Football Supporters Europe is delighted to introduce its newly appointed National Team Fans Coordinator, Jussi Hartikainen. He joins just in time to enhance preparations for EURO 2024 hosted in Germany next year and will be leading on all matters relating to national team fans.
Continue reading “Introducing FSE’s new National Team Fans Coordinator”Author: FSE
2030 & 2034: It’s the end of the World Cup as we know it
FIFA continues its cycle of destruction against the greatest tournament on earth.
FIFA has encouraged two rival bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, South America (Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina) and Europe & Africa (Spain, Portugal and Morocco), to combine into one bid for 2030. In doing so, FIFA narrowed down the confederations eligible to bid for 2034 to countries from Asia and Oceania only. This leaves just one country within these regions with expressed public interest in hosting the 2034 edition, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The 2030 format announced on 4 October 2023 will be horrendous for supporters, disregards the environment, and rolls out the red carpet to a host for 2034 with an appalling human rights record. End to end, the 2030 tournament will cover six countries, six time zones apart and could feature round trips of over 20,000km. All to allow Saudi Arabia to bid for 2034 uncontested. FIFA has since reportedly given Australia (and any other interested parties) a meagre 25 days to compile a rival bid.
The announced plan for 2030 shows no consideration for match-going supporters The costs for fans will be astronomical should their team be drawn to play in South America for one game, only to then set course for Europe and/or North Africa for the remainder of the tournament.
FIFA totally neglects the impact the proposal will have on the planet and its own commitments to environmental sustainability. The unnecessary air travel that teams, national associations, journalists, tournament staff and supporters will be forced to take will significantly impact the tournament’s carbon footprint.
It’s not a “celebration of the beautiful game” as FIFA claims, it’s a slap in the face of match-going fans and a mockery of its own sustainability strategy.
FIFA also demonstrates it has no interest in learning from Qatar or holding bids to human rights criteria by giving Saudi Arabia an uncontested platform for 2034. Back in February 2023, Human Rights Watch wrote to FIFA asking for information about the due diligence on human rights ahead of awarding hosting rights for major tournaments, for which they received no response.
If the World Cup has grown so cumbersome in its competition design that FIFA’s only choice is between Saudi Arabia and spreading it across six nations, then the model needs to be reconsidered, because it is clearly not fit for purpose.
FIFA is chasing the illusion of a forever growth: more teams, more games, more countries, more World Cups. Hidden behind opaque bidding processes, FIFA is turning every World Cup into a dystopia, and football and supporters will directly suffer because of it.
It’s the end of the World Cup as we know it.
VACANCY: Fan.Tastic Finals Project Manager
The application window has now closed.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is seeking an experienced, part-time project manager, ideally with a background of involvement with or knowledge of the European supporters’ movement or football generally.
The successful candidate will have strong experience in managing projects and/or events as well as the capacity to work autonomously as a remote worker.
FSE is the democratic voice of European football fans. We are an independent, non-profit association of fans recognised as a representative body on fan issues by institutions such as UEFA and the Council of Europe. Since the summer of 2018, the Fan.Tastic Females exhibition has been touring Germany and further afield in a celebration of female supporters within football. Now, ahead of UEFA EURO 2024 next summer, we are updating the exhibition with new and additional interviews and content from across the National Teams supporter landscape, and we’re seeking support to help us do so!
FSE is an equal opportunities employer, and we very much welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We offer a flexible and supportive working environment, with the opportunity for personal and professional development.
JOB SPECIFICATION
| POSITION | Project Manager |
| Place of Work | Remote working, but ideally based in Germany |
| Working hours | Mini job roles x2, or one part-time role |
| Remuneration | Negotiable, depending on experience |
| Period | 9-month fixed term |
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Fan.Tastic Finals Project Manager(s) will manage all day-to-day activities related to the new tour.
Duties include:
- Working with UEFA EURO 2024 partners, football stakeholders and colleagues, oversee the process of updating the exhibition’s content and create a schedule for the new tour
- Management of all administrative tasks related to the project, including expense tracking and financial reporting (training will be provided)
- Engagement and management of external expertise needed for the content creation process
- Tracking the progress of the project’s core deliverables and milestones
- Manage all queries related to the project
- Be available to support and/or tour with the exhibition at times next summer (June-July)
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential:
- Experienced project and/or event manager Excellent written and spoken German and English proficiency
- Good communication, organisational, writing and networking skills, and high attention to detail
- Experience in the administration of financial tasks
- Proficient in Microsoft tools including Teams and Office
- Ability to work effectively with dynamic and diverse staff
- High level of resilience
- Team spirit and the ability to work independently
Preferable:
- Strong background in areas relating to football supporters
- Experience in content creation and management of content creators
- Educated to degree level
- An additional EU language
VACANCY: OFFICE MANAGER
The application window has now closed.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is seeking an experienced, part-time Office Manager, ideally with a background of involvement with or knowledge of the European supporters’ movement or football generally.
