SLO

SLOs inform active supporter groups of relevant decisions made by the club management and communicate the views of supporters to the club management in the other direction. They also mediate communication with other actors involved in the organisation of football matches at home and away stadiums. The SLO's work is a long haul and depends on the information they receive from both the club management and the fans and the credibility they continuously build with both parties. Most of the active SLOs in the Czech league and abroad come directly from the stands where they have historically built relationships and now their job is to take the fan culture to the next level.

The SLO position started to be introduced in the 1990s in German clubs and later spread to other countries as a preventive measure. On the basis of good experience and recommendations from experts and international fan organisations, the obligation to establish an SLO position was introduced in 2010 as one of the licensing requirements for clubs participating in UEFA competitions. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) was entrusted with the gradual implementation, coordination and training of SLOs in each country.

The League Football Association supports the SLO concept in an effort to cultivate the environment in football stadiums. It sees the need to communicate across the fan movement, to develop a service for supporters of league football and to set standards of professional work with the fan community common in developed football in Europe. Therefore, in 2017, the obligation to establish an SLO position was also adapted to the licensing requirements for professional clubs in the Czech Republic, with some clubs having already voluntarily introduced this position previously (Sparta officially introduced this position into their structure during 2013).

The League Football Association, in cooperation with the FSE and UEFA, provides training and coordination of club SLOs and organises seminars for them with the participation of foreign and domestic experts.

Another important step was the involvement of the LFA in the international LIAISE project, initiated by the FSE, which connects member associations and clubs to each other through internships, inspections and exchanges. Together with the Czech League Football Association, the LIAISE project involved football and league associations from Bulgaria, Portugal, France, Sweden and Poland, as well as national and pan-European fan organisations. Representatives from clubs such as Montpellier, Borussia Dortmund, Odense BK and Brighton came to the Sparta match to take inspiration.