In December 2019, the Erasmus+ LIAISE project came to an end after two years of training workshops and exchange visits.
What is LIAISE?
The project aims to “to build stronger and more mutually beneficial relationships for the good of the European game by developing the supporter liaison officer [SLO] role and its implementation.” It is led by Football Supporters Europe’s (FSE) long-term partner SD Europe, supported by UEFA, and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, with input from thirteen partner organisations, including leagues, national associations, national supporters’ organisations, and FSE.
In terms of activities, LIAISE involved a series of training workshops and exchange visits hosted across Europe. You can find a full breakdown of these events on the SD Europe website.
FSE’s Involvement
FSE participated in three educational workshops. The first, in Prague, focussed on supporter liaison. The second took place in Sofia, highlighting an integrated safety, security and service approach at football matches. The third was in Lisbon, where partners discussed the importance of supporter engagement. During the last workshop, FSE Board member and FSA Cymru coordinator Paul Corkrey presented an overview of the activities of the Welsh Fans’ Embassies.
In addition, FSE took part in three visits to Stockholm, Malmo, and Białystok. These were intended to facilitate the exchange of best practice across different sectors of the game. Although wide-ranging, FSE’s most novel contribution was on the position of Fans’ Embassies and their relationship with national team SLOs.
Outcomes
Looking back at two years of successful cooperation with SD Europe on the LIAISE project, FSE Executive Director Ronan Evain said:
“We are extremely grateful that our friends from SD Europe involved FSE in such a major European project. We have learned a lot from the project partners and experts. We are convinced that it will have a significant impact on the development of the SLO role, the establishment of heterogenous European standards in fan dialogue, and the overall understanding of the work of the SLOs.”
Resources
National Action Plans
- Bulgaria National Action Plan
- Czechia National Action Plan
- France National Action Plan
- Poland National Action Plan
- Portugal National Action Plan
A draft EU Council Resolution and expert visit reports will be published in due course.