Supporter Panel Minutes 2021/22

Attendees

Norwich City Football Club Representatives:

Zoe Ward (ZW) – Executive Director

Sam Hall (SH) – Legal and Governance Director

Anthony Richens (AR) – Finance Director

Supporter Panel:

Gordon Anderson (GA), Matt Colley (MC), Beverley Burkill (BB), Brian Folkard (BF), Cillian O’Grady (CO), Emily Wilford (EW), James Brighton (JB), Johnathon Byrne (JBy), Jon Myhill (JM), Marie Fuller (MF), Ryan Blumenthal (RB)

Apologies:

Adam Buffin

1. Finance Report

AR provided a breakdown of where the club’s revenue is derived from.  He reported on investment in club infrastructure and provided live information on how the club was performing against budget.  AR also highlighted the number of players and club partners.

JM asked what happens with the partners next year and whether they automatically roll forward.

AR said this was dependent on each partner contract.

AR then spoke through shirt sales, retail revenue and attendance figures.

2. Staff Update

ZW addressed the narrative on social media regarding the club having excessive staff turnover. ZW said that she is not sure what has led to this perception but there is no higher than normal level of staff turnover and the club is comfortable that we understand the reasons why each person has left.  For example, some turnover has been due to staff getting a promotion elsewhere.

GA asked whether the club ever carries out a staffing review.

ZW said that a review happens annually.

GA asked for an update on the Head of Supporter Engagement.

SH confirmed that the Head of Supporter Engagement has now been appointed and will start in late June.

MC asked whether a Customer Service Manager will be in place for the new season.

ZW confirmed this post would ideally be in place for the new season and is currently out for recruitment. This role will capture the themes of customer service issues across the club.

BF asked what the percentage of staff turnover was.

AR confirmed turnover is in line with the UK average of 15%.

CO noted that the fact that the club does not engage on social media is a PR opportunity missed. A lot of clubs engage smartly and CO noted some examples of news stories from the club not getting a good reaction.

ZW said that a content manager is being recruited and they will inform the content strategy going forward.

EW asked what the club’s strategy is to get closer to the fans and whether the club uses any social listening tools.

ZW noted that the club is currently trialing a tool like this.

EW said that the club does not say anything on LinkedIn, for example being proud that staff member has achieved a qualification etc.

ZW acknowledged that the club’s communications strategy has been relatively risk averse and that this would be looked at when the content manager starts.

3. Fan Led Review

ZW updated the Supporter Panel on the Fan Led Review, including noting that there was lots of debate around the independent regulator. ZW also noted that financial distribution is a key point that would need to be addressed as part of the response to the Fan Led Review.

ZW also noted the potential for fan engagement requirements to be codified in league rules and said that the club would work towards best practice regardless of what league we are in.

GA asked how this reflects back to this Supporter Panel.

SH said that between when the Supporter Panel was initially set up and now, the landscape has changed primarily due to the Fan Led Review.  There is a Terms of Reference currently in place for the Supporter Panel, but now as it approaches 1 year in existence it is a good time to review the Terms of Reference to see if it is still fit for purpose.

SH noted that the Head of Supporter Engagement will review the Terms of Reference once they are in post as a priority because, by then, more will be known about the direction of the Government and leagues on this issue.

GA noted that, to some extent, it feels like a year lost as the Supporter Panel has tried to find its feet. He noted his desire to create a Panel that contributes positively to the club.

SH said that currently the entire Supporter Panel is on a 2 year term after which they all leave and a new Supporter Panel is elected. On reflection, the club does not feel this is the best way to operate for a number of reasons, for example retention of knowledge, and so this will be part of the Terms of Reference review. Ideally some Supporter Panel members will leave after 2 years and some after 3 years to allow a full retirement by rotation by the end of year 3. SH asked for any Supporter Panel member wanting to leave after 1 or 3 years to get in contact with him.

GA said that we want to get to a point where the Supporter Panel has value and our contributions make a difference. A published Terms of Reference would be very important to this.

SH agreed that the Supporter Panel’s Terms of Reference would be published once revised.

