Representatives from the German Football League’s (DFL) Fan Affairs department travelled to London back in April to attend a meeting of Premier League supporter liaison officers (SLOs).
Ben Kandler, who was also involved with SD Europe’s recent LIAISE workshop in Stockholm, and his colleague Eric Roda Gracia were in England for three days, and attended one of the Premier League’s regular SLO meetings as part of their schedule.
Both leagues made a presentation about their ongoing efforts around their respective SLO programmes, while Stoke City and West Ham United presented their SLO work in more detail. The presentations were then followed by a Q&A involving all in attendance on the day.
Speaking about the visit to London in Stockholm later in the month, Ben noted the differing approaches between the two leagues as well as the value in seeing how other leagues use the role.
Bundesliga clubs in the top division will each be required to have three full-time SLOs from next season.
The DFL delegation joined their counterparts from the Premier League office and the SLO group for Arsenal’s Europa League game against CSKA Moscow during the visit, and also attended the Premier League game between Watford v Burnley at Vicarage Road.
The value of such exchange visits is seen throughout SD Europe’s work, most recently as part of the Clubs and Supporters for Better Governance in Football project – where a series of exchange visits was highlighted as one of the biggest impacts of the two-year collaborative partnership. (Read the project’s outcomes in full)
SD Europe’s newest Erasmus+ project, LIAISE, will also feature a series of exchange visits involving project partners and other relevant stakeholders and organisations.
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SD Europe implements the supporter liaison officer (SLO) role on behalf of Uefa. For more information, visit sdeurope.eu/slo. To read more news about the SLO role, visit: SLO news or get in touch with the team via our Contact Us page.