The Trust was represented last Saturday at the Football Supporters Association AGM, which took place last Saturday at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School.
The thrust of the meeting, besides FSA regulatory elections to their executive, was to present two excellent presentations during the morning session and several specialised topic plenary sessions in the afternoon.
First up was Meet the Regulator.
The first session was hosted by TV commentator and football expert Sam Matterface, who introduced Martyn Henderson (Independent Football Regulator). Martyn delivered an informal yet engaging presentation that effectively clarified his future role, particularly what he can and cannot do.
The not-so-good photo below shows one of the slides from Martyn’s presentation. It is interesting because its theme is inclusion, which has been strongly advocated for since the new owners took over at Dale.
With a detailed Q&A session, it became clear that Martyn wanted to involve all fans across the game in his activities when the role becomes live after the Football Bill clears Parliament. He went on to say that he wanted clubs across the country to feel free to invite him to meet fans and was prepared to give his presentation again. One suggestion was that clubs with a close geographical proximity could ask him to visit one club, with the others inviting fans to join in at a single location. The Trust is investigating the feasibility of this.
Our final morning session was a real eye-opener, thanks to former referee Rebecca Walsh sharing her experiences from within the PGMOL. She brought along the PGMOL VAR roadshow, which gave everyone in the room the chance to try their hand at being a VAR official, using real-life football footage. Could we make the same calls as the real VAR? If so, why? And more importantly, how many of our decisions matched the actual result?
The photo below, featuring Rebecca in her on-field role, was taken during the conference. It shows the beginning of Rebecca’s session and the screen used to test us budding VAR operatives!
Rebecca is a hugely entertaining person, full of engagement and with stories to tell. Her focus on VAR, from a background in football refereeing and from the hot seat itself, provided rare insight into the actual thinking and processes being used.
The session is essential for all fans who can attend one of the PGMOL roadshow meetings. While entertaining and factual, there were still some decisions that many in the room disagreed with; you cannot factor out human error, even a VAR official.
The afternoon commenced with procedural matters of the FSA AGM, followed by plenary sessions covering several topics.
Items 3 and 7 were the ones we attended; they are listed below, along with some additional observations. The complete plenary list is included at the bottom of the Article for information. Item 8 ran out of time, but informal discussions among FSA members continued into the evening on this topic.
The main session attended was “Women’s Voice in the Men’s Game.”
The session was superbly led by and guided by Hannah Kumari, the FSA’s Diversity Campaign Manager, who manages the Fans for Diversity Campaign. Hannah works with supporters across the country to promote inclusivity in the game and increase diversity in the stands on match days.
At this session she was supported by Fulham Lillies co-founder Sarah Keig who looked at the matchday experience for women who attend men’s football, with a focus on sexist chanting; where it comes from, what it means for those who experience it and how men can be allies in challenging this outdated element of terrace behaviour.
This session was both interesting and yet tinged with a sense of despair. As it progressed, several women shared their personal experiences—some were extremely distressing, while others included lighthearted banter that, although sexist, was predominantly expressed by young men who genuinely did not realise the implications of their words.
Within this context, the session explored potential ways forward. It is disappointing that women fans still endure sexist chanting; however, there was valuable feedback from those women who had confronted this behaviour. It became clear that some of the offenders were simply unaware of the impact of their actions until they were challenged; clearly, education by whatever means needs to be explored in more detail.
There is no magic solution that will bring about rapid change, but it is evident that the role of male football fans in raising awareness of this issue is crucial for making progress. The Trust outlined its work with “Her Game Too” and its targeted initiatives for the season, which include raising awareness of sexist behaviour.
Both the FSA facilitators and session participants inquired about the Trust’s efforts, its goals, and how “Her Game Too” would be involved, as the Daletrust model had generated significant interest. The Trust established several valuable contacts with other clubs and is currently engaged in discussions with fans from Sheffield and Hull regarding the possibility of organising a mini-conference on this topic.
Our thanks must go to Hannah and Sarah for encouraging everyone to approach this topic with honesty and engage in valued debate.
The Daletrust and our HGT Ambassadors look forward to working more closely with Hannah and her team in the future. We recognise that there is much to be done that will benefit fans across the country, and we plan to reach out to offer our full support and assistance.
Women’s game – Led by Deborah Dilworth, who is the Head of Women’s Football at the FSA, she gave a comprehensive update on the radical changes for the pyramid being proposed this season. She explained her consultation process with fans and the steps they have taken so far to advocate for fans’ voices.
Deborah’s focus was on the higher leagues within the FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL), including the Lionesses and international football. While its relevance may not be immediately apparent at Dale’s level, it highlights the rich potential available for women footballers. Understanding and appreciating women’s football at the grassroots level is just one part of what makes it an essential aspect of the sport.
Awareness is essential; it can help set goals to strive for and provide a foundation that underpins every aspect of the women’s game. This update on the progress made was both insightful and engaging. Much work is being done to promote and facilitate fan involvement in women’s football, and for most of us, this effort often goes unnoticed. However, today it did not.
A complete write-up, including all motions submitted and voted on, can be viewed in full on the FSA website. HERE
Further information regarding the FSA HERE
Dale Supporters Trust is an affiliate member of the FSA
