BANTAMS SUPPORTERS TRUST

In attendance from the Club were, Ryan Sparks (RS) – Club CEO and Paula Watson (PW) – Director of Operations. Representing the Trust there was, Manny Dominguez (MD) – Chair, Matthew Pickles (MP) and Tony Deacon (TD). Apologies were given from Justin Bret (JB) – Trust Vice Chair Bantams Supporters Trust met with the Club on Monday 9 th Feb. We last met in November last year, so there was much to catch up on in an ever-moving feast. So, without further ado lets dive into it. Fans’ surveys We asked about a survey that the Club put out early on in the season regarding if fans were happy about the services the Club provide. The findings were not different to what they knew already. They wanted to see if the results backed the backed the opinion. Some highlights were, that the reception experience was good. Catering and queue times were poor - Supporters are still waiting too long. There are more Kiosks and space to use up, and more staff for Tiffin. Retail produces a turnover of around £1.2m and performing quite well, with year on year growth, though there is a wider target to reach the £2m mark. Children’s retail is up. It was raised that when they have tried to order shirts they have sold out. There have been 3 runs of the 2 nd and 3 rd kit as they have been so popular. It was explained that there is greater demand when there is a concern that something will sell out. There are a lot of collectors among football fans RS said. This is why within the retro market there are selected retro shirts out on sale for a limited time only to get them. It was said it is coming up to 40 years since the ‘Bradford Great City!’. And there will be other ‘strategic’ shirt designs produced by Macron. With regards to whether the EFL had sent the Club supporter responses related to their supported Club questions, the Club haven’t been sent them. Season ticket sales breakdown Again from the previous meeting, the Trust asked of the 13,000 renewals of season tickets this season, how many of them took up the Early Bird Offer. RS said it was 95%. A total of 16,000 overall bought this season’s season ticket. The postponement of the Rotherham game It was asked why the Club had put out a statement on the Friday saying it was going to be on. The response was that the referee had said the pitch was playable on that day and fans want to know as early as possible. Also, they were not expecting extreme weather conditions. The shadow of the main stand can make that area colder. The frost covers can cover and protect up to -2C but it got to -3 to -4 the following night. There was discussion of the viability of a protective dome covers and it was said they cost too much. As much as £250,000! Loyalty points threshold for away matches We asked about this because we received a query regarding them because it was felt they had been lowered. They had the view that the points system should only value those that had been to more games. The Trust view is whilst it does and should reward those that go to all, it should give the opportunity to buy for as many as possible. First of all it was said that the threshold will always vary based on the number of away tickets the club receives from the opposite team. It was raised that both Newcastle and Huddersfield could’ve given more, as many fans were disappointed in not being able to go. It was said that the points system, whilst there is no universally fair system, a closed shop would never allow the opportunity for others. It was noted that attendances have increased for the EFL Trophy matches to maximise on loyalty points. Next season’s season tickets There was a feeling of eventuality with this one, as it was said that there definitely will be an increase due to rising maintenance costs for the stadium, but for season ticket holders on direct debit it will just feel like other rising costs that we have to pay and we manage to pay them. To continue saying that will become harder year on year, if working season-ticket holder families or individual supporters’ wage incomes struggles to keep up with the rising cost of living. Supporters will still be able to pay in full, as there are a small number that do prefer paying this way. There will still be a 12 month direct debit plan and also there will be an option to pay over 3 months. If supporters stop payments for any reason, supporters will be given up to two months to communicate to find a way of continuing payments. After that their season ticket will be terminated and they will no longer be able to attend. Season ticket consultation We asked if there will be a consultation with Supporters Board and Supporters Trust. There would not be but an announcement is due in the coming weeks. The Trust feels it is a shame that this can’t be done. We are impressed that it was done last season even when the terms of the offer was already decided, and whilst there was very little time provided to consult with our members, it was still a positive achievement when it comes to fan engagement. We feel Club should aim to consult in future seasons. Overall capacity PW said that the actual capacity is 24,450, but for safety reasons that figure is not achievable. This is the reason they have the segregation and safety covers in the Midland Road and Kop respectively. With that, the capacity is around 24,100. Attendance at matches from next season Next season the Club will be bringing in a system where season ticket holders have to communicate if you can’t attend. We will still get our loyalty points but our seat will be able to be resold to others. We asked about those who have bought season tickets just to support the club, and said that that season ticket redistribution goes on amongst supporters anyway and will work in the same way. It was said those supporters who may have bought a seat to support the club would still need to say it’s free for Club resale. And the Club are aware re season tickets going to other supporter friends and family. It’s just if your season ticket can’t be used. In the Trust’s view, this may prove difficult to manage. They are also planning on installing a second segregation gate in the Midland Road stand, for greater flexibility. Matchday experience LED advertising Boards – we asked if the brightness could be lowered for night games as there are some people how have difficulty seeing the goalmouth action in front of them. It was said the brightness was already on one, the lowest setting. We noted that it had been turned down to that settling for the same reasons last season. It was said that at some point all the advertising boards around the ground will be like that. Congestion after the match - It has been noted that with the increased attendances there are issues of congestion all around from fans coming in, and queuing for food and drink, but also exiting the ground. Initially the discussion took us to the steps upon many exiting the NW corner and kop exit out of. It was said that extending the steps could cause potential accidents and it would encourage more to use them. As of now there have been no reported accidents. The opening up of the One In A Million car park helps divert supporters away from taking the route up the stairs. Then attention was focussed on the Kop as it is believed getting out from there is slow, as congestion builds on the aisle staircases. It was said that the average exit time out of the stadium is 10 minutes. It has been said previously that they had been looking at time-lapse film footage to understand how supporters are leaving the stadium and that they thought about adopting a staggered approach to supporters exiting the stadium. Father & Daughter toilets – MP reported that he struggles to find a cubicle available to take use daughter to use, and that the male toilets a generally poor, often with no toilet roll. PW said something like a family toilet is a good idea, and in the North lower Kop there is currently an unused toilet block facility that could be reopened as a family toilet. B Block – It was raised that the issues prevalent when B Block became the atmosphere area were still there. It was suggested a meet up with representatives of for and against were present at a meeting were both parties had to concede to find a happy medium. RS said he was happy for us to take the lead on that. Improving our structured dialogue / Fan Engagement It was suggested that The Trust seeks to meet Liam Mould (LM) the SLO on this and the Fan Engagement Plan (FEP). We asked if the Trust Statement was on the Fan Engagement Plan. PW showed us how to get to it. This is the link to the Fan Engagement Area , and within that area you an click onto the Supporters Trust Statement. MD asked if the Club had seen the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) Engagement survey, and the response was affirmative. MD reported he had filled the supporter representative part on behalf of the Trust. Football Governance Act and the Independent Regulator (IFR) MD reported that he will be hopefully attending an FSA Network meeting with a rep from the IFR as guest in the future. It’s not yet been scheduled. The FSA have produced an IFR guide for supporters which is here . Financial performance We asked if there is a 5-year plan or if there is any planning for where the Club wants to be. We understood from what was explained that there isn’t a plan as such but a broad direction in all departments and that is to improve from where we are now. We asked about the American sponsorship deal with Mbanq, and it is bigger than anything the Club has had before, but the Club will make announcements on this in due course. We asked if the Club could see sales in other departments, commercial sponsorship and TV deals etc. outstripping income from sales in season tickets and matchday tickets. It was explained that money from attendances is still very much the main income but the higher up you go in the pyramid, the income generated from that success becomes greater. We asked whether money will change the direction of the Club, RS explained that we are a community Club at core and we don’t want to change that.