All 91 league clubs employ someone to address fans’ concerns, but not all of them have enough power to change things
By Richard Foster for the Guardian Sport Network
Jock Stein once said that football is nothing without fans, but it does not always feel that way. With clubs so focused on driving up revenues, the concerns of supporters are often forgotten. However, supporters should have a voice. Seven years ago, Uefa made it mandatory for clubs playing in their competitions to employ a supporter liaison officer to act as a bridge between clubs and fans, helping to improve dialogue between the two sides. English clubs have followed suit. All 91 clubs in the Premier League and Football League now have liaison officers.
As with many positive aspects of supporter engagement, the origins of the role are in Germany. Borussia Mönchengladbach became the first club in the world to appoint an SLO in 1989. Seven years later, they made the position full-time and now every Bundesliga club has at least three full-time staff in place to work with fans.
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