous interview with HJK Helsinki’s SLO Kalle Kontu can be found here.
Learn more about SLOs and FSE’s role in developing the position here.
Contact us to find out more about the Supporter Liaison Officer role here.