This question might sound like a ‘who played for all of these teams?’ quiz or the start of a really poor joke.
But in fact, the connection is that fans of all these clubs – and dozens of others – gathered in Manchester at the weekend for the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) AGM and conference.
Whilst rivalries come to the fore on matchdays, there are many common concerns and issues which are best heard through a united voice.
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After some opening banter from host Sam Matterface, the day began with a presentation from Martyn Henderson.
Martyn is the interim head of the ‘shadow’ football regulator, working to put in place the necessary structures, governance and operational framework to ensure the Football Regulator can ‘kick-off’ as soon as the Bill has been enacted.
The regulator will have legal powers and obligations as set out in the Act, however the implementation will depend heavily on associated guidance which is being developed with input from football supporters.
Martyn is spending a lot of his time listening to supporters, both directly and through organisations such as the FSA, to ensure that our needs are integrated into the guidance.
This includes ensuring that fans have meaningful input into club decision-making, and that protections are in place for club heritage assets such as the club stadium, colours and badge.
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This was followed by a fascinating session with Rebecca Welch. The first woman to referee a Premier League match, Rebecca officiated our match against Sheffield Wednesday in April 2023, awarding us a penalty which Cameron Brannagan scored to draw level and win a point. (Remember the days when we had penalties!).
Now retired from officiating, she manages the development of officials for the women's professional game.
From our vantage point in the stands, we all have views on decisions. Rebecca took us through two key areas: what constitutes a handball and what meets the threshold for awarding a penalty.
There has been a move to reduce so-called ‘soft’ penalties, so it was interesting to work through examples on screen and have to make our own decisions.
Rebecca also alerted us to the FA adopting guidance regarding ‘only captains’. This permits only the captain to engage in discussion with the referee regarding decisions.
This guidance has been adopted by the Premier League for 2025/26, and is expected to be adopted by the EFL.
So, we should no longer see referees surrounded by disgruntled players. I suspect we may see a few yellow cards early in the season as players become accustomed to this.
After lunch, members discussed and voted on a number of motions proposed by fans and supporter groups. The process demonstrates how we can influence the discourse going forward with the outcomes shaping the FSA’s priorities.
The day concluded with a number of workshops ranging from how to engage younger fans, the 3pm blackout, eliminating sexist chanting, and environmental sustainability.
Football fans have so much in common: our love of the game, our passion for our club, our football communities. We can learn a lot from each other at events like this, but come August we will of course be absolute rivals on matchdays.