FSF

Join the Football Supporters’ Federation and fans of dozens of clubs as we march on the Premier League and Football League headquarters demanding ‘Affordable Football for All’ on Thursday 14th August. The game is swimming in money like never before, with clubs pocketing record amounts from broadcasting deals while squeezing everything they can out of their fanbase with some of the highest ticket prices in a generation, and something has to give. The Premier League’s current media deal is worth £5.5bn, an increase of £2.1bn on the previous three years, and yet there is little sign of anything being done to make life easier for the lifeblood of the game – the match-going supporter. The increase in Premier League media rights alone could have led to all 20 clubs letting in each and every supporter for all 38 games for free last season without being any worse off than they had been the season before. Strength comes in numbers, so join our demonstration and march along with your fellow fans on 14th August. We will be gathering at Marble Arch (nearest tube station, unsurprisingly, Marble Arch on the Central Line) from 1pm before heading off to the Premier League and Football League offices at 30 Gloucester Place (W1U 8PL) at around 2:30pm. A delegation of fans will meet with the authorities, while leaders from a number of supporter groups will address the crowd back at Marble Arch at around 3.30pm. For more details, see http://fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/fans-to-march-for-affordable-football-for-all-on-14th-august

The Football Supporters’ Federation awards are back for their third year, and will be held on 16th December at the Emirates stadium. We’re after nominations from fans of all clubs across a range of categories detailed below. Categories: Away Day of the Year Blogger of the Year Commentator of the Year Fanzine of the Year Independent Website of the Year Newspaper of the Year Player of the Year (from your club) Podcast of the Year Pundit of the Year Writer of the Year You can nominate up to three entries to be shortlisted in any category, apart from Player of the Year. This is the first time that we have included a Player of the Year award in the FSF awards, so we’re keen to see whose performances you thought most stood out for your side in 2013. Unfortunately, you are restricted to just one nomination from your team for this award, so choose wisely. All nominated entries will be considered by the shortlisting panel, whether they have been nominated once or a hundred times. Nominations should be sent to awards@fsf.org.uk no later than 9am on 28th October. Shortlisting will take place once nominations close, and the winners will be decided by a public vote in November. For more details, visit www.fsf.org.uk

The Football Supporters' Federation needs your support to help bring down the price of tickets, with our Twenty's Plenty for Away Tickets Petition – http://www.fsf.org.uk/20plenty We're calling upon football clubs at all levels of the game to recognise and reward the amazing contribution of away fans by getting together to agree an across the board price cap on away match tickets of £20 (£15 for concessions). What’s the point in a petition, you might ask? Each signature on the Twenty’s Plenty petition triggers an email to your club, telling them you want to see something done about the cost of attending football, as well as an email to the Premier League telling them the same. In a little over a week more than 5,000 fans have already signed the petition to let their clubs know their feelings on the matter - please spare 30 seconds of your time and join them today – http://www.fsf.org.uk/20plenty We understand that football is unaffordable for many and this is especially true for away fans who, aside from match tickets, must contend with spiralling food, drink and travel costs. There has been a tremendous groundswell of opinion lately with campaigns popping up across the country and Twenty’s Plenty will try to harness that energy and discontent. For more on why you should back the campaign check out this pdf - http://bit.ly/14ic58h - or visit our website - www.fsf.org.uk Thanks, The FSF

The Football Supporters’ Federation regularly asks for fans' views on a range of subjects, and we hope that you'll be able to help us out by giving us a minute of your time to answer a couple of very quick questions about next year’s season tickets. You can find the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/season-tickets-2013 Many thanks, The FSF

We realise that this is an emotive subject for some supporters, but hope that any debate can be constructive and factual, and respectful of all views. For more on some of the legalities, myths and facts behind safe standing, please visit our website. The Football Supporters' Federation's campaign for safe standing is reaching a critical point. A number Premier League and Championship clubs have already given their backing to the campaign, including Aston Villa, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Hull City, Peterborough United, as well as the Scottish Premier League, who have approved pilots of safe standing areas in their competition. There is an Early Day Motion (EDM 573) proposed by Roger Godsiff MP calling on the government to allow pilot schemes of safe standing in the Premier League and Championship. We are calling on fans to get involved if they back the idea of safe standing, by completing any or all of the following four steps on our website - http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/safestanding/index.php: Step 1 - Sign the FSF's Safe Standing Petition (if you haven’t already) Step 2 - Email your MP to let them know you back safe standing (there is a easy to follow process to do this through our website) Step 3 - Let us know what response you get from your MP via safestanding@fsf.org.uk. Step 4 - Spread the word. Send this page to your mates via email, Facebook, Twitter or whatever other social media you prefer. If you’re involved with a supporters’ organisation, fanzine or website, use your links to promote the campaign. The safe standing campaign is as much about those with a wish to sit as those who wish to stand - standing in seated areas happens every week, forcing those who are either unwilling or unable to stand to either miss the match or be forced to stand. The creation of standing areas would help improve the matchday experience for both types of supporter, and improve the safety of those who stand - it is surely safer to be standing in an area specifically designed for the purpose than to be standing behind seats in an all-seated stand? The campaign is not about a re-introduction of terraces. The campaign is not about 'bringing back' anything. We would insist the requirements laid down in the government's 'Green Guide' are strictly adhered to. To find out more of the facts, see images of the type of safe standing that we are proposing, as well as busting a few 'myths' to do with standing, simply visit our website - http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/safestanding/index.php We believe that fans should have the choice to sit or stand. We believe that the technology is there to allow fans to stand in safety. If you agree with us, please follow the steps above today. Thanks, The FSF

