Supporter Liaison Officers

Under Article 45 of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, clubs across Europe are required to appoint a supporter liaison officer (SLO) to ensure proper and constructive discourse between them and their fans. The introduction of this licensing requirement constitutes a landmark in club-supporter relations and emphasises the importance attached to dialogue and communication between clubs and fans.

UEFA believe that the benefits of the SLO role include:

• Improved relationships with fans (national team supporters’ club, national fan organisations, relevant fan groups at club level)
• Greater insight into supporter viewpoints
• Financial benefits through bigger crowds, higher merchandise sales and sponsorship revenue with fans feeling a closer identification
• Less violence with better conflict management

In partnership with the Scottish FA and SPFL, we established the introduction of Supporter Liaison Officers (often abbreviated to SLO) in Scottish football. The SLO role requires clubs participating in UEFA competitions to appoint a full-time member of staff  to work and engage with supporters, acting as a key point of contact. The introduction of this licensing requirement constitutes a landmark in club-supporter relations and emphasises the importance attached to dialogue and communication between clubs and fans.

Our activities have included the creation and distribution of a best practice handbook, SLO development days and facilitation of communication channels for SLOs to network and share ideas among themselves.