ZW commented that she felt that the Panel had given the Club some really valuable input over the last few months and this should be recognised.

MC noted an improvement from the club since January on engagement with the Supporter Panel. He said that they have all been elected on the basis of issues that they can help the club with and that the more the club engages with the Supporter Panel, the more insight it will receive.

4. Incidents and Sanctions

SH discussed matchday reporting of incidents. He highlighted the ways in which incidents could be reported and also spoke about the yellow card scheme that the club is using to encourage reporting and to put fans on notice that incidents would be reported. SH asked whether Panel members had seen the updated communications regarding reporting on social media, big screen and matchday LED amongst others.

The Supporter Panel agreed that communications on this issue had been increased and that they had seen it.

SH also highlighted the club’s ‘home for everyone’ brand and commitment, saying that further comms would come from the club on this within the week.

SH then updated on the work of the Sanctions Working Group. This has seen 4 Panel members and SH work together to review the club’s processes for sanctioning supporters for poor behaviour. The initial part of this work was to interrogate the process the club uses, which has since been reformed due to Panel feedback. This process now involves an initial Sanctions Panel and a Sanctions Appeal Panel consisting of senior members of staff at the same level in the club.

SH then said that the Sanctions Working Group met immediately prior to this meeting to discuss the length of sanctions that should attach to specific incidents. This was a productive session and SH noted that there is further working to do as a Working Group in this area to reach an agreed position.

5. Safeguarding

SH then raised two safeguarding issues for the Supporter Panel’s consideration.  The first was around the proposal to prevent under 14’s from attending unless accompanied by someone over 18 years old with seating in close proximity.

GA said that it was a tough one because he became interested in football as a child younger than 14 and would attend with his friends.

JM asked whether children would be ID’d at the turnstile.

SH said that this would be done at the point of sale.

BB noted her experience means she understands the importance of safeguarding. A fixed age limit is difficult because you are excluding the more mature 14 year olds.

GA said that the risk is that one size fits all approach does not work.

CO said that a parent would not let their 14 year old go to a pub on their own and a football stadium could be seen like this as alcohol is served from the kiosks.

JB said that this policy could prevent people from attending the match which would be a negative outcome.

ZW noted that we are currently the only Premier League club without an unaccompanied child age policy. Other clubs vary from no under 12’s to no under 16’s unaccompanied.

BF asked what the driver behind this was.

SH said that it is a gap in our policies and reflects the club’s requirement and desire to keep everyone safe at the stadium. The club is conscious not to stop the supporters of tomorrow, but needs to balance safety in this area.

SH then went on to discuss the second proposal which was the banning of under 2’s in any external seating area. This policy is currently in place at several other football clubs.

MC said that he saw no reason why anyone would want to bring a babe in arms to a Premier League football match.

The Supporter Panel generally agreed with this policy.

SH summarised by saying that the no under 14’s unaccompanied is contentious and requires careful thought, although it is understandable, and the no under 2’s policy was widely accepted.

6. Community Club

ZW said that one thing that is often spoken about the club is that it is a community club. ZW asked the Supporter Panel what this means to them and whether this should ever be compromised to achieve growth.

EW said that our club is geographically unique, one club one county. Club hides behind the self-funding narrative which has run its course. Club needs to take a stronger line with fans to explain when and why compromise is needed as the fans need more transparency on this.

ZW asked how EW would position it.

EW said that the club and the local area is ambitious which we shout about when things are going well but when things go badly we only talk about being a self-funding club. Club needs a consistent message. Own it when we get it wrong but maintain the message that we are ambitious. This would need to be underpinned by communication with fans and transparency.

MF said that self-funding and community club are two entirely separate things. The community part of the club is separate and we are doing really good things at The Nest and with CSF that we need to talk about more.

CO said that the club is missing massive opportunities internationally. That is not to say that it cannot still work well in the local community, but it is not capitalizing on the countries that its players come from.

JB noted that in the past fans have come out and said that the club cannot have a particular sponsor because we are a community club, so this is always going to be linked to the financial model.

