Oxford United has announced a change to its supporter engagement approach as part of the Club’s wider Fan Engagement Plan. The Oxford United Supporters Panel (OUSP) will be succeeded by a newly established Fan Advisory Board (FAB), aimed at strengthening the Club’s relationship with its supporters.
The decision follows a comprehensive review of the Club’s engagement strategies, carried out in collaboration with the Football Supporters’ Association, OUSP, and OxVox – the Club’s independent supporters’ trust. The FAB will serve as a formal structure to provide fans with a platform for more meaningful and consistent dialogue with the Club.
The board’s remit will include a broad range of off-field topics, such as the Club’s strategic vision and objectives, proposed changes to heritage assets, stadium updates, and wider supporter engagement plans.
The FAB will meet quarterly, with additional working groups formed to focus on specific areas such as matchday experience, ticketing, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
To ensure continuity as the new structure is established, existing elected OUSP independent representatives will transfer to the FAB until the end of their current terms of office. Two positions will then be made available each year through an election process. In addition, three nominated members from OxVox will join the board, alongside designated seats for other supporter groups.
The Club will be represented on the FAB by Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer Adam Benson and Supporter Liaison Officer Aaron Kightley, with the CEO, Chairman, and other senior staff attending selected meetings.
Applications to join the FAB will open shortly, with elections scheduled to take place in July. Details of how to apply and further information is available on the FAB website.
Tim Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford United, said: “This initiative reflects our ambitions as a Club to be best in class in fan engagement. A lot of hard work has taken place behind the scenes to get us to this point, and I’d like to thank the Football Supporters’ Association, OUSP and OxVox for their support thus far.”
Jane Hughes, EFL Network Manager at the Football Supporters’ Association, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the existing Supporters Panel, OxVox and the Club to develop and strengthen fan engagement at Oxford United. The structure, transparency and democracy built into the process, along with the unseen hard work of staff and volunteers alike, demonstrates the commitment of all parties to provide a framework for fans to speak with the Club, and, just as importantly, the Club to speak with the fans.”
Paul Peros, Chair of OxVox, commented: “We welcome the creation of a new board to help increase supporter consultation on the Club’s governance. It is vital, alongside a strong independent supporters trust, that fans have an opportunity for more direct input into strategic planning for the future. We hope that the board will progress and grow as intended and hope the views of the widest range of supporters possible are able to help shape our Club’s future.”
OUSP Chair, Janine Bailey, added: “The FAB is a natural evolution of the work we’ve been doing to improve communication and consultation between the Club and our supporters over the last four years. We’re excited to see this new structure take shape, and will continue to advocate for transparency, inclusion, and accountability across a wider range of issues including strategy and governance.”