The Football Supporters' Federation is undertaking a season-long project to measure the experience of the away fan. We would like to assemble the thoughts and experiences of fans in the Premier League and Championship throughout the season, the ultimate aim of which is to improve the lot of the travelling fan. Using the results of this study we intend to discuss with clubs and the football authorities, in an academic fashion, what keeps fans committed to travelling and to the sacrifices they make, what they look for as a travelling fan, what they hope to see, what they don’t enjoy and why they feel valued or otherwise. It doesn't matter whether you attend one match a year or every single one. You can fill in the survey as many times as you like, applicable to whichever fixture(s) you have attended. The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete, and naturally all answers are given anonymously, and no personal or identifying data will be passed on to third parties. Ever. If you've been to an away game this season please take a minute or two to help us out at http://surveymonkey.com/s/away-fans Thanks!

It might not be something you've thought of, but how long in the average week do you spend following football (whether that's attending and travelling to games, reading about football, watching football on TV, talking about it at work, on forums or twitter)? Fans are very quick to talk about their loyalty, but how easily is that quantified? From time to time the Football Supporters' Federation conducts short surveys to find out fans' views on a range of topics to help us better represent football fans, so we'd appreciate if you could fill in this quick 1-question survey: http://surveymonkey.com/s/football-time Many thanks! The FSF

You might’ve seen last week that the Football Supporters’ Federation launched a petition as part of our campaign for the introduction of safe standing areas in the top two divisions in England and Wales. If you have not yet signed the petition, and are in favour of a return to standing, please give us 30 seconds of your time visiting the link below. Also tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your work colleagues that you don’t really like but who you put up with anyway. Please help us spread the word. http://www.fsf.org.uk/safestanding We know you might think that signing a petition is a bit of a futile gesture, but there is currently a bill going through Parliament which faces its second reading in a little under 3 months time. For the first time the Sports Minister has agreed to look at the evidence on safe standing. We have a short timeframe to gather support and prove that there is a groundswell of opinion behind fans’ choice to stand at football in England and Wales. This is the first time the FSF has petitioned on this issue, and within a week nearly 10,000 fans have already added their voices to our campaign. Please add yours today. If you’re sceptical, read on below. http://www.fsf.org.uk/safestanding * If standing is unsafe, why is it allowed in Leagues One and Two? If it is safe in Leagues One and Two, why is it not safe in the top two divisions? We find the idea that safety is dependent upon the quality of football played on the pitch as absolutely absurd * The FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign is not just about those who prefer to stand. By giving supporters the choice, everyone benefits. Those who wish to stand can do so, while those who prefer to sit no longer have to worry about having their view blocked. Every week thousands of fans stand in front of their seats for large parts of the game - attempts by the authorities to end this practice have failed. Fans are standing in ever greater numbers, and we think they should be able to do so in safely designed and managed areas where possible. * The FSF does not propose that the stringent safety standards laid down in the Government’s Green Guide be abolished or weakened in any way, nor are we suggesting that clubs should be forced to provide safe standing areas. Issues around cost and feasibility should be a matter for individual clubs and their fans, not for the government. * Many opponents to standing mistakenly cite Hillsborough as a reason not to allow its introduction. The disaster was not caused by standing, however; the Taylor Report primarily blamed the failure of police control. It did not ban standing, nor claim it was inherently unsafe. If you agree with us that fans should have the choice to sit or stand at football, please add your name to the thousands already in favour of safe standing. Now’s the best chance we’ll have to make a difference. http://www.fsf.org.uk/safestanding

Yep, you'd be surprised at some of the old nonsense that's still cluttering up the web.

Unfortunately not all forums accept BBcode, so we tend to keep it full and lengthy when we spam, er I mean publicise our helpful information to the masses. But seeing as you asked nicely

As ever, the FSF has produced a guide for all travelling Villa fans for their European adventures. Actually, there wasn't a huge deal of work involved in this one this time round, because you've already played them before! Still, if you didn't go to Vienna last time, or just fancy a squizz at the sort of things we produce for our away European guides, just check out the link below: FSF Guide to Rapid Vienna. If you've got any questions at all about Vienna, fire them to us at the email address on that link, and we'll do our best to find out for you.

Cheers mate, feel free to pass the links round. The more the merrier. And of course when you beat Vienna and qualify for the group stages (I have every confidence in you), we'll produce similar guides to all your opponents in the group stage, too.

The FSF are continuing to create guides for all foreign teams that English sides encounter in Europe, and we've pulled together an effort for any Villa fans who want to know a bit more about Rapid Vienna. Good for anyone who's going out there, or who just want to find out a bit more. It's being added to all the time. Check it out, anyway: http://www.fsf.org.uk/ground-guide/international-clubs/rapid-vienna/