Posted on 1st March 2018
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
Supporter representatives on the FA Council have contacted the FA chairman over the apparent lack of consultation on the introduction of a winter break.
On Tuesday, a major news outlet (£) reported that a winter break would be introduced in English football for the first time after the FA, English Football League and Premier League seemingly reached an agreement.
The annual two week winter break is said to be due to start in February 2021, meaning the FA Cup 5th round would be played midweek with league matches staggered over two weekends. In the FSF’s National Survey 2017 50.1% of fans were against a winter break, with 34.6% in favour – even if this meant retaining Christmas and New Year fixtures.
Supporter representatives on the FA Council, FSF chair Malcolm Clarke and Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust co-chair Katrina Law, have requested a briefing from FA Chairman Greg Clarke.
“We are seeking clarification from the FA about exactly what, if anything, has so far been agreed,” Malcolm said. “And we know supporters will have views on the winter break, the further loss of replays, and playing 5th round ties mid-week – these must be considered.”
The FA had given previous assurances that it would seek supporter input on a number of key issues – including fixture congestion and a winter break.
“We would like to see full consultation with supporters on all these issues before any decisions are made, as we want to see for all major decisions in football,” Malcolm said.
Thanks to Mike Beales for the image used in this article. Reproduced here under Creative Commons license.
Earlier today, the chief executive of the FSA Kevin Miles, along with other fan representatives, met with the prime minister Boris Johnson and secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden. Joined by senior figures from the FA and the Premier League, the meeting was called to discuss the response to the threat of a European Super League – below is our statement on the meeting.
Fan representatives from the EFL’s three divisions met with the competition’s senior officials in November to discuss ongoing issues across the leagues.
The Fans for Diversity campaign, a partnership between the FSA and Kick It Out, continues to assist supporters around the country, and this week we spoke to campaign lead Anwar Uddin about the campaign’s work this winter…
Football Supporters’ Association chief executive Kevin Miles appeared on Sky Sports News yesterday to discuss UEFA’s latest proposed European competition changes.
