SWEDE PROVIDING PERSPECTIVE ON SWEDISH FOOTBALL SWEDEN Collaboration for a positive football experience Photo: Photo Agency and ENABLE Sweden Providing perspective on Swedish football SWEDEN KEY PARTNERS IN COLLABORATION WITH SUSTAINABILITY PARTNER Website: www.enable-sverige.org Contact: [email protected] 4 Providing perspective on Swedish football CONTENTS Foreword: ENABLE Sweden and football ... 06 1 - ENABLE Sweden in brief 1.1 - Vision ... 10 1.2 - About ENABLE Sweden ... 12 2 - The ENABLE project - the first years 2.1 - Setting up ENABLE ... 16 2.2 - 2014-2018: a time of changes ... 18 2.3 - 2018: ENABLE Sweden is formed ... 20 2.4 - Timeline ... 22 2.5 - Our activities in numbers ... 28 3 - ENABLE Sweden - starting points 3.1 - ENABLE Sweden in context ... 32 3.2 - Purpose and objectives ... 33 3.3 - Basic approach ... 34 3.4 - Sustainable collaboration ... 35 3.5 - Key concepts ... 36 4 - How we work 4.1 - Working areas ... 40 4.2 - Collaboration development: ... 44 "Safe football in Gothenburg" 4.3 - Examples of ongoing work ... 46 4.4 - Case description: "Regional FDC" ... 48 4.5 - Next steps: ENABLE Sweden ... 50 moving into the future 5 - Organization and governance 5.1 - Organization & governance ... 54 5.2 - Agreement between ENABLE Sweden ... 56 and the Gålö Foundation 5 Foreword: ENABLE Sweden and football “Fun time together and great Football supporters are the subject of stadium atmosphere.” “Public constant debate: in the media news order disturbances and flares.” reports, around the coffee tables at our workplaces and in the meeting rooms at The phrases associated with Swedish authorities. The topic is often Swedish football depend on controversial and the discussions are whom you ask. However, the characterized by heated emotions and commitment and passion are sometimes radical proposals. usually the same. Swedish football plays an important role in society While the interests of football clubs, the police and football supporters can but places high demands on all key sometimes coincide, the common interest actors. ENABLE Sweden wants is often marred by conflict. This can be to support the work of everyone expressed in different ways: for example involved in the creation of positive through unacceptable behaviour by football atmosphere experience. individuals in connection with football matches, or public outcries about whether one actor or another is living up to their responsibilities. Every serious incident places a strain on patience and relationships. Every negative story brings us closer to a situation where external pressure imposes measures that are beyond the control of the football system. But the outside world’s pressure for quick solutions to problems like, for example, order disturbances tend to be counterproductive. Proposals mentioned in the public debate are often characterized by demands that “something should be done” that “put an end” to insecurity, pyrotechnics and young men in groups sometimes behaving aggressively. In an international comparison, Sweden has come a long way in terms of collaboration, but relations are tested when the external pressure grows in intensity. This becomes particularly apparent when conflicts are allowed to be expressed in public through media reporting. 6 Providing perspective on Swedish football This is an expectation that can undermine the results that have been painstakingly achieved. There is no single solution that In a worst case scenario this pressure can overcome the challenges of football, could create a feeling among those just as there is no single solution that can involved that collaboration is impossible. eliminate road traffic deaths, bullying in ENABLE Sweden wants to contribute to school yards, or criminal gangs. stability by being a reasoned, knowledge- based and calm voice in the ongoing Just as in these cases, efforts to achieve conversation. positive developments in connection with football must include a long-term This document explains how we intend ambition, a systematic process and a to proceed. We begin in Chapter 1 by variety of methods to gradually solve the providing an introduction to ENABLE. In problems faced by Swedish football. Chapter 2 we describe our development from the initial foundation of the project in ENABLE Sweden’s background, 2014 through to the formation of ENABLE development and current form should Sweden in 2018. Chapter 3 describes our be understood within this multifaceted purpose and our objectives, as well as the context. The complexity of football, the general methodology and knowledge base many stakeholders and intense media on which our work is founded. In Chapter attention all create a working environment 4 we give practical examples of this work. that can be difficult to handle. Often