EW said that we should have club values published that if sponsors do not align with then we do not work with them.  Finances should be separate to the values the club abides by.

SH said that having larger sponsorship values generally tends to bring with it larger risks, and asked whether the Supporter Panel is happy to forego growth in revenue and investment in the squad in order to abide by the values of a community club. BB said she feels the club is on the cusp of having to undergo a transition. In the past we were a community that geographically were quite separated from other places. However now we have a split in the fan base, some of which want to retain the community club values and others which want to stay in the Premier League and not sell our best players. Only way to grow may be making some unpleasant decisions. JB said that we could have a new investor. We could retain being a community club and have a new investor. JB does not believe that the club should limit commercial gains by being a community club because it does not mean anything commercially. This does not prevent good community work being done, but should not be way the club is run commercially.

BF said that it is perhaps split by age. Generally, younger people do not seem to mind about sponsors etc. if it improves the team on the pitch but it seems to be a larger issue for the older members of the fan base.

GA said that every club says that they are a community club but that does not necessarily stop them having a betting brand on their shirt, for example.

JB said that there is a difference between fan tokens and other advertising. JB said he is against fan tokens because fan tokens give people a larger say in club decisions depending on the amount of money paid and there is also an element of significant financial risk that does not exist in other partnerships the club may promote. On the other hand, advertising is only advertising and not the club saying that you should take part in whatever is being advertised.

EW says that the question is: is the club a business or is it trying to serve the community?

MC said that we also need to be clear whether we are creating a club for the people of Norwich and Norfolk or whether we are looking to appeal internationally. If so, what is our international USP.

RB said that there may be a need to compromise the community element in order to grow.

ZW, SH and AR thanked the Supporter Panel for an interesting debate. They will take the Supporter Panel’s views away and use it to inform commercial strategy.

7. Any Other Business

JM raised that the Active Canaries initiative went down really well in the local schools. This was sponsored school meals themed around four players.

ZW said that this was a player and staff funded project.  Although the club can (and has) promote this, it does not gain as much traction as when individual people praise it independently of the club.

8. Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next meeting has not been formally confirmed, but will be held in July as the meetings are now quarterly.

Attendees

Norwich City Football Club Representatives:

Zoe Ward (ZW) - Business & Project Director

Sam Hall (SH) - Legal & Governance Director

Greg Pillinger (GP) - Head of Operations & Projects

Lynette Hannant (LH) – Head of Supporter Services and Junior Development

Supporter Panel:

Gordon Anderson (GA), Matt Colley (MC), Adam Buffin (AB), Beverley Burkill (BB), Brian Folkard (BF), Cillian O’Grady (CO), James Brighton (JB), Johnathon Byrne (JBy), Jon Myhill (JM), Marie Fuller (MF), Ryan Blumenthal (RB)

Apologies:

Emily Wilford

1. Intro to Zoe Ward, Business & Project Director and Sam Hall, Legal & Governance Director

ZW provided an organisational update including the Exec Committee’s direct reports.

Stuart Webber is responsible for the Football Department, including Head Coach, Assistant Sporting Director, Medical Services, Performance & Nutrition, Football Development, Recruitment, Performance Analysis, Data, Strategy & Innovation, and Communications.

Zoe Ward is responsible for Commercial, Legal & Governance, Finance, Academy, Club Secretary, Venue Management, People & Culture, Operations & Projects and is also a Trustee of the Community Sports Foundation.

2. OSP presentation and feedback

GA shared the Panel’s collective views of their first 6 months in situ. General feedback is that the purpose of the Panel would benefit from further clarification and GA requested thought be given to an MoU or constitution which should be available on the club website. SH stated that there is already a Terms of Reference for the Supporter Panel which sets out the role of this Panel and that he would re-circulate this to the Panel and undertake a review to ensure that it is reflective of the Panel’s remit.

MF further suggested that each Panel member should represent a specific area and / or topic, again made clear on the club website. ZW said that this would be considered.

