Leeds United’s steps toward Premier League initiative as CEO Angus Kinnear takes new responsibility - YEP 22/3/23
Leeds United have already taken steps towards full compliance with a newly-launched Premier League initiative and confirmed a new facet to CEO Angus Kinnear’s role at Elland Road.
By Graham Smyth
The division launched its Fan Engagement Standard [FES] on
Wednesday, outlining the standards expected of its member clubs with regards to
'meaningful engagement' with supporters.
Unanimously approved by the Premier League clubs in November
22, the plan lists five themes seen as integral to a long-term commitment to
fan engagement - namely leadership and culture, listening, collaborating and
participating, sharing, and learning and improving.
A Premier League statement said: "Each theme is linked
to a series of core commitments and activities. Collectively these form a
baseline for club engagement that sets minimum standards, with defined methods
of consulting, reporting and review, each designed to promote transparency and
continuous improvement."
Leeds, as one of those to already have met one of the key
objectives and established a Fan Advisory Board, have welcomed the launch. The
Leeds United Supporter Advisory Board [SAB] was revamped in October 2021 to
appoint 11 supporters who represent the wider fanbase and supporter networks.
A club spokesperson said: "Our SAB is one of the only
groups in the Premier League to meet once a month to discuss various topics,
with an agenda set ahead of each meeting and minutes taken to ensure everyone
in attendance is in agreement over everything that is spoken about during each
meeting.
"The club and SAB members are currently finalising a
governance document that will outline the core components of the SAB which will
include but is not limited to details around meeting frequency, publication of
minutes, confidentiality, and a code of conduct."
Leeds have also recently launched a Disabled Supporter
Advisory Board with its first ever meeting taking place this month. The group
will meet once a quarter to discuss Elland Road accessibility and the fan
experience of disabled supporters.
The Whites, who say they are now exploring how they can
better communicate with the younger element of the fanbase, have been tasked by
the FES to nominate a board-level official to oversee fan engagement and CEO
Angus Kinnear has taken on the role.
A statement said: "Angus is fully committed to
continuous improvement around engaging with fans and welcomes the introduction
of the FES and everything it stands for."
Prior to next season Leeds aim to publish its own Fan
Engagement Plan to outline their key aims for fan activities and engagement
throughout the following campaign.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters added: "It is vital
we ensure the voices of supporters are not only heard in the stands, but also
when it comes to having a say on key issues relating to their clubs. The
Standard puts structures in place to establish consistency across the League
and improve transparency.
"Clubs already carry out a great deal of work in this
area, and the Standard is the next step in enhancing these collective efforts.
It builds on existing work and is integral to ensuring fan consultation and
regular dialogue is embedded across all policies and practices."