Prosegue positivamente, con un rapporto di reciproco
ascolto e confronto, il
dialogo tra le rappresentative dei
supporters dei club della
Premier League e
l'emittente televisiva
Sky, dopo il primo contatto formale lo scorso
Novembre(
qui dettagli) la
Football Supporters' Federation ha pubblicato un
aggiornamento sul nuovo meeting tra le parti,
alla presenza delle delegazioni di Spirit of
Shankly, Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust e del Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, che si è tenuto alla fine di Febbraio.
Nell'incontro del 22 del mese scorso le rappresentative
dei tifosi hanno avuto modo presentare le difficoltà, sopratutto per le
trasferte, legate ai cambi di orario delle partite, invitando al confronto costante
per limitare i casi dell'ultima ora, ma anche avuto l'occasione di entrare nei laboriosi
processi tecnici e nelle necessità delle programmazioni, comprendendo le grandi
difficoltà nell'organizzazione del singolo evento televisivo.
Le parti proseguiranno nei contatti per ridurre l'incidenza
dei cambi dei match e sopratutto nell'opera di sensibilizzazione nei confronti
della Premier League a cui resta il maggiore potere decisionale per le
modifiche di date e orari.
Primi sviluppi e, almeno nelle intenzioni, aperture
positive nel turbolento rapporto tra tifosi e TV arrivano grazie al percorso di
cooperazione tra associazioni di tifosi e istituzioni, sia sportive che amministrative, implementato nell'ambito del
Government's Expert Working Group
on Fan Engagement and Supporter Ownership(
qui dettagli). Dall'autunno del 2014 la
Football Supporters’ Federation e
Supporters Direct UK hanno affrontato diverse tematiche che ruotano nell'orbita
del tifoso con le principali leghe inglesi(Football Association, Premier
League, Football League, Football Conference) e prodotto una serie di
raccomandazioni specifiche per favorire l'instaurazione di un duraturo rapporto
di confronto e valorizzare l'apporto costruttivo delle organizzazioni di
supporters all'intero sistema(
qui dettagli).
Fan reps
meet Sky Sports – February 22nd, 2017
In
November, representatives of the Chelsea Supporters' Trust, Spirit of Shankly,
THST and the Football Supporters' Federation met with senior Executives from
Sky Sports to discuss the impact of the rescheduling of Premier League matches
for broadcast on match going fans, particularly away supporters. A further
meeting was held on 22 February, with comment to follow.
Ongoing
dialogue surrounding the scheduling of Premier League fixtures for TV took
place at the latest meeting between supporter groups and representatives from
Sky Sports.
The
meetings were set up to give consideration to supporter groups and the impact
on fans, particularly travelling fans, of fixture schedule changes when making
TV selections, while at the same time outlining the requirements and
considerations that have to be taken into account from a broadcast perspective.
Sky Sports
is always mindful of the impact of their selections, taking this into
consideration where possible on TV picks to minimise the impact on fans. The
company also recognises that its customers and match-going fans are one and the
same.
Fan reps
now a have a greater understanding of the complexities of fixture scheduling,
particularly the various contractual obligations broadcasters must meet.
Kat Law
from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, said: “We were encouraged by
Sky’s enthusiasm to continue to build a working relationship with supporter
representatives and the desire, from the top of the organisation, to consider
travelling supporters when scheduling matches for live coverage.”
Gary
Hughes, Sky Sports Head of Football, said: “We welcome this conversation with
supporters about travelling to away matches and understanding the issues they
face. It has also been helpful to outline the process we go through to select
live fixtures, and the contractual obligations that ensure every club and every
ground is featured regularly across the various slots we can schedule matches
in. We have listened to the feedback, will continue to do so and widen this
dialogue in future.”
While
broadcasters have an influence on the match schedule throughout the season, the
ultimate responsibility for fixture scheduling rests with the Premier League,
and supporter groups are renewing the call for representatives from the Premier
League to engage in these discussions as positively as Sky have done.
The
supporter reps will now seek meetings with the Premier League, BT Sport, the
train operators and individual clubs as they look for a joined-up approach to
ensuring fixture rescheduling for broadcast purposes has minimal impact on
travelling fans in the future.
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