We conclude in Chapter 5 by describing this complicates the job of putting on our internal organization, our decision welcoming, safe and secure football events and work processes, and our relationship with great atmosphere. with our main economic partner, the Gålö Foundation. “We should talk about and collaborate on proven methods and the platforms that are available to implement effective measures in the short and long term. We should manage incidents together and not allow initiatives to end in disaster around us. We should develop proposals together instead. ENABLE Sweden has a key role to play in promoting collaboration and Noa Bachner, conflict-reducing work at the same time.” Expressen 7 ENABLE SWEDEN IN BRIEF 1.1 - Vision ... 10 1 1.2 - About ENABLE Sweden ... 12 1.1 Vision Working within Swedish football OUR AMBITION is challenging. The sport’s benefit to society is enormous, Inwards ENABLE Sweden wants but the stakes are high and to contribute to the the issues complex working positive and sustainable in an environment with highly development of passionated supporters, the Swedish football, where media, politics and the public. the football sector, supporters and police Conflicting interests and work together to identify misunderstandings naturally arise. What’s and achieve common the best way to create welcoming events goals. and a great stadium atmosphere without jeopardizing safety and security? How Outwards can we agree on effective methods for ENABLE Sweden wants positive outcomes while also preventing to contribute to a conflicts? How can clubs’ goals align with nuanced, knowledge- the ambitions of supporters and the duties based and inclusive of the police? public debate about the opportunities and It is these types of questions that ENABLE challenges that football Sweden wants to help answer. offers. CLUBS Collaboration for a positive football experience POLICE SUPPORTERS 10 Providing perspective on Swedish football Flag tifo - a common feature on Swedish stands. Here delivered by Malmö FF’s supporters. 11 1.2 About ENABLE Sweden ENABLE Sweden took its current form as a foundation following a reorganization of what was a mainly a network- based and research-oriented project. The OBJECTIVES current set-up was needed to strengthen the organization, • Strengthen collaboration: broaden its activities and increase ENABLE Sweden wants to contribute the potential benefit for Swedish to sustainable collaboration and mutual understanding among football’s main football. stakeholders, by offering a dialogue platform and a knowledge base for Organisation constructive conversations. ENABLE Sweden is now organised as a foundation with four employees: chairman • Knowledge development & Filip Lundberg (Stockholm), operations dissemination: manager Anders Almgren (Gothenburg) ENABLE Sweden wants to participate and academic experts Jonas Havelund in the development and dissemination (University of Southern Denmark) and of theoretical and practical knowledge Neil Williams (Keele University). among football’s stakeholders. Key partners are the Swedish Football • Method development: Association (SvFF), Swedish Elite Football ENABLE Sweden wants to support our (SEF), Swedish Supporters’ Federation partners in developing working methods (SFSU) and the Police. ENABLE Sweden is in their organizations or events by independent and neutral in relation to our identifying and spreading ‘good practice’ partners. within Swedish football. Purpose To support sustainable collaboration within Swedish football along with the development of welcoming, safe, secure and atmospheric elite football events. 12 Providing perspective on Swedish football METHOD KNOWLEDGE • Neutral approach: • Cognitive approach: In order to be loyal to our purpose and ENABLE Sweden values both academic goals, ENABLE Sweden always take a knowledge and the experience that neutral and independent position in exists among Swedish football’s actors relation to our partners. A toned down - and we want to help bring these public profile is part of this approach. together. We also want to contribute to translating theoretical knowledge into • Knowledge-based work: practically applicable working methods. ENABLE Sweden strives to rely on We endeavour to present knowledge in empirically documented knowledge a form that is valuable for practitioners when we interact with stakeholders in the field. inside and outside of Swedish football. • Collaboration: • Systematic working methodology: ENABLE Sweden sees collaboration as a ENABLE Sweden advocates a systematic skilled craft. Like all other work, it must approach based on knowledge of a be knowledge- based and systematic. problem, directed towards its cause and A more detailed review of our starting targeted