Executive director Zoe Ward spoke to canaries.co.uk ahead of Tuesday night's match against Huddersfield Town. Today's boardroom notes cover the money raised from our Community Sports Foundation takeover day and our official club app.
Good evening and welcome back to Carrow Road for another fixture under the lights.
Although our last home game was a week ago, I would like to reflect on the success of our Community Sports Foundation evening for the Carabao Cup tie against against Birmingham City.
Together with the Foundation, we were able to raise almost £25,000 through our ticket sales. This money will help to promote inclusion and provide positive experiences for the 130 disabled children and adults who will be able to enjoy a full season season of funded disability sessions at The Nest.
Although this seems like a small amount in the world of football, it is a game-changing figure for the people who will benefit as a direct result of your attendance for the Carabao Cup tie.
We also know that there will be many financial challenges for our supporters in the months ahead and we are determined to make the Carrow Road experience affordable and enjoyable. To have more than 19,000 supporters inside the stadium for our first cup fixture is a reflection of your commitment and loyalty to this club.
We have a responsibility to make Norwich City accessible for a new generation of supporters and we are thrilled that 5,222 people under the age of 18 were at the game, with around 2,500 under the age of 12. Support for this club is passed on through the generations and we want to make sure that every young football fan in Norfolk can come to watch their local team play against high-calibre opposition at Carrow Road.
We recognise that we must be innovators and we have been encouraged by the positive feedback from supporters about the pre-match atmosphere outside the stadium and the noise generated during the game itself. It is the enthusiasm that rubs off on the players and with your support in the next round against AFC Bournemouth here at Carrow Road we will give the next generation another glimpse of first team football.
We are also delighted with the number of people who have downloaded our official app to use the mobile ticketing to access the stadium.
Many fans still like the idea of holding a ticket on matchday and we continue to respect this, but we must also have one eye on the future.
Our official mobile app is simple to download and there is a separate menu to buy tickets that can be downloaded on to your smart phone with a unique QR code to access the stadium. This is the quickest way to buy tickets for matches and as we continue to make improvements it is becoming increasingly popular among our supporters.
The app also has a range of other features, including exclusive content, statistics and a number of other services provided by the club to enhance your experience as a Norwich City supporter.
This evening we have another important game in the league and with your backing for the players and management we can go on to win our first home game of the season in the Championship.