The successful candidate will have demonstrable experience in the management of a German non-profit organisation, the capacity to work autonomously as an organised, remote worker, and be expected to travel occasionally
FSE is the democratic voice of European football fans. We are an independent, non-profit association of fans recognised as a representative body on fan issues by institutions such as UEFA and the Council of Europe.
FSE is an equal opportunities employer, and we very much welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We offer a flexible and supportive working environment, with the opportunity for personal and professional development.
JOB SPECIFICATION
| POSITION | Office Manager |
| Place of Work | Remote working, within the EU |
| Working hours | 20h/week, with potential extension |
| Remuneration | Negotiable, depending on experience |
| Period | 1-year fixed term, with potential for renewal |
FSE is a diverse organisation, registered in Hamburg (Germany) with currently nine employees located in six different countries. We are looking for an experienced Office Manager, with the capacity to work in a fully remote and international environment, and strong experience in the German non-profit sector.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Office Manager will support and organise day-to-day operations for FSE
Duties include:
- Manage all administrative tasks related to Football Supporters Europe e.V.
- Oversight of financial tasks, including payments, invoices, expenses, and travel bookings for the organisation
- Tracking the progress of FSE’s core deliverables and milestones
- Assist with the preparation and timely submission of reports, in particular financial reports, as necessary
- Developing FSE’s reporting and administrative capacity
- Contribute to the organisation of FSE events, particularly FSE’s Biannual General Meeting, with a focus on budget and logistics
- Assist with FSE membership care and general queries to the FSE Office
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential:
- Knowledge of German administration and management of German non-profit organisation
- Experienced office manager
- Written and spoken German and English proficiency
- Good communication, organisational, writing and networking skills and high attention to detail
- Experience in the administration of financial tasks
- Proficient in Microsoft tools including Teams and Office
- Ability to work effectively with dynamic and diverse staff
- High level of resilience
- Ability to demonstrate experience in successful process improvement
- Excellent reporting skills
- Team spirit and the ability to work independently
Preferable:
- Strong background in areas relating to football supporters
- International experience and exposure to best practices in management
- Educated to degree level
- At least one additional EU language
- Experience in events organisation
EXAMINING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AT FOOTBALL MATCHES: SAFER SURVEY
The SAFER Survey is now closed. Thank you to all who contributed their experiences to the research. Follow FSE’s channels and signup for the project newsletter at the bottom of this page for further updates on the project.
Continue reading “EXAMINING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AT FOOTBALL MATCHES: SAFER SURVEY “FUTURE OF FOOTBALL: A STRONGER VOICE FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE IN THE GAME
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is excited to announce the beginning of a new Erasmus+ project that will focus on increasing the numbers of young people involved in democratic structures within supporters’ organisations and football clubs.
“Future of Football” will run until Autumn of 2025, and involves supporter organisations and partners from 5 EU countries, England & Wales, and Africa, through the continental fans organisation Sandlanders.
The core project group will work with younger supporters from England & Wales, Germany, Norway, Spain and Sweden to create a series of toolkits and training materials that will then be delivered at selected clubs within each country.
The activity will be supported by research and insight gathered by the Netherlands’ only independent sports research entity, Mulier Institute, which will also deliver tailored analysis for each partner country. A series of national and European youth forums will reinforce the research, learnings, and impact.
FSE Executive Director Ronan Evain said: “At a time when supporters’ voices need to be included more than ever by football’s key stakeholders, it is vital to ensure the priorities of the next generation of active supporters are a part of the conversation too.
“Working with the project partners and our FSE membership, this project will pave the way to establish the foundations for lasting structures of influence for younger supporters at national and European level.”
Future of Football Partners:
- FSA, England & Wales;
- FSE and Unsere Kurve, Germany
- Norsk Supportersallianse, Norway
- FASFE, Spain
- SFSU, Sweden
- Sandlanders, Africa
- Mulier Institute, Netherlands
As part of the project, FSE is now looking to recruit four experts in youth participation with funding available to support their involvement (time and travel) in the activities. These experts will contribute their knowledge in and around youth participation, supporting the development of the toolkits and activities. For further information, email: info@fanseurope.org. Expressions of interest will be considered until Friday, September 29th, 2023.
With the core project coordinating group established and research underway, the first in-person project partners meeting is planned for December 2023. As the project progresses, FSE will publish the project’s learning materials and resources to amplify the impact of its outcomes.
In addition, if any FSE members or stakeholders within the game would like to be kept informed of progress and involved in activities where possible, reach out to: info@fanseurope.org.