Supporter Liaison Officers (SLO) from across Europe gathered at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, this week for a two-day SLO Workshop aimed at clubs in this season’s UEFA competitions.
Hosted by Football Supporters Europe (FSE), UEFA, and the European Club Association (ECA), the event programme was focused on providing practical insights and knowledge-sharing sessions to support those working in the SLO role on European matchdays.
A range of topics were covered, including the work that FSE (and previously SD Europe) has led in relation to SLO and fan work in recent years, the regulations related to the SLO role in European competitions, the importance of pre-match preparation, as well as the relationship between the SLO, Security Officers and police. The workshop also gave SLOs the opportunity to share feedback from their experiences throughout the season so far which will help to facilitate improvements in and around stadiums on match days during European competitions.
Following the SLO workshop, FSE Head of SLO Development & Training Lena Gustafson Wiberg said; “Following years of driving the SLO role’s implementation, we have learnt that SLOs benefit greatly from an opportunity like the last two days. Not only can they exchange their experiences first hand with each other, but also expand their network of SLOs, which can aid significantly with match preparations should two SLOs’ clubs meet. Every stakeholder involved benefits from this platform being provided to SLOs from clubs competing in UEFA Club Competitions.
FSE Executive Director Ronan Evain said; “We are pleased with the success of our collaboration with UEFA and the ECA to bring the event to fruition. It has been a long road to ingrain the significance of SLOs into the European game, but having the supporters, clubs and UEFA working together on this workshop demonstrates the progress we have made.”
UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti said; “The heartbeat of European football lies in the unwavering passion of its supporters. UEFA is committed to continuing to develop and champion the pivotal role Supporter Liaison Officers play in match preparations and in bridging the gap between clubs and fans. Today’s workshop is jointly hosted by UEFA, the European Club Association and Football Supporters Europe which illustrates the joint commitment and unity from key stakeholders to ensure fans, clubs and UEFA are working together to significantly improve matchday experiences for all fans during our competitions.
ECA Chief Executive Officer Charlie Marshall said; “SLOs are a vital part of football who steward that most important relationship between clubs and their fans. ECA’s commitment is to empower clubs through renewed joint efforts with our members and our key stakeholders UEFA and FSE. Our collective aim remains to foster collaboration, share best practices and to significantly improve the matchday experience for all fans of the game.”
Continuing the cooperation from this week’s event, SLOs from all participating clubs will be included in UEFA’s Safety & Security conference ahead of next season alongside their club’s Safety Officers. The work in support of the SLO role will also continue through the delivery of the UEFA Academy SLO Education Programme to club SLOs through their national associations, the coordination of FSE’s TPDS Erasmus+ project, with a specific focus on creating industry standards for the role, as well as the promotion of the role amongst football stakeholders more generally. The European SLO network, coordinated by FSE, will also meet once again in 2024.