OFFSET YOUR WORLD CUP TRAVEL WITH GREENERTRAVEL

SFSA – The independent voice of Scottish football supporters

Football Together campaign attracts attention

Date: 16th January 2026

We recently added the FOOTBALL TOGETHER campaign team as members of the SFSA. If you have not heard of them here is an introduction below

 

Football Together began as a response to repeated safety concerns raised by supporters which, despite being formally reported, were consistently passed between clubs, Safety Advisory Groups, governing bodies, and local authorities without clear ownership or resolution.

What became apparent quite quickly was a structural issue rather than an isolated one:

there is no single body clearly accountable for enforcing and auditing protective measures across all stakeholders — supporters, stewards, police, staff, and clubs — when incidents occur.

Since last year I’ve engaged directly with clubs, Safety Advisory Groups, local authorities, and governing bodies. The consistent outcome has been deflection rather than action, with responsibility repeatedly passed elsewhere. That absence of accountability is the core issue Football Together is attempting to address.

Alongside this, a wider question emerged around disciplinary fines. Clubs are routinely fined for supporter-related behaviour, yet there is little to no publicly accessible information on where those fines go or whether they are reinvested in prevention, education, or community safety. From my research, there appears to be no transparent mechanism ensuring those funds are used to reduce the very behaviours they are intended to deter.

The longer-term vision is to advocate for reform in this area — including the creation of a transparent, ring-fenced fund where fines are redirected into:

  • community football initiatives
  • early education around football-related violence and behaviour
  • youth programmes, including weekend and school-based activity
  • preventative measures rather than reactive punishment

 

However, I’m realistic about scope and pace. The immediate priority for Football Together is far more basic:

to establish clear accountability, consistent enforcement, and meaningful involvement from governing bodies — something I’ve so far struggled to secure despite sustained effort.

I fully appreciate this is a long and incremental process, but I believe it’s a necessary one if supporter safety is to be treated as more than a reputational afterthought.

 

Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News

Tags: , , , , ,