A Premier League club must appoint a board-level official accountable for fan engagement, publish a fan engagement plan before each season, and operate a fan advisory board with at least six fan members that meets at least twice a year.
When the standard began and what it covers
Clubs approved the Fan Engagement Standard in November 2022. The first full cycle began in the 2023/24 pre-season, when each club published its own fan engagement plan.
The standard is built on five themes. Together they cover leadership inside the club, consultation, structured dialogue, public communication, and annual review.
The five themes and their commitments
Here are the themes and the commitment attached to each one.
| Theme | The core commitment |
|---|---|
| Leadership and culture | A nominated board level official accountable for fan engagement, and published channels for fan queries |
| Listen | Consulting fans before a significant change to a heritage asset, and continuing to engage supporters' clubs and the wider fanbase |
| Collaborate and participate | A fan advisory board, working groups on topics it defines, and existing fan platforms feeding into it |
| Share | A fan engagement plan published before each season, communication from the ownership, chair or chief executive, and a statement in the annual report |
| Learn and improve | Support for supporters' groups, training for the officials involved, an annual assessment of the fan advisory board, and attendance at league working groups |
Taken together, the themes connect who leads fan engagement inside the club, how fans are consulted and collaborated with, what the club publishes, and how the work is reviewed each season.
The board-level official, the plan, and reply duties
Each club nominates a board-level official to lead fan engagement activity and to be accountable for it. If that person cannot attend a meeting or event, the club may nominate an equitable alternate to carry out those duties.
Each season, that official prepares and presents a fan engagement plan to the club board. The plan sets out the engagement activity carried out in the previous season and the key issues and concerns raised by fans, and it must be made public on the club website before the start of each season.
Clubs also publish channels for fan queries, including a fan engagement email address and phone numbers. They commit to replying in a timely manner to queries raised through official channels, and to those raised through the Independent Football Ombudsman.
Before any significant amendment to a club heritage asset, the club must consult fans in a timely manner. The duty is attached to the proposed change, so the consultation comes before the amendment is made.
How the fan advisory board works
A fan advisory board is a consultative body, and its members hold no fiduciary duties. Its primary purpose is two-way dialogue with the club: exchanging information and ideas, and securing feedback from a fan's perspective. A terms of reference sets out its mandate as an advisory body, and the club board holds ultimate responsibility for it.
Each board has a minimum of six fan members plus club representatives, and a chair or co-chairs elected from the membership. The nominated board-level official holds permanent membership. Members who are not from the club rotate off periodically as the club thinks appropriate, for example every three years. The board meets a minimum of two times per year, and the club's ownership, chair or chief executive attends a minimum of one of those meetings per year.
Its proceedings and the information it sees are covered by a confidentiality agreement, and its members are bound by a code of conduct; a club may remove a member who breaches either. Any intellectual property created in the course of the board's existence belongs to the club. Members are given training each year on club operations, social media and mental health awareness.
Clubs also set up working groups on specific topics defined by the fan advisory board. Input from existing platforms such as fans forums, fan panels and fan surveys is fed into the board's discussions as well.
Each season, the chair of the fan advisory board assesses its effectiveness with the nominated board-level official. The league also provides training for that official and the supporter liaison officer, and each club attends at least two Premier League fan engagement working groups.
What clubs must say to fans each season
Beyond the pre-season publication of the fan engagement plan, the ownership, chair or chief executive must communicate with the fanbase at least twice each season. Those updates cover club developments as well as the club's priorities and plans.
Each club also includes a fan engagement statement in its financial annual report. That creates a set pattern across the season: a published plan before it starts, direct communication during it, and a formal statement in the annual report.
FAQ
What is a fan advisory board at a Premier League club?
It is a formal consultative body for two-way dialogue between the club and its fans. Its job is to exchange information and ideas and to secure feedback from a fan perspective, while the club board keeps ultimate responsibility.
Do Premier League clubs have to consult their fans?
Yes. A club commits to consulting fans in a timely manner before any significant amendment to a club heritage asset.
What is a Premier League fan engagement plan?
It is the seasonal document prepared by the nominated board-level official and presented to the club board. It covers the engagement activity carried out in the previous season and the key issues and concerns raised by fans, and it is published before the next season starts.
How often does a fan advisory board meet?
The minimum is two meetings each year. In addition, the ownership, chair or chief executive must attend at least one of those meetings each year.