West Ham United is delighted to share the Club’s Fan Engagement Plan for the 2023/24 season with our supporters.
This season we welcome the launch of the Premier League Fan Engagement Standard (FES), a framework which is designed to build on existing work undertaken by all Premier League clubs. All have unanimously agreed to follow the framework, which will help create consistency across the league for clubs designing and implementing their own individual approaches to fan engagement.
Our Fan Engagement Plan highlights all areas of the Club’s work together with supporters – taking a Fans First approach, including how you can share your feedback with us, our work with supporters’ groups, the role of our Supporter Services team, home and away matchdays, communications and our commitments for the season ahead. Click here to read our Fan Engagement Plan.
A core requirement of the new Premier League framework is the creation of a Fan Advisory Board, where supporter representatives will meet with the Club’s Directors and senior management, with the primary purpose of engaging in two-way dialogue, exchanging information and ideas, and securing feedback from a fan’s perspective. The Club is currently working with our existing Independent Supporters’ Committee to evolve our model in line with the criteria set out within the Premier League’s framework, ensuring our fan representatives are fully involved in any developments and that supporter consultation remains central to the fan engagement strategy.
West Ham United Vice-Chair, Baroness Brady CBE said: “We are delighted to share our Fan Engagement Plan. Our supporters are the heart of West Ham United Football Club and one of the Board’s key objectives is to always put our fans first.
"This season sees us competing in a record-breaking third consecutive year of European competition, coming off the back of our incredible UEFA Europa Conference League victory in Prague, which every West Ham fan will cherish forever. All of these massive moments are experienced together - the players, management, staff and supporters. For the Board, it is a magnificent privilege to be custodians of this great Club, and we approach every consideration with the aim of bringing our fans enjoyment in watching West Ham United compete at the highest level, providing the best supporter experience while doing so.”
Tara Warren, Executive Director, and Nominated Board Level Official said: “There is nothing that gives us greater satisfaction than sharing our passion for West Ham United with our incredible supporters. Our commitment has always been to provide supporters with a wide range of ways to contact the Club and to share feedback and views with us at West Ham United.
"We are immensely proud to hold the Advanced Level of the Premier League Equality Standard, demonstrating our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. This is central to our Fan Engagement Plan and, when working together with supporters, ensuring they feel represented through all of our channels of engagement across the Club.
"The Premier League Fan Engagement Standard provides us with further opportunity to share and build on our work together with supporters. We have some exciting fan-focused initiatives planned throughout the 2023/24 season and we’re looking forward to working with our Fan Advisory Board and using fan feedback from across our range of channels to provide a great supporter experience.”
Steve Applebee, Chair of West Ham United’s Independent Supporters’ Committee said: "Following the publication of the Premier League’s Fan Engagement Standard, discussions are ongoing between the Independent Supporters Committee (ISC) and the Club to evolve the ISC into the Fan Advisory Board (FAB). All fan group representatives and myself will continue to work with the Club to explore all opportunities to further enhance the experiences of all West Ham supporters.”
The Club also has further exciting plans this season, including new initiatives for our Official Supporters’ Clubs, young Hammers and our women’s team, and working closely with the Fan Advisory Board to create our next showcase of Club memorabilia, with updates being communicated to all supporters via our official channels over the course of the 2023/24 campaign.