ZW explained that she had also reviewed this area of the Club. She explained that there was a clear distinction between supporter engagement and customer services, and that these would be two separate functions going forward. She also explained that Supporter Services has historically sat in the Commercial department but on review it is not felt it is a commercial function so it will move to Legal & Governance. This move also aligns with the sentiments of the Crouch Report.

CO and BF confirmed that customer service is still not at its best.

ZW agreed that this was the case and that the Club was looking to improve its customer service provision going forward.

ZW explained that she saw the Supporter Panel being used for supporter engagement and not complaints or individual matters. Its primary function should be for consultation and feedback. Examples such as safe standing and the club crest have shown how this can work productively. 

ZW said it would be good to understand areas of particular interest to the Panel so the Club can make the best use of their expertise.

MC agreed the Panel should not be a conduit for individuals to complain. This should be directed to supporter services.

BB also suggested that the Panel has its own set of values. It was agreed that this would be looked at.

GA said that he saw the initial Panel as setting the blueprint for future Panels.

ZW suggested that future meetings can commence with a brief overview of club areas, and sharing the club strategy will be beneficial to the Panel. ZW said that the Finance Director can attend the next Panel meeting to provide an overview of the club’s financial model.

ZW referred to the Panel’s feedback which suggested that smaller working groups could be formed to work on specific club projects, e.g. ED&I. It was felt that this was a really good idea and SH further shared the role of the Stadium Sanction Panel and the implementation of supporter bans. The club has seen a significant rise in discrimination cases. This was an example where the Panel’s input would be really valuable.

JM asked if Premier League guidelines had been issued. SH confirmed that the Premier League has produced a “Commitment” which encourages a 3-season ban for a first discriminatory offence.

CO commented that the behaviour was much worse at away games.

GA commented that there will be a need for consistency for bans.

BF referenced the Crystal Palace match in terms of a toxic atmosphere and potential for crowd trouble.

CO informed the meeting that he was working with Manchester United to assist with their social media policing. GA, JB, JBy and MF agreed that the club should do more to police social media. SH said that this is difficult because of the anonymity of social media and the amount of resource this would take, but said that any direct discriminatory abuse of club staff would be acted upon.

GP explained the process for away fans whereby the away club is contacted and implements a ban for their own supporters.

MC referenced home fans mimicking the Munich disaster to the Manchester United fans, and how easy it was to identify the perpetrators. SH explained this was progressing through the Sanction Panel process at the moment.

SH explained that a person does not have to have committed a criminal act for the club to issue a ban if the behaviour of the fan goes against club values.

Actions:

SH to re-share the Terms of Reference with the Panel.

Actions:

Anthony Richens, Finance Director to attend next Panel meeting.

BF asked what is deemed “offensive”? Educating fans is the preferred option to issuing bans. The context of bans requires robust communications.

GA reiterated that football should be inclusive – to stamp out any form of discrimination. SH stated that this discussion reflects how nuanced the sanction process can be. In order to ensure that the sanctions being given out by the club reflect the views of supporters, SH asked the Panel to take some time to collate and consider fans’ views in order to inform the club of the appropriate level of sanction for a variety of offences.

SH asked for any Panel members interested in joining a working group to discuss this issue to contact him or Lynette.

Actions:

SH to set up working group to discuss sanctions

3. Fan Led Review of Football Governance – Tracey Crouch Review

ZW advised the Panel that the Premier League has set up a Fan Led Review Advisory Group comprising of Chairs / Directors / CEOs of 7 clubs. ZW is sitting on this group.

Current position:

• Government going through the report and recommendations to understand what they mean and how they may be implemented.
• Government and football bodies evaluating any unintended consequences that may arise as a result of the report.

A lot of work needed by Government and the football bodies to work through the recommendations; Premier League looking at how they can implement some recommendations immediately / in the near future.

ZW said that the Panel would be kept up-to-date on all developments on the Crouch Report.

4. Safe standing

GP explained that a trial will be running until the end of season with Cardiff, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham identified as the trial clubs for licensed standing.

GP, DC and LH are part of the working group and are working with the SGSA and SAG with the Snake Pit, Lower Barclay and away section of the South Stand being identified as potential areas for rail seating.

