As part of the club's continued commitment to engaging with our supporters, Preston North End have signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with supporters' group, Preston Supporters Collective.
Since its formation, PSC have been in regular dialogue with the club, as we look to strengthen our relationship with supporters, both those who are members of the PSC and our wider fan base.
The Memorandum of Understanding is a formal agreement between both the club and PSC and confirms the commitment of both parties to relations going forward, while providing a structured dialogue and transparency between the club and its supporters.
Key commitments of the agreement include holding bi-monthly meetings with the Preston Supporters Collective on a wide range of club-related issues, with the main aim of creating an effective and structured communication channel between the club and supporters.
As part of this commitment, the club will publish regular updates from the meetings on the club website to ensure that as wide a fan base as possible have access to the information.
Speaking after signing the agreement, Ben Astley, a representative of Preston Supporters Collective, said: “We are absolutely delighted to sign this agreement with Preston North End and we thank the club for their willingness to engage with our Collective. It is a significant step forward and builds on the recent good progress between supporters and the club. This framework also provides an opportunity for continued openness and transparency in improving fan engagement.
“This is the latest in a number of positive actions that have been announced recently. We hope that supporters’ independent voices will be heard and respected in the future of our club. The Collective also wishes to place its thanks to the Football Supporters’ Association for their continued support and guidance in facilitating this agreement, in particular, Deborah Dilworth and Ashley Brown.”
John Smith, a fellow member of PSC added: “It is hoped that the signing of this agreement and by involving an independent supporters group affiliated to the Football Supporters Association to partake in regular discussions will go some way towards strengthening the relationship of the club with its fans.”
Whilst John Roper concluded: “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding signifies the first ever formal framework between the club and the fans. It opens the way for a future road map to make the club/fan engagement process a potential benchmark in the football industry.”
Preston North End club secretary and the club’s lead of fan engagement, Ben Rhodes, added: “The club is nothing without its supporters and by signing this Memorandum of Understanding we are committed to engaging with our fans regularly on the subjects that matter and we look forward to creating a healthy dialogue and continuing to grow the relationship we have begun to develop.”