The Fan Engagement Pod

This episode is a chat with Gerard Lawlor, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Football League.Gerard has been CEO since 2021. Professionally, he was in the hospitality industry as a chef for years, but crucially, always a fan and latterly director and chairman of Cliftonville FC. He has clear understanding of the needs of his member clubs both as institutions but also as businesses that need to satisfy fans both as customer and stakeholder, whilst building new loyalties amongst non-traditional fans, particularly women and girls.  I just sat back and listened for large parts of this interview. He had so much interesting stuff to say about a league that is clearly undergoing a renaissance, and clubs that are finding themselves more popular than they’ve been for a long time.You can hear how their success was supercharged by Covid, and how their strength really is that they’re close to their fans. I really enjoyed chatting with Gerard, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to it too.  Episode LinksNorthern Ireland Football League: https://www.nifootballleague.com Glentoran FC: https://www.glentoran.comLarne FC https://larnefc.com Episode links available in the podcast description. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from all the Fan Engagement Indexes (new one out very soon).Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.

This episode discusses policing, at risk fans. We look at how to change the approach of dealing with anti-social behaviour and problem fans from one of removal and banning, to education and helping them to become better citizens. GuestsOwen West, former Chief Superintendent at West Yorkshire Police and now Senior Lecturer in Policing at Edge Hill University: https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/persons/owen-west Amanda Jacks, Caseworker at The Football Supporters Association: https://thefsa.org.uk/our-work/casework Kristine Green, Director of Grimsby Town, as well as something of an expert in communications between police and fans, and the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer: https://gtfc.co.uk/kristine-awarded-the-bem Sidney Wise, Writer and Researcher, Think Fan Engagement: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidney-wise-231431201   Links‘Cleveland Police slammed over Hartlepool United v Stockport County match dogs tweet: https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/cleveland-police-slammed-over-hartlepool-25668716Mark Roberts' cocaine remarks: https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/football-fans-staggered-by-police-chiefs-ignorance-towards-safe-standing-309247 Liam Scully, CEO at Lincoln City, condemning Roberts' remarks: https://www.weareimps.com/news/2022/november/CEO-resonds-to-police-chief-claims The Anfield Wrap Podcast - special (with Amanda Jacks from The FSA) https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2022/07/podcast-dark-side-of-football-paying-price-for-passion-special)? Standard Liege intervention programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36516017Germany’s fanprojekt programme: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2022/09/12/is-germany-s-innovative-approach-to-football-hooliganism-paying-off_5996604_9.htmlEFL sanctions guidelines for clubs: https://thefsa.org.uk/news/efl-unveils-new-sanctions-policy/ Apologies for the poor sound quality in places. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.

Part oneAs we head towards a new season, I lay out the position we appear to be in when it comes to Fan Engagement as part of the government’s Fan Led Review. This is after all the context for every discussion about reform of Fan Engagement. I look at where The Premier League are and where The EFL are on this critical issue.Part twoThe main part of this episode is where I try to get my head around a major recommendation of the Fan Led Review’s proposed reforms - and a major plank of the Premier League’s new Fan Engagement Standard. I chat with Shaun Lockwood COO of Doncaster Rovers and Dave Matthews Jones, Fans Elected Director of Cambridge United. This is part of my attempt to create and contribute to the discussion I think we need. Both clubs are at different stages of implementing Shadow Board structures, and I chat with them about where they are, and why they think the structure matters to their clubs - and football more widely. I’ll be continuing this theme in the coming months, announcing some exciting news soon about how. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net @thinkengagement or look for us on LinkedIn or Facebook. Email us via hello@fanengagement.net