Next steps will be fan feedback, particularly whether this would enhance supporter experience, considering this would be a club spend with no return, or whether this money could be better spent elsewhere. A survey will be sent to fans in due course. GP said that he would take on board all the learnings from the trial and that, if the trial is successful and safe standing is legalised and if there was a desire by supporters, then the club would target implementation of safe standing by no earlier than the start of season 2023/24.

5. AOB

BB advised Borussia Dortmund recently ran a fan competition to design a kit for season 23/24. BB suggested it would help the supporters feel more involved.  ZW advised that the kit design process has quite strict parameters to work within but that we would see what opportunity there may be.

MF would like a general review of female leisurewear.

JB requested South Stand taps be upgraded to push or sensor taps in current Covid climate (currently old turning taps).

CO offered to focus on growing the global fanbase, specifically Ireland due to the current Irish International players. RB also requested Josh Sargent to be used to market to USA fans. BB also agreed to assist with promoting Global Canaries.

Date to be agreed for visit to The Nest.

Season ticket renewal was discussed, with all ST holders to be contacted by 11th February 2022 to advise them of the details of their renewal.

Actions:

ZW / Sam Jeffery, Commercial Director

GP to review

ZW / Sam Jeffery

LH

6. Date of next meeting

Panel and club agreed that 3 meetings per season is not enough – agreed to move to quarterly. Original date of next meeting was Thursday, May 12th at 6.30pm. Agreed to find suitable date in April.

Actions:

LH / to discuss dates with GA & MC

Chair

Caroline Ellis (club) Gordon Anderson (panel)

Attendees

Norwich City Football Club Representatives:

Lynette Hannant – Head of Supporter Services & Junior Development Caroline Ellis – Supporter Services Manager Jake Gent – Junior Development & Memberships Manager Nathan Stevens – Supporter Engagement and Memberships Executive Greg Pillinger – Head of Operations & Projects

Supporter Panel:

Adam Buffin, Bev Burkill, Brian Folkard, Cillian O'Grady, Emily Wilford, James Brighton, Johnathon Byrne, Jon Myhill, Marie Fuller, Matt Colley

Apologies

1. Welcome

GP and JG introduced to the Panel.

Agenda items raised in advance of the meeting have been discussed internally with the relevant Department Heads and the feedback will be shared this evening. The Chair would like to say a few words before we begin the meeting;

Chair: Positive feedback shared regarding the general purpose of the Panel and the need for the relationship to be a two-way process. The Panel is here because it wants the club to bounce ideas off it on a regular basis across short and long-term projects. It is important to keep things in perspective. If a fan contacts the Panel with an issue which is personal to them, please direct the fan to the website/supporter services/club email and the club will rightly deal with it.

The club is aware of the fan forums, social media and Twitter comments.

Panel would like the club to do more monitoring of social media and speak to those who comment on posts. Email and telephone is out of date, people should be able to Tweet at the club and get a response.

LH: We appreciate football itself and supporter services / communication channels are evolving and this is being addressed internally.

The Panel agreed their purpose and roles should be on the website, as originally discussed.

The club explained that with the launch of the new website this has been delayed. There will be a dedicated supporter services section on the website with the Panel, charity requests, complaints and matchday information.

2. Ticket Office Closure

The root cause is closing the Ticket Office, the management of communication wasn’t done well, and this caused the anger.

However, to summarise, if the closure of the Ticket Office was communicated clearly and supporters could still make contact via phone and LiveChat, this may not be such a big issue. If the closure of the Ticket Office cannot be reversed, the club should get the volume of staff required and improve the quality of service. If this had come first, then closing the Ticket Office would have been so much better.

The club has put a lot of focus into LiveChat as this helps everyone because it reduce queues across phones and volume of emails. As a Panel you have recognised this process works and the club are trying to encourage supporters to use this.

3. OneCity Account / New website

Club asked if Panel have all registered and feedback on the process. Panel said it was a straight forward process. Some missed the link when it came through but the second time it worked perfectly. The only feedback was a worry about the emails being a scam and if this was communicated?

