Football For All Corner
GREEN AND WHITE ARMY DESERVE TO BE CROWNED OFFICIALLY THE BEST FANS IN EUROPE
I joined the Irish Football Association as Community Relations Officer in February 2000. The main goal of the job I took on was to work with Northern Ireland Football Supporters to eradicate sectarianism from the terraces and create a more inclusive atmosphere at Northern Ireland football games. As I began to research a new strategy to work in partnership with Fans to achieve this goal many so called “experts” in sport and community relations told me I had an “impossible job”, “Northern Ireland Football Fans are all a bunch of bigots who will never change their ways!” Nearly seven years into the job I have learnt a great deal about the Sport of football, Supporters and Community Relations. Football really is a funny old game and Supporters are the lifeblood of football, much, much more important than simply Customers! Community Relations involves a complex, difficult, but worthwhile process with many ups and downs along the way.
On Wednesday the sixth September, prior to kick off at the Northern Ireland versus Spain game at Windsor Park, delegates from UEFA and the EU will award the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs with the prestigious Brussels International Supporters Award 2006, for their efforts to stamp out sectarianism, superb charity work and commitment to the promotion of good relations. The Amalgamation and all Northern Ireland Football Supporters richly deserve this award as recognition for the work they have carried out to tackle sectarianism through their “Football For All” campaign over the last six years. Northern Ireland Football Fans have grasped the nettle of sectarianism, felt the sting when the Neil Lennon crisis occurred back in 2001 and used this painful episode as a catalyst to take positive action to self police the atmosphere at games to create a more fun, safe and inclusive culture associated with Northern Ireland football games.
Over the course of the last six years the Northern Ireland Fans have transformed the whole experience of supporting the Northern Ireland team. Inappropriate, abusive and sectarian songs, such as the Billy Boys, have been replaced by fun filled anthems, such as We’re Not Brazil We’re Northern Ireland. These changes have been gradual and are the result of years of hard work by proactive, passionate and dedicated Fans sick of Northern Ireland Football being plagued by sectarianism. These changes have had a positive impact on the numbers now following Northern Ireland. The Amalgamation had twelve clubs in 2000 and it now has over sixty five clubs based all round the world. In 2000 the IFA recorded crowds as low as 4000 at internationals; we now sell out every game!
Northern Ireland football is on a high with talented youngsters such Kyle Lafferty, Ivan Sproule and Steven Davis making their mark and the team making an impact on the pitch with the recent win over Finland and of course Healy’s wonderful strike to topple the mighty England still fresh in all our minds.
Having had the honour of working in football over the last seven years I am sure of two things:
- The Northern Ireland Fan’s “Football For All” campaign has played a pivotal role in the rejuvenation of the sport of football in Northern Ireland, winning back family support from all quarters and giving everyone from the Players to the average football fan in the street a deeper sense of pride in our wee country!
- After the journey our Fans have been on they richly deserve to win the Brussels International Supporters Award 2006. In my experience the Northern Ireland Fans are often streets ahead of the rest of the pack in Europe when it comes to the promotion of good relations, tackling hard issues head on and reaching out the hand of friendship to all.
In my current job at the IFA, as Head of the Community Relations Department, the Northern Ireland Fans and in particular the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs are a constant source of inspiration and I value their support greatly. Their integrity, vision and passion will ensure the future for Northern Ireland football burns bright. If there was a World Cup for Supporters our Fans would be World Champions but I suppose we can cope with being crowned officially the best fans in Europe for the mean time.
Football For All - The Future
As we plan for the future we have three clear goals:
1. Building on the success of Football For All at international level working in partnership with Supporters.
2. Make a positive Football For All impact in the Carnegie Premier League working in partnership with Clubs and Supporters.
3. Continue to train IFA Staff to make sure Football For All is mainstreamed throughout every aspect of the IFA. In particular supporting Women's Football, Disability Football, Supporter Led Community Relations Initiatives and Ethnic Minority Football.
Our Football For All campaign is all about working in partnership with the football family to make the sport of football more inclusive.
Michael Boyd
IFA Head of Community Relations
