A commitment to transparency that must be best in class – that is how Watford view the soon-to-be-formed Supporters’ Board.
The club announced the new initiative this week as part of their Fan Engagement Plan, which was published earlier during the 2024/25 season.
The Supporters’ Board will be run independently from the club and serve as a formal platform to enhance clarity, accountability and meaningful dialogue between the football club and the fans.
The Board will also aim to ensure that fans’ voices are integral to the club’s strategic decision-making processes, particularly in areas impacting the club’s long-term viability and values.
With communication having been an issue for some time, it has led to a decrease in trust among many supporters for those running the club.
Owner Gino Pozzo hosted a fan forum two years ago, but fans have rarely heard from him, either orally or in written form, since his family took ownership of club in 2012.
However, twice this year he has stepped forward with public comments – firstly in January when it was rumoured the then head coach Tom Cleverley was under threat, and more recently when the axe did fall.
With changes in both the football and administrative areas of the club, it’s understood the owner is approaching the 25/26 campaign with a renewed vigour, and has spoken of aiming to keep the club’s best players while looking for play-off qualification and even promotion under new head coach Paulo Pezzolano.
Nonetheless, supporter confidence in senior club officials is generally low, and the announcement of the Supporter Board has been met with mixed feelings.
Many welcome the idea and see it as an olive branch that must be grasped, while others are far from convinced it is any more than a sop to the fans, and will be filled by fellow supporters keen to raise their own profile and/or tow the party line, rather than attempting to carry out what the Supporters’ Board is intended for.
A club spokesman said: “Finalising the formation of the Supporters’ Board is a priority for the club.
“It is absolutely not a box-ticking exercise, it’s a commitment to transparency and openness which is very much part of the re-set of this summer which Gino Pozzo has demanded across all levels of the club.
“We have studied how other clubs have implemented their models and the success they have had.
“We want the Watford Supporters’ Board to represent and be inclusive of ALL elements of the fan base.
“It will be there to work alongside the club board, to become ‘one’ board, providing insight, expertise and awareness of all the issues involving the club.
“We want to be unified in our approach going forward. It has to be best in class and implemented as quickly as possible within the structure of the existing process.”
As part of the club’s Fan Engagement Plan it committed to upholding EFL Regulation 128.
The inception of the Supporters’ Board, which was originally described by its working title of ‘Fan Advisory Board’, illustrates that commitment
More details, along with the inception process, are included in a comprehensive Supporters’ Board constitution document, carefully prepared by the Watford Supporters' Trust with the Football Supporters’ Association and agreed to by the club, which is available to view by clicking here.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Sunday June 1.
Steve Temple, chairman of the Watford Supporters’ Trust, has worked with the likes of fellow supporters Michael Hartt and Simon Parkins, and Watford’s former Head of Communications and Media Relations Richard Walker, alongside other club officials to reach this point.
“We are pleased to have been working with the club to establish the Supporters’ Board as it is an important step towards strengthening the engagement between the club and us as fans,” said Temple.
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“The constitution document has been drawn up by the Supporters’ Trust in consultation with the club and the Football Supporters’ Association, and the Board will be an important part of the club's ongoing Fan Engagement Plan.
“Invitations to apply to the Board have gone to over 80,000 Watford fans. Once the application process has closed, applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed before a final vote.
“The shortlisting and interviews will be done by a panel formed of representatives from the Football Supporters’ Association and fans independent from the club and the Supporters’ Trust.
“We encourage supporters to read the details and get involved as it will provide the opportunity to further represent fans' voices in the club's decision-making processes.”
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