The club confirmed all supporters were emailed, staff covered LiveChat, and then supporters emailed again to confirm everyone had the correct information. The reason an expiry date was included in the link was because the club needed to encourage supporters to register as quickly as possible due to Liverpool tickets going on sale.

JG asked for feedback regarding junior emails. The club wanted to make sure that all under 13s didn’t need their own email as understandably a 4-year-old would not have their own email address.

Panel said it all worked really well.

4. Carrow Road Store

The Head of Retail (not in attendance) asked the Panel if they have visited the Carrow Road store since the refit and for their feedback.

Panel agreed they really liked it, looks smarter and more youthful. Asked if the club do click and collect and international supporters are receiving additional costs.

5. Stadium WiFi

The majority of the Panel tested the stadium wifi with good feedback received. Panel asked if it was still working for them after a couple of games?

Panel agreed it works really well in games.

GP asked if anyone noticed a difference with Gillingham or Liverpool based on the volume of people using it?

Panel said it was still very fast.

6. AOB

Panel asked for clarity on wearing face masks in the stadium.

Club reiterated that wearing a face mask is no longer enforced by law so the club can only encourage to supporters to wear them around the stadium.

Panel asked for further information regarding today’s announcement.

GP: The Premier League was advised that the government would make it mandatory to have face masks/checks by 1st October for stadium events. The government then did a U-turn, and this did not come into place; as a result the club did not share this plan with supporters. The PM then said this may still happen so the club put a plan in place with the Premier League if the PM announced a plan of 100% passport checks for any event over 10,000 people. This current plan from the Premier League allows us to prepare for such an event rather than have to enforce it with no warning for the club or supporters. At the moment we shared all the various forms of ways to show if people have not tested positive or if they have had their vaccinations such as via an app or via a card. You will not be denied access for the next couple of games unless the PM moves to plan B (100% checks). The message is you may be checked, it is voluntary, if you do not provide evidence you will not be denied entry.

Panel asked if the club could look at doing something like pre-registrations ahead of the match to prevent queues on the day?

GP advised if this happens the club needs to ensure that supporters don’t get tested positive or have symptoms after registering, also need to ensure that people are using their own data.

Panel asked why membership packs had been delayed.

The club confirmed a number of supporters had made contact as they had not received their packs. All supporters who have contacted the club have had their issues investigated and dealt with.

Panel asked why has it taken so long for packs to arrive for those supporters with no issues?

JG: There have been many factors and challenges we have faced this season which have surpassed any previous year. In terms of the global situation, our membership fulfilment company informed us many companies have experienced issues such as shipping time being extended due to port congestion along shipping route, and the UK shortage of lorry drivers also had a ‘knock on’ effect on both moving goods and transit times. In terms of other clubs who work with our membership fulfilment company, there are several who are yet to even send their membership packs for this season due to the circumstances I have just mentioned.

Panel pointed out that club partner competitions are not open to international supporters. Secondly, international supporters who wish to attend games but the issue of membership packs not arriving and they are not receiving their tickets in time.

The club will discuss this issue with the partnerships team. Our bespoke international membership has provided an excellent opportunity for our overseas supporters to feel closer to the action with live audio commentary as part of their membership, and exclusive competitions for international members. The inclusion of the match pick benefit has also allowed international supporters enough planning and preparation needed for international travel to Carrow Road.

Ticket Office Closure Panel received feedback from many supporters of all demographics who are asking why, in a time when people are looking for help, the club is closing front-line services and only opening on a matchday. Problems with queues and phones not being answered. LiveChat has been positive as this has dealt with issues very quickly. Appreciate staff are under pressure, but it sounds like there is a lack of staff and there needs to be more support. The ticket collection point in the car park prior to the Bournemouth game, although effective, did not portray us as a Premier League club.

The club said having the Ticket Office open midweek would not have prevented queues on a matchday. We appreciate there were issues at the Liverpool game due to several reasons such as staff being pinged, a number of supporter issues based on fans bringing old season tickets and supporters arriving late to avoid crowds. Despite this there was only approx 500 people who experienced a delayed entry to the stadium.

