Fan engagement under the IFR: running consultation that stands up

What the application asks

Part 2.4 of the provisional licence application has three questions on fans. The first asks which fan groups the club consults and how their representatives are chosen. The second asks about the channels the club uses and how often. The third asks which matters were discussed recently and what is planned next, including heritage matters where they are relevant.

These are factual questions. The regulator is building a picture of how each club actually hears from its supporters, so the answer should describe what happens now, not what the club intends to do one day.

Who counts as a fan group

Most clubs will list a supporters' trust or supporters' club and any fan advisory board. Many also have disabled supporters' associations, women's and girls' supporters groups, away travel clubs or season ticket holder panels. The question about how representatives are chosen matters as much as the list. A forum where the club picks every member will read differently from one where groups nominate their own representatives.

What a usable consultation record looks like

A record that will stand up has the same five parts every time. It does not need to be long.

1. The matter, written as the decision the club faced. For example, a change to ticket prices or kick off times.
2. Who was consulted, through which channel, and when.
3. What fans said, in their words where possible.
4. What the club decided and why, including where it did not follow the fans' view.
5. How and when the club told fans the outcome.

Clubs often have the first three parts in meeting notes and lose the last two. The fourth part is the one the regulator, and fans, will look for: evidence that the views reached the people who decided.

Heritage matters

Question 2.4.3 mentions heritage where relevant. The guidance says club heritage should include changes to the club crest, the predominant home shirt colour and the club name. It lists other topics clubs may discuss with fans: strategic direction and priorities, operational and match day issues, stadium matters, and equality, diversity and inclusion.

The Football Governance Act 2025 puts duties on clubs not to dispose of the home ground (section 46), relocate (section 48) or change the crest, home shirt colours or name (section 49) without approval. Part 2.6 of the application asks about the club's processes for these duties. If any change in these areas is under discussion, plan the consultation early and take specialist advice.

How this links to the Club Code

The regulator's Club Code has five principles. The fifth, stakeholder relationships, expects clubs to show how the views of fans, employees and the community are heard, considered and answered in relevant decisions. The application and the later governance statement are separate obligations, but the same consultation record serves both.

A practical way to set this up

• Agree a simple consultation calendar with your fan groups, with fixed dates through the season.
• Keep one log of matters raised and decisions taken, owned by a named person at the club.
• Add fan consultation as a standing item when the board discusses ticketing, kit, the ground or the club's identity.
• Publish a short note after each meeting saying what was discussed and what happens next.

This is the fan consultation output in our service: we organise the consultation history, draft the application answer from what the club actually did, and set up the record so it carries on after licensing. The regulator's licensing framework sets out the ongoing condition.

Last updated 5 October 2026. This article is general information about the published regime, not legal or financial advice for your club.