Working with Fans
A variety of groups are taking action, and there are
several initiatives designed to educate fans and/or
bring them together to help keep football safe.
By sharing information, and co-operating with the police
when trouble occurs, ordinary fans can help keep football
fun and safe for everyone.
Fans’ Embassies
| Fan Initiatives | Interactive
Website
Fans’ Embassies
Run by the Football Supporters’ Federation, the
England Fan Embassies are completely confidential and
independent and are designed to provide accurate, reliable,
up-to-date and objective information on areas of interest
to football fans, including security.
The group is run entirely by ordinary football supporters
who are interested in reducing the kind of exclusion that English supporters sometimes experience at overseas
matches and tournaments.
We have provided funding for fans’ embassies
at most England internationals, home and away, since
Euro 2000. Following an upsurge in Wales’ travelling
support, we funded fan embassies at their recent Euro
2004 qualifiers.
Now the Football Supporters Federation is working with
organisations in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and
Switzerland to develop permanent fans’ embassy
website that would offer information and advice for
football supporters travelling to club matches throughout
Europe.
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Fan Initiatives
We have a productive relationship with supporter representatives.
Our aim is to encourage fans to take responsibility
for their behaviour and reputation. To this end we work
closely with influential supporter groups, attend fans
fora and provide funding for various other fan-led initiatives.
As part of the multi-agency preparations for Euro 2004
we will be supporting a range of initiatives designed
to increase awareness of what fans will encounter in
Portugal.
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Interactive Website
We are developing an interactive website to be launched
this Spring, which will include the following:
Information on what the Home Office and its partners
are doing to help make football a positive experience
for all fans. This will include information on relevant
legislation, football banning orders, statistics on
football-related arrests, international work, co-ordination
of multi-agency interests, fan initiatives and more
besides. And the site will offer helpful information
and guidance for those planning to attend the 2004 European
Championship in Portugal and links to a range of other
informative sites.
It will also provide fans with an opportunity to have
their say on related matters and share their experiences
with us. There will be fan surveys and feed back on
what the fans are asking and what we are doing to address
their concerns.
We take a pro-active stance on all matters associated
with the football experience and the problems that can
be encountered. We listen to and work with fans. The
web site will help us demonstrate how and why this matter
is given such a high priority.
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