With regard to the Bournemouth match, all the staff helped on this day volunteered as many supporters came to Carrow Road for their first game and the club wanted to prevent queues again.

The Panel, although understands, feels like everything is out of date.

The club said that a common theme is supporters do not have the correct information on their accounts. When they come to collect tickets, often emails and addresses are out of date, all of which takes time to update and contributes to longer queues.

GP stated that when this round (league cup) happens, it is traditionally problematic as clubs need to agree on a date and confirm ticket prices as the away team gets a cut of the revenue; we cannot go on sale until it is 100% confirmed.

Panel asked why the club did not tell people this would be a logistical nightmare if this was known in advance? This could have been helped if the Ticket Office was open during the week. Many fans are not aware that they can attend the Fan Hub.

The club said since the pandemic many businesses moved to completely online and as a club we want to keep up to date. This can be shown by the website, OneCity accounts and QR codes; the functionality of the Ticket Office is changing.

Panel asked if things were changing too quickly and if the club are not ready yet, then not to move online. Panel said that the club could have announced the closure in advance with testing in place; there should be a way to collect tickets rather than requesting them to be posted. Some supporters do not use the internet and it is unclear whether the club are still thinking of them.

Panel used the cashless announcement as an example of good communication; it made sense because everything is going cashless and fans were told in advance of attending but when the Ticket Office closed it wasn’t the same.

GP: We are in a transitional period and the club is moving forwards in terms of technology. The club will always listen and review what can be done better next time.

Panel pointed out there are seats that are empty because people can’t use the online system and do the buy back, Ticket Office call queues always full. If the Ticket Office was open, they could have attended in person so their tickets could have been resold. The root cause is closing the Ticket Office, the management of communication wasn’t done well, and this caused the anger.

However, to summarise, if the closure of the Ticket Office was communicated clearly and supporters could still make contact via phone and LiveChat, this may not be such a big issue. If the closure of the Ticket Office cannot be reversed, the club should get the volume of staff required and improve the quality of service. If this had come first, then closing the Ticket Office would have been so much better.

The club has put a lot of focus into LiveChat as this helps everyone because it reduce queues across phones and volume of emails. As a Panel you have recognised this process works and the club are trying to encourage supporters to use this.

OneCity Account / New website Club asked if Panel have all registered and feedback on the process. Panel said it was a straight forward process. Some missed the link when it came through but the second time it worked perfectly. The only feedback was a worry about the emails being a scam and if this was communicated? The club confirmed all supporters were emailed, staff covered LiveChat, and then supporters emailed again to confirm everyone had the correct information. The reason an expiry date was included in the link was because the club needed to encourage supporters to register as quickly as possible due to Liverpool tickets going on sale. JG asked for feedback regarding junior emails. The club wanted to make sure that all under 13s didn’t need their own email as understandably a 4-year-old would not have their own email address. Panel said it all worked really well. Carrow Road Store The Head of Retail (not in attendance) asked the Panel if they have visited the Carrow Road store since the refit and for their feedback.

Panel agreed they really liked it, looks smarter and more youthful. Asked if the club do click and collect and international supporters are receiving additional costs.

Stadium WiFi The majority of the Panel tested the stadium wifi with good feedback received. Panel asked if it was still working for them after a couple of games?

Panel agreed it works really well in games.

GP asked if anyone noticed a difference with Gillingham or Liverpool based on the volume of people using it?

Panel said it was still very fast.

Panel asked about safe standing The club confirmed it is currently looking into the most likely / suitable areas of the stadium along with the potential cost of adapting the selected areas. Panel asked if the introduction of safe standing would change the attendance and asked the club to share how the discussions progress in future.

GP confirmed attendance will stay the same it will just allow those sitting down to stand up. When a plan is formed and if this goes ahead we will share this.

Panel asked for clarify around match pick allocations and the process?

The club confirmed that all tickets had reached general sale so members who missed the match pick deadline still have had the chance the purchase tickets for any game to date. For those who have qualified for the match pick, about 70% used this option. With every match pick option, the club capped this based on how many tickets would be made available so that everyone who successfully selected their match pick is guaranteed their ticket.

