Fulfilling the SLO Role

To do the job properly, the SLO needs to receive good information from all sides. It is therefore essential that the SLO is credible and has the respect and acceptance of everyone involved, i.e. the club, the fans, the national association, the league, the police, the stewards, and others.

When it comes to decisions made by the club management, it may often be preferable for these decisions to be communicated to the fans by the SLO rather than fans simply reading about them in the newspaper or on the club website. At the same time, the fans can submit their suggestions to the club via the SLO. ln this process, the SLO can help the club make better decisions by communicating the views, needs and concerns of the fans to the club management. SLOs therefore have an active role to play in shaping club policy and processes and are not simply there to provide a service.

Building relationships with the various stakeholders is a key part of the SLO’s job. This involves talking not only to fans but also to the police and the organisations responsible for crowd control. One way of doing this is at a pre-match security meeting, where potential problems associated with that particular game can be discussed. The SLO can play an important role in this by communicating the mood among supporters to the police and stewards.

It is in everyone’s interests for matches to pass off peacefully and providing fans with reliable information helps to achieve this. SLOs know their own fans, their own cities, and their own fan culture. This makes them well-placed to exchange valuable information, such as how to get to the stadium, where fans can park, which pub away supporters can use safely, what fans are allowed to take inside the stadium, whether supporters have been involved in trouble recently, etc. In addition, fans know that in the SLO they have someone who will communicate with police and stewards on their behalf. For the home club, this exchange of information between SLOs means they know what to expect from the away fans and can prepare accordingly. They know whether some elements of the visiting supporters have a reputation for trouble, for example, and they know how supporters will be travelling to the ground. This allows clubs to differentiate, rather than treating all away fans in the same way, meaning that fans are better treated.

What Does This Mean In Practice?

It is important to understand that we are at the beginning of a process and that this process can only involve minimum requirements in the beginning. The SLO is not a recognised job as such – everyone knows what a taxi driver is and does, but few understand the role of the SLO. It will therefore require a lot of learning by doing in the initial period, in addition to basic training. Networks at national and European level will also help SLOs to exchange experience, learn from each other, and further raise standards.

In liaising between the club on one side and the fans on the other, the role of the SLO has been likened to trying to ride two horses at the same time. The SLO has to make sure they stay close together. If the SLO puts too much weight on only one horse, i.e. representing the interests of one side more than the other, they are not doing their job properly and will not be effective. The two sides will drift apart.

Another important thing to understand is that the SLO is a communicator, not a ‘firefighter’. One task of the SLO is to try to prevent trouble from happening. The SLO does this by educating, communicating, informing, persuading and engaging with fans. The aim is to encourage supporters to take responsibility for their own actions. Self-regulation by fans will always be the best form of prevention, and modern police strategies as laid down in the EU Handbook for Police Cooperation now recognise the urgent need to develop close links and engage in dialogue with supporter groups and, of course, with SLOs. But if violence does occur, then it is too late – the intervention of the SLO is over and they have to hand over to the police or stewards. Prevention and self-regulation are the key words here. This involves making violence a taboo and promoting respect and tolerance for other fans and for minorities who attend football matches. Encouraging fans to write and commit to a code of conduct is one way of approaching this task.

The SLO is better placed than the security officer to achieve self-regulation among fans, as they are one of them. Supporters are far more likely to trust and listen to the SLO. To maintain this trust, the SLO has to treat sensitive information about fans confidentially, and clubs should understand that the SLO would not be able to tell them everything that comes to their attention. In addition, whereas the security officer may only see the crime, the SLO sees the process that may lead to that crime. This is why we believe the SLO and the security officer should be two separate roles. This is also why credibility is so important.

These days, however, an SLO is much more than a mediator between club and fans. As part of their role, the SLO sometimes takes on tasks that fit more the profile of a travel agent, a customer relations manager or a counsellor.

This is precisely why the SLO should be chosen from among the supporters whenever possible. The SLO must be present among the fans. The SLO must know them and be known and accepted by them. Only then can they assess the mood among supporters. Only then can they understand the problems fans may face and their needs and wants. It is a difficult job that demands a lot of resilience and hard work. We therefore recommend the appointment of a genuine supporter.