Recently the England Supporters Travel Club hosted a Fan Forum at Wembley Stadium with members of the Qatar Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy. The purpose of this forum was to provide Travel Club members with the opportunity to raise and discuss topics or concerns relating to the upcoming tournament. The event was hosted by presenter Nicole Holliday in the Wembley Suite and a total of 147 members were in attendance.
The panel consisted of FA/FA Guests and members of the Supreme Committee (SC). They were:
The FA:
Lewis Rice – Membership and Operations Manager
Richard Weekes – Membership and Operations Manager
Tony Conniford – Head of FA Security
FA Guests:
Ben Warrington – Team Head at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Nathan Wilson – CEO of Sportsworld, The Official Travel Partner of The FA
Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy Panel:
Ahsan Mansoor - Fan Engagement & Ambassadors Director
Caspar Morley - Assistant Executive Director, Accommodation
Fatma Al Nuaimi - Communications & Media Executive Director
John Hemmingham - UK Fan Leader
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Mohammed Al-Ali - MoI Stakeholder Relations Expert, Director General
Maj. Nasser Ahmed I H Alzeyara
At the top end of the forum Fatma Al Nuaimi from the Supreme Committee gave a welcoming speech, thanking fans for their attendance and delivered a promise of an amazing fan experience, football for all, from the fan festival and other licensed venues to the family friendly activities in the corniche, lusail, Maha Island and more.
Several members from the SC then presented a PowerPoint on the fan engagement, fan experience, Hayya process and accommodation. You can view the presentation at the bottom of this page.
Before the Q&A session began John Hemmingham (JH), Fan Leader, and leader of the England Band shared his personal experiences from his visit to Qatar for the Lusail Super Cup. He was able to visit alongside other Fan Leaders of different Participating Nations, sharing their thoughts and giving feedback ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
JH stated that Qatar is very safe, there are lots of rules, and no crime. He stayed in a great hotel and there was a kind, exciting reception for travelling fans. There was lots of engagement with fans and Qataris were keen to actively make adjustments based on fan recommendations for the FIFA World Cup.
There was communication that the stadiums are being re-used post World Cup as a hospital and shopping centres. JH attended a fixture at the World Cup Final Stadium – the Lusail Iconic Stadium, there are great in-bowl sound systems. Access into the stadium was easy until reaching the checkpoints. Ensure tickets are downloaded prior to travelling to the stadium and phone fully charged, arrive early. Have apps ready prior to reaching the gates to ensure a smooth entry process.
JH also outlined some other points of concern that he and other supporters were having pre-travel:
- Shorts were fine as long as they are not very short. There was no refusal of access when wearing shorts to any activities i.e. museums/hotels
- Flags will be ok to take in if they are no bigger than 2m x 1m – If they are bigger than that you will need to fill a form in (link to be sent to members soon). Do this as early as possible and obtain written confirmation of approval ahead of time
There was initial concern that the price of alcohol was high and would increase during the tournament. It has been outlined by the SC that alcohol is expected to be more affordable in places like the Fan Fest.
We then moved into the Q&A session. During this the following topics were discussed by supporters and members of the panel:
- Accommodation
- Covid Entry Requirements
- Transport
- Day Trip Logistics
- Workers' Rights
- LGBTQIA+ Rights
- Alcohol
To view the full transcript of the Q&A session you can download the document at the bottom of this page.
Lewis Rice, alongside Nicole Holliday, then conducted a raffle with many prizes up for grabs! We gave away a signed Geoff Hurst retro England shirt, 2 pairs of Club Wembley tickets for our March fixture(s), and 10 large gift bags, kindly gifted by the Supreme Committee.
The raffle was followed by food and a chance for supporters to chat to members of the panel and ask any remaining questions they might have.
The evening came to a close just before 10pm.
We wish to thank all the supporters who were in attendance on the night and we hope that you found it informative.
Should any member have any follow up questions to any of the points raised here, or if they have any questions that they feel have not been covered elsewhere, we invite you to fill out the form below.
We want to ensure you have all the information you need in the build up to the World Cup and, from this week, we will be sending weekly updates which will include important information, helpful links and the answers to any burning questions.