Panel asked why was the deadline to purchase memberships and get a match pick set to mid-June but the match pick window was the beginning of August?

JG: Deadline was set when launched at the start of May. The club looked at this ahead of fixtures release and wanted to ensure that everyone had enough time to process when games were and select the match pick accordingly. Further clarity from the Premier League needed to be confirmed as to whether we could fulfil our promise of guaranteeing a ticket with the match pick option.

Panel raised issues occurred based on shirt sizes as they have differed from last season?

This due to changing supplier, sizing will be different and we have provided sizing guides for all supporters. Fans have disclosed they purchased their shirt without checking the sizing guides. The guide is on the website and in the stores and we have asked supporters to check these prior to purchase.

Panel asked what is happening with buy backs, some supporters say they are not receiving any credit?

The club confirmed that almost double the volume of buy backs have been used this season. Supporters who have used this have had their money refunded to their NCFC ticketing account rather than their bank. They can then withdraw this money to their bank account or use it to purchase future tickets. The amount of games available on buy back is limited to two games because matches get moved for TV and the club does not want supporters selling their seats back for 6 months time and then change their mind after their seat has been sold. Panel have noticed staff using disabled toilets on a matchday. Stewards should police queues and check if any disabled supporter requires the toilet and they should provide any assistance rather than use the facilities when they can use other ones.

Club aware and an internal investigation is underway.

7. Date of Next Meeting

Thursday 20th January 2022 at 6pm

Chair

Caroline Ellis (club) Gordon Anderson (panel)

Attendees

Norwich City Football Club Representatives:

Lynette Hannant – Head of Supporter Services and Junior Development

Caroline Ellis – Supporter Services Manager

Nathan Stevens – Supporter Engagement and Memberships Executive

Chloe Turner – Head of Human Resources

Daniel Houlker – Head of Communications

Danny Casey – Head of Ticketing

Supporter Panel:

Adam Buffin, Bev Burkill (Zoom), Brian Folkard, Cillian O'Grady, Emily Wilford, James Brighton, Johnathon Byrne, Jon Myhill, Marie Fuller, Matt Colley (Zoom), Ryan Blumenthal (Zoom)

1. Welcome

CE thanked the Panel for attending this evening – brief introductions took place around the table.

2. Previous Meeting (CE)

No outstanding items - the previous meeting was an introduction and the purpose of the panel is clear to all.

3. BK8 – Sponsorship and Statement (CE / DH / LH)

BK8 – Sponsorship and Statement (CE / DH / LH) The main topic of conversation has been surrounding the BK8 front of shirt sponsorship deal, which we will address in today’s meeting.

Panel referred to the club statement issued last week. Many months of hard work went into the deal across multiple departments and was not something the club entered into lightly.

The club explained that due diligence was undertaken however the extent of affiliate marketing was not exposed fully. The escalation and uncontrollable nature of social media heavily influenced this exposure and the club acted quickly to review and terminate the deal.

The club accepts responsibility and accepted criticism and fully acknowledged that this was not the correct deal for Norwich City Football Club. Whilst other clubs may have just dealt with the criticism and kept the sponsorship, this was not the club approach. The decision to remain silent before cancelling the deal was to allow time to seek legal advice and terminate the contract.

The Panel acknowledged this was also the situation with Dafabet, even though Dafabet already had sponsorship deals in football, the affiliate marketing was never exposed to the fanbase. The Panel also acknowledged that despite the difficult circumstances it is a real testament to the club that the deal was terminated as other clubs would have stayed for the income. The silence between announcing and removing the deal was the right thing to do.

As a family friendly club, which is generally a safe place to be, the Panel feel the club is better than this deal in terms of its own values and vision. Fans have rallied together and it has made the supporter base even more invested in the club. In terms of crisis management, it was really impressive.

LH explained that staff are human and impacted by the crisis, personal criticism is difficult to ignore. It was a very tough week and we will all learn from the experience. The club undertakes some great work and fans should not lose sight of this.

All agