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Everton Fans’ Forum Delivers CEO Presentation

The Everton Fans’ Forum has shared its findings from a series of workshops on the future of football to Club CEO, Denise Barrett-Baxendale. 

A presentation took place on Tuesday 22 June led by Jazz Bal, the Chair of the Fans’ Forum, detailing the Forum’s findings following a series of workshops with different sections of the Everton fanbase. This included a range of stakeholder groups, associations and societies that represent or have an interest in the Club. 

The process of consultation with fans was instigated by Everton's CEO in the wake of the European Super League proposals, with the Everton Fans’ Forum taking the lead to conduct the important piece of engagement as the fan-elected body representing supporters.

Evertonians were invited to submit their views directly to the Forum ahead of wider fan surveys due to released in the coming weeks.

To help shape the surveys, the Forum held eight workshops over the past six weeks, with the sessions representing more than 4,000 fans through the involvement of the Everton Shareholders’ Association, the Everton Disabled Supporters' Association, the Supporters’ Clubs Committee, the Everton Heritage Society and fan group representatives from across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.

The focus of the workshops was guided by the Terms of Reference of the fan-led review into football, which is being chaired by MP Tracey Crouch and which includes Everton’s CEO as a member of the expert panel.

An attendee from each of the workshops was also invited to observe the presentation to Professor Barrett-Baxendale by the Forum chair, with key points shared including:

- Fan representation at board level at clubs
- Protecting the identity of clubs - and the ability of fans to continue to have a say in their clubs and the wider game
- The flow of money through the football pyramid
- The merits and potential structure for an independent football regulator
- Ideas relating to equity ownership models in football
- Feedback on the current ‘fit and proper’ tests in place for football club ownership
- Legislation to prevent future threats to the competitive integrity of the football pyramid
- Consistency and clarity relating to the sanctions available for clubs that breach guidelines
- Ways in which grassroots football can be better supported
- Examples from other sports of successful governance and ownership models

The ideas and areas of focus provided by the Forum’s workshops will be used to guide a Club survey for all Evertonians that will deliver quantitative insight into the thoughts and views of fans on the future of football following the qualitative feedback provided by the Everton Fans’ Forum through its series of workshops.

The survey will also allow the Club to gather further feedback and input from fans in relation to Everton’s own relationship with supporters to ensure the voice of Evertonians is always heard by the Club and used to guide key decision-making processes in parallel with any wider outcomes for football from the fan-led review.

Speaking after the presentation, Forum Chair, Jazz Bal, said: "The ESL proposals and their damaging implications rightly caused outrage across the football world. Over the past six weeks we’ve been listening to the views of Evertonians so that the Club and the fan-led review panel is in no doubt what Evertonians believe needs to be done to protect football, local communities and supporters’ interest in future.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported our consultation. The Club will now deliver a supporter survey to build on the insights we’ve gathered and to help inform next steps it may take in ensuring Evertonians continue to have a voice.”