FA Chair Debbie Hewitt was a guest speaker at the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester on Thursday, alongside UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
Fans from across Europe were in attendance at the National Football Museum for the event, which was co-hosted by the Football Supporters' Association [FSA], the representative body for supporters in England and Wales, and the Football Supporters Europe [FSE].
Debbie is the first FA Chair to speak in-person at the event, and was joined on stage by Kevin Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA, and Ronan Evain, Executive Director of the FSE.
A range of topics were discussed by the panel, including the recent government fan-led review, fan experiences at major football events, upcoming tournaments including the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup and next year’s EURO 2024, plus many other areas of the game that involves football fans.
FA Chair, Debbie Hewitt, said: "Fans really are the heartbeat of football, so it was a privilege and a pleasure to join them for the start of their congress in Manchester.
"The FSA and the FSE do significantly valuable work on behalf of fans in England and across Europe, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and listening to a number of them about the key matters in football that they care deeply about.
"In recent years we have seen the power and the impact of the fans’ voice, and the vital role that they play in our game, so we look forward to continuing the positive discussions with them and working closely together in the future."
FSA Chief Executive, Kevin Miles, said: "We are delighted to see The FA engaging directly with us and it's the FSA's job to make sure that the fans' voice is clearly heard within the game.
"The relationship has progressed in recent times, and we have shown that where we work together on football issues, we can bring real momentum that will help to futureproof the game."
