Press Release: Football Fans from across Europe are to visit Spain to celebrate after the world cup: "We're just kicking off!" Just one week after the FIFA World Cup final in South Africa: Football Supporters from 35 countries will gather in Barcelona for the 3rd European Football Fans' Congress 2010 from 16-18 July 2010. Under the motto "Money Can't Buy Passion!" more than 270 participants, amongst them fans' representatives from local fans' groups and various national fans' organisations speaking on behalf of more than 2 million football supporters across Europe in total, will come together in Barcelona to celebrate the 3 day event organised by the fans' network Football Supporters Europe (FSE). The football family in Barcelona is also supporting the gathering: the main parts of the event will take place in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, home ground of RCD Espanyol, whereas the comprehensive framework programme will be kicked-off by a welcome reception at FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium. Topics of discussion in six workshops will not only be the World Cup in South Africa and the just upcoming EURO2012 but also issues like sanctions, the economics of football, ultra culture, female football supporters and supporters liaison officers at clubs as a model for Europe. In the 2nd Annual General Meeting of FSE taking place on Sunday, FSE members will jointly elect their Committee, the executive board of the network, for the next year. The football supporters will be joined by a range of officials from different institutions and football governing bodies across Europe ranging from national Football Associations and Professional Leagues to national governments, e.g. the Spanish and German Professional League as well as the Belgian and the UK Home Office. Furthermore, delegates from the Council of Europe and an EU Football Experts Think Tank will be present as well as several representatives from UEFA. The Europea! n Football Federation UEFA also supported the organisation of the event that was carried out jointly with various fans' groups and national fans' bodies across Spain. FSE Committee member Emilio Abejón from Spain representing the Spanish national fans' organisation FASFE will welcome all participants together with Mr William Gaillard, Advisor to the President at UEFA, a member of the Spanish National Sports Council and a member of Espanyol's board in the official opening of the formal congress programme on Saturday. Emilio Abejón, FSE Committee/FASFE, Spain:" As recent developments in our game show conclusively, European football cannot afford to ignore supporters for longer. Issues such as football clubs declaring bankruptcy and leaving their fans without the clubs they founded and funded for generations are dramatic for fan communities Also, the traditional unfair treatment of match going supporters in what regards to kick-off times, ticketing and sanctioning cause serious problems to football fans all over Europe. This is why Football Supporters Europe has been created, to represent our viewpoints as supporters and to try to solve these problems through dialogue with other stakeholders, football governing bodies and authorities on our continent" Daniela Wurbs, FSE Coordinator: "We're glad that we're still able to break new records every year! With fans from 35 countries in Barcelona we can welcome fans from more countries at our event than ever before and despite our young history. This clearly underlines the ongoing interest in our activities and the genuine spirit we want FSE to stand for: football fans united and sharing loads of common fields of interest that need to be tackled together to make football better.. far beyond local rivalries. And we're just kicking-off! "Also, we're happy that we can welcome an increasing number of representatives from different institutions and football governing ! bodies in Europe at this year's congress, showing interest in a dialogue on equal footing between fans and other bodies in football. We as FSE with all our members believe that fans' involvement is the essential basis for any problems or issues in football that should be tackled successfully and sustainably." Further information: Kicked-off in 2008 at the 1st European Football Fans' Congress in London, the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is an independent, democratic and representative network of football supporters in Europe, currently with members from 35 countries - individual football supporters, locally active fans' groups and initiatives and nationally active fans' organisations representing more than 2 million football supporters in total. FSE is campaigning for fans' rights on various issues and is the official interlocutor on fans' issues for the European Football Association UEFA. Further information on FSE is available via www.footballsupporterseurope.org Information for media representatives: We would be glad to welcome media representatives
at the welcome reception at Camp Nou stadium on Friday night (16 July) from 18:30hrs for the opening of the conference at Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Saturday, 17 July 2010 from 10.00hrs - 10.45hrs and for the conclusion session of the congress workshops at 16.00hrs at the presentation of the election results for the new executive board of FSE at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Sunday afternoon, 18 July 2010 at approx. 14.00hrs
Please register at the registration desk at the stadium at Espanyol on Saturday where you'll get further info!
Further information and media contact: CONTACT FSE COORDINATION and CONGRESS ORGANISATION: Football Supporters Europe eV Coordinating Office, P.O. Box 50 04 03, 22704 Hamburg, Germany Contact person: Daniela Wurbs (FSE Coordinator), Tel.: +49 40 68 914 881 Mobile : +179 75 11 88 6 Email: d.wu...@footballsupporterseurope.org Contact person in Spain: Emilio Abejón (FSE Committee/FASFE) Mobile: +34 609670075 Email: e.abe...@footballsupporterseurope.org _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list Leedslist@list.zetnet.co.uk http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist and the hardest time in a sailor's day is to watch the sun as it sails away
