As another busy year starts to come to an end, SD Europe is preparing to host its second-ever AGM and network meeting in Dublin on November 19th. The weekend will also see partners in the Clubs and Supporters for Better Governance in Football project meet for the final time before the project formally concludes on December 31st.
SD Europe became a pan-European members’ organisation in its own right in September 2016, having been originally formed in 2007, and celebrated its first AGM in Malmö last November. The development has given members and representatives from the wider SD Europe network an opportunity to have a direct say in its objectives and operations for the first time.
A number of new members will be officially welcomed into the organisation later this month, with guests and stakeholders from across football invited to participate at the meeting at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
SD Europe’s 2016 AGM meeting in Malmö
The day previous (Saturday, November 18th), will see the SD Europe team host the final official meeting of the CSBGiF project.
Running since January 2016, the project has brought together six member-run clubs and five national supporter organisations from across Europe with a focus on good governance, sustainable finance and member & volunteer engagement. Workshops were held in Manchester, Malmö and Gelsenkirchen over the past two years, supplemented by 18 exchange visits over the duration of the project.
The final meeting in Dublin will highlight the benefits and improvements made by partners within their own organisations as a result of the project’s activities, as well as a discussion about how the learning and sharing of best practice can continue long after the project’s end date. Representatives from across the SD Europe network will also be present to contribute, learn and participate.
The overall impact of the CSGBiF project will be outlined in a final report due in the first weeks of the new year, before which a dedicated online training tool for member-run clubs and national supporters organisations will be launched.
“Last year’s AGM in Malmö was a special moment for the SD Europe network as we marked our transition into becoming a pan-European, independent organisation, which entails ownership and direct participations by our members,” chairman Diego Riva said.
“Twelve months on, we will gather for our AGM in Dublin to reflect on a busy, exciting but challenging year for our members, to discuss our plans and activities for the coming year, as well as for the final formal project meeting of our current Erasmus+ project along with our partners. The SD Europe board is delighted by the impact the Erasmus+ project has for everyone involved and looks forward to exploring how the many outcomes can continue to benefit the SD Europe network for some time to come.”
For more information about the Clubs and Supporters for Better Governance in Football project, see Our Project. If you are interested in learning more about SD Europe’s work and how we might help your organisation, please get in touch via our Contact page.