The Premier League launched the Fan Engagement Standard (FES) in March and the Club has laid out plans on how West Ham will move forward with the expectations set out in the paper. Starting with a presentation given to the Independent Supporters Committee (ISC) on Wednesday 29 March. Cathy Bayford, who sits on the ISC as the DSB representative, attended the zoom presentation and was encouraged to see many references given to the incoming Disabled Supporters Association and the commitment to continue to work with the Disabled Supporters Board (DSB ) to ensure the voice of our accessibility supporters is heard. The FES is designed to reinforce the commitment of the Premier League clubs to ensuring long-term meaningful engagement with supporters. Chair of Level Playing Field, Tony Taylor, said: “The introduction of this standard is a pleasing acknowledgment of the essential role fan engagement should play in decision-making at clubs. Representation is a key part of this, therefore the inclusion of disabled fans at the heart of these new initiatives is a necessity." Mr. Taylor says, “We urge clubs to make use of this opportunity to utilize the informed perspectives of disabled fans and disabled supporters’ associations, about their specific matchday experiences. Decisions for disabled people should be made by disabled people and we look forward to working with clubs on the implementation of the Fan Engagement Standard, to help ensure that is the case. It is vital that the senior staff and board members tasked with taking this forward, are aware of the challenges and barriers that disabled fans face and we are happy to assist clubs with the appropriate training and support." The mention of the Disabled Supporters Associations reinforces our plans to launch West Ham's DSA this April to ensure the DSB is representing and reporting back on the views of all supporters with accessibility needs. The Club will publish its Fan Engagement Plan ahead of the 2023/24 season. See the full story here
