(Reuters) – Liverpool are set to create a new supporters board before the start of the 2021-22 season in an effort to give the fans a voice in decision-making processes, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
The move comes as Liverpool look to make amends with fans after the club signed up for the breakaway European Super League without consulting supporters, leading to fierce criticism and the league’s collapse as the six English clubs backed out.
Liverpool said the development was the result of meetings with the club’s supporters trust and will allow for consultation on matters that affect the fans, with the chair of the supporters board to be invited to attend the club’s board meetings.
“This consultation process will be enshrined in the club’s Articles of Association,” Liverpool said in a statement https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/announcements/434959-lfc-to-create-supporters-board-to-give-fans-representation-on-major-fan-facing-strategic-decisions.
“A legally binding Memorandum of Understanding between the club and the Official Liverpool Supporters Trust will be entered into, thereby ensuring supporters input on fan issues via structured dialogue.”
Liverpool join Tottenham Hotspur in having fan representation on their board after the north London club announced similar plans earlier this month.
The Merseyside club said existing fan forums will stay in place but will focus on areas such as ticketing, matchday experience and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I).
“While these changes are significant, it is important to stress that the current fan forums have also worked incredibly well since they were introduced four years ago,” Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan said.
“It is crucial that they continue in addition to the supporters board in order to give us a range of engagement options.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
