Fans to make voices heard at football governance conference

The season might have ended recently, but fans of League of Ireland clubs are being urged to have their say on their role behind the scenes at a conference in the Metropole Hotel this weekend.

Hosted by Cork City owners, FORAS, the two-day event, entitled 'The heart of the game - Why supporters are vital to football', will attempt to explore how fans can solve some of the long-term problems in the domestic game. 

It is preceded by a nationwide survey which received 1500 responses and is part of the 'Improving football governance through supporter involvement and community ownership' initiative, funded by the European Commission.

“We’ve heard a lot about the problems in the league, and who is and is not to blame. For us, that debate has led us to the point where we’re all asking what part we – clubs, fans and supporters’ trusts – can play to fix them, and to do so collectively,” conference organiser Niamh O'Mahony says.

"We want to show that it is possible to have fans and clubs working in tandem – like they are already doing at so many clubs around the country – and we want to demonstrate that this can improve the game nationwide, not just on our own doorsteps.”

The UK's two most famous examples of fan-owned clubs, AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester, will be represented at the conference, along with clubs from Sweden and Italy.

Members for every club in the domestic game have been invited, with reps from UEFA and the FAI both set to attend.

Cork City will be strongly represented too, with manager Tommy Dunne and chief executive Tim Murphy set to give speeches, alongside several well-known journalists and public relations representatives.

Beginning at 1pm, Saturday afternoon will see workshops on improving governance within the game and increasing community ties, followed by a discussion on fan activism at 6.30pm, led by Riccardo Bertolin of My Roma Supporters Trust.

A discussion on the improving quality of the domestic league and the growing number of ex-League of Ireland players in the national squad will follow, with speakers including Dunne and former City boss Damien Richardson.

Sunday will start with a workshop on maintaining fan activism within the domestic game, followed by a succession of public events. The first of those, looking at what the league can learn from fan activism across Europe, will kick-off at 12.30pm and will feature Phil Frampton from FC United and Wimbledon's Kris Stewart.

There will also be a discussion on the matchnight experience, with input from Stuart Dykes, a consultant for Supporters Direct.

Those interested in attending the public sessions of the conference are urged to confirm their interest by emailing loifanforum@gmail.com, while there are limited spaces in the work shop sessions, with priority given to officials and supporters of LoI clubs. Those interested can email ecproject@corkcityfc.net.