FSF

The Football Supporters’ Federation awards are back for their third year, and will be held on 16th December at the Emirates stadium. We’re after nominations from fans of all clubs across a range of categories detailed below. Categories: * Away Day of the Year * Blogger of the Year * Commentator of the Year * Fanzine of the Year * Independent Website of the Year * Newspaper of the Year * Player of the Year (from your club) * Podcast of the Year * Pundit of the Year * Writer of the Year You can nominate up to three entries to be shortlisted in any category, apart from Player of the Year. This is the first time that we have included a Player of the Year award in the FSF awards, so we’re keen to see whose performances you thought most stood out for your side in 2013. Unfortunately, you are restricted to just one nomination from your team for this award, so choose wisely. All nominated entries will be considered by the shortlisting panel, whether they have been nominated once or a hundred times. Nominations should be sent to awards@fsf.org.uk no later than 9am on 28th October. Shortlisting will take place once nominations close, and the winners will be decided by a public vote in November. For more details, visit www.fsf.org.uk

The Football Supporters’ Federation are running two fantasy football competitions for our members this season through the excellent, and free, premierleague.com and fantasy.football-league.co.uk websites. But it's not just bragging rights up for grabs; we’re throwing in a bunch of prizes into the bargain, too, if you’re good enough to win them, that is. If you’ve not played before, simply register at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ and come join us. If you’re already on the site and have picked your team for this coming season, or are planning on doing so, then just add yourself to our league (The FSF League), the code for which is 129744-45449. We will also be running a Championship version, for fans of Football League clubs, through http://fantasy.football-league.co.uk. Come and join our league there - to sign up to the FSF League, simply enter the PIN 1071. Pit your wits against football fans from across the country and be in line for weekly and monthly prizes. In our Premier League game, the manager of the month each month will nab themselves a free year’s subscription to our excellent (if we do say so ourselves) magazine The Football Supporter. If you doubt your ability for sustained success and feel your chance is more likely to come with a one-off fluke, then don’t worry - the individual with the top score each and every gameweek will win themselves a copy of the magazine too, absolutely gratis. In our Football League game, the manager of the month will also receive a free year's subscription to The Football Supporter, while those finishing second and third will bag themselves a free copy of the magazine. And in case you were wondering, if there is a tie in any week/month then all the players with the top score will win the prize, because we’re just that generous and giving. We’ll also be announcing regular extra prizes throughout the season: loads of football books, fanzines, DVDs or whatever else we can find down the back of the sofa at FSF Towers. The best way to keep in touch with it all is through our Facebook page, so join us there today at www.facebook.com/thefsf. To be eligible to claim your prize you must be a member of the FSF. If you’re already a member then you’re clearly someone of good taste, but if you’re not but then you’ll be pleased to know that that’s absolutely free as well – all it takes is 30 seconds at www.fsf.org.uk/join giving us your name, the club you support and your email address. Dead simple. And yes, we will be checking – if you’ve not joined the FSF before the week or month you win, the next person down the list who is a member will get your prize. No ifs, no buts. So get along to The FSF Leagues online, and test yourselves against the football geniuses of Britain (and one or two FSF members of staff, too).

http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/renaming-st-james.php Article on the ground branding

No, your eyes don’t deceive you, this actually happened. Forgive us for blowing our own trumpets, but it’s not as if the police are going to do it for us on this occasion For more on this, see the full story: http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/police-say-sorry-to-fans.php The Football Supporters Federation stands up for fans across the country, and it’s good to see that our work is beginning to pay off. We campaigned successfully against the misuse of Section 27 legislation last season, we’ve been working with Sunderland fans in an ongoing investigation into police brutality by Northumbria Police this season, as well as helping fans in individual cases week-in, week-out. The FSF is there for when the shit hits the fan, but we’re far more than that – find out more about getting involved and join for free (and get yourself a couple of freebies) at www.fsf.org.uk/join.php

The Football Supporters’ Federation is now offering free membership to all fans from across the UK and beyond. We’re offering free membership because we’re geared to creating a larger, more vocal campaigning force for fans of all clubs up and down the country. If you’re worried about the direction the game is heading, whether it’s the way that fans are policed week-in, week-out, ticket prices being prohibitively expensive or club ownership issues, then join our existing 140,000+ individual and affiliate members and stand up for fan interests. There has never been a more important time to ensure your voice is heard, and it’s never been easier to get involved. All you need to do to become a member is give us your name and email address – it’s that simple. www.fsf.org.uk/join.php All newly joining members are entitled to a free issue of The Football Supporter magazine delivered straight to your door, absolutely free of charge, as well as receiving a £5 discount from TOFFS, the UK’s largest retailer of retro football shirts, just as our thank-you to you for getting involved. You can use the code as many times as you like between now and the end of the year, too. You can’t say fairer than that, surely? Everyone who signs up before 31st August will also be entered into a free prize draw to win a retro shirt of their choice, so you’ve really got nothing to lose. These are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of deals and offers that you’ll receive as an FSF member, but we know that you’re not in it for the freebies, but because you’re interested in the issues which concern fans, and want to make sure that someone is looking out for you and your interests – remember the ‘No to Gam£ 39’ campaign from 2008, or the Stoke fans who won compensation from the police after they illegally served them with Section 27 notices earlier this year? The FSF are instrumental in fighting for fans’ interests in these, and other campaigns - http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/index.php Get involved today – visit www.fsf.org.uk/join.php and give us 30 seconds of your time, and become part of something. Feel free to pass this on to family, friends, colleagues or other messageboards, blogs or email lists. If you’ve got any questions at all about free membership, or anything the FSF get up to, then get in touch with us – leave a message below, or email us at info@fsf.org.uk.