SD Europe is happy to announce the launch of the UEFA Practical Guide to Supporter Liaison, which was written, edited and produced in a collaborative process between UEFA and SD Europe. This landmark document complements the 2011 UEFA SLO handbook, which offers a more theoretical introduction to the SLO role, and it makes a welcome contribution to the professionalisation of the SLO role.
The new handbook – over a 100 pages strong and with lots of different voices from the football community – has its main focus on the practical side of the SLO role. This is because a lot of SLOs around Europe are looking for just that: practical tools to use in their day-to-day work. The SLO role is still something of an enigma and many SLOs around Europe struggle with their tasks.
“The new UEFA Practical Guide to Supporter Liaison was partly born of the many requests we receive from clubs and SLOs for examples taken from everyday SLO practice”, says Stuart Dykes, Head of SLO Development at SD Europe, and continues: “On the other hand, the time had come for the 2011 UEFA SLO Handbook to be augmented by more contemporary guidance. We would like to thank UEFA for the constructive cooperation in producing this document. It is a fine example of how a football governing body and a supporters organisation can work together for the good of the game”.
Together with the UEFA SLO Education Programme, which SD Europe developed and delivers in conjunction with the UEFA Academy, this is another feather in the SLO cap for SD Europe. “This handbook will be very useful in the training programme, highlighting the need for practical examples of the day-to-day work among the SLOs around Europe”, concludes Lena Gustafson Wiberg, Head of SLO Training at SD Europe.
The foreword for the UEFA Practical Guide to Supporter Liaison is written by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and highlights the importance of this document.
The handbook is available for anyone interested in the SLO function to download here.
You can also read more about the guide in this interview with its main writer and editor, Tony Ernst, consultant SLO Development at SD Europe.