Leeds winning in London? See, it can happen. All you need to do is replace Premier League footballers with the power of thousands of Leeds fans and anything can happen.
We’re taking this self-indulgent moment to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for The Square Ball in the Football Supporters’ Association Awards Fan Media of the Year category, held down south last night. It was a strong line-up, including Cod Almighty (Grimsby Town), Roker Report (Sunderland), The Anfield Wrap (Liverpool), The Pinch (Sheffield United) and True Faith (Newcastle United), and we’re very proud that so many of you felt so strongly about us that you cast enough votes to win.
Coming from you lot, that means everything.
That the award comes from the Football Supporters’ Association is important to us too. We’ve been nominated by them every year in one category or another, winning 2011 Fanzine of the Year on the awards’ debut run, when it was judged by an ‘expert panel’; winning Fanzine of the Year again in 2014 on a fans’ vote; then winning Club Podcast of the Year in 2021. The FSA have even reverted back to giving out part-glass trophies after Dan smashed our first one against a London pavement back in 2011.
The work undertaken by the Football Supporters’ Association makes their awards a meaningful honour:
We are the leading advocates for supporter ownership, better fan engagement, cheaper ticket prices, the choice to stand at the match, protecting fan rights, good governance, diversity, and all types of supporter empowerment.
Football is for all and we work closely with organisations such as Kick It Out and Level Playing Field to ensure that core belief is happening in the real world. We have supported the establishment of scores of BAME and LGBT fans’ groups over the past few seasons.
And we were very glad to have the company of our pals from Marching Out Together at the awards do, who had a well earned nomination in the Fans for Diversity category.
@TheSquareBall @MarchingoutLUFC
Leeds friends!!! pic.twitter.com/16xuqjgXll
— Maz Ferguson ????????♀️???? (@mazleeds) November 15, 2022
We’re not so glad to have the hangovers that come with the trophy, but if that’s the sacrifice we have to make to get a Leeds result in London, so be it.
To avoid this post being completely self-indulgent, let’s use it to plug our 2023 charity calendars, filled as ever with pictures of your favourite Leeds players (some of whom might still be here when their month comes around), by your favourite TSB artists. Our brilliant readers, listeners, viewers and pals have raised over £10,000 for the Leeds Hospitals Charity from the sales of our calendars over the past few years and we’re grateful for your fundraising help again.
All the profits this year are going to the Leeds Cancer Centre and the Leeds Breast Cancer Awareness Group.
Thanks, as Howard Wilkinson always used to say, for your magnificent support. ⬢