League of Ireland Workshop - Towards a Sustainable League

The Irish Supporters Network (ISN) will hold a League of Ireland workshop at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday 26 March. The theme of the event is ‘Towards A Sustainable League’ and the workshop will have a range of sessions that will be of interest to league clubs, officials and fans. They are also looking for fan input ahead of the event too.

The session will kick off with the topic of ‘Achieving Sustainable Finance’ and will be led by ISN representatives involved in Supporters Direct (SD) Europe’s Clubs and Supporters for Better Governance in Football project. The content will focus on the conflict between short and long-term goals, as well as touching on early warning signs of financial concerns among other items.

In the afternoon, Supporter Liaison Officers (SLO) from a number of League of Ireland clubs will lead a discussion on what the role of the SLO can mean for Irish football clubs. The position is a requirement under UEFA licencing and for all Premier Division clubs.

The event will conclude with a session on ‘What do Supporters Want? Ask them’. This will focus on fan feedback and taking action when and where is possible.

With this final session in mind, League of Ireland fans are being asked to complete a match night experience survey (see here). The results of which will form part of the discussion on the day. The aim of the survey is to highlight examples of good practice and new ideas from around the League that can be shared with all who attend.

On the eve of the 2014 FAI Cup Final, ISN ran a workshop at the Aviva Stadium with the theme of ‘League of Ireland Supporters – Making the Vital Difference’. A summary of that event from extratime.ie can be seen here. Next month’s workshop will build on developments from that previous event.

“At the first ISN event in the Aviva Stadium, participants saw how important it is for League of Ireland clubs and supporters to highlight the positives and the good work being done in our league,” said ISN spokesman Aidan McNelis.

“In taking a closer look at areas of interest such as Sustainable Finance, the SLO role, and the essential work that can be done around Fan Dialogue and Engagement, participants will go home with a better understanding of what needs to be done in order to make progress within their own football clubs and supporters organisations.”

If you are interested in attending this year’s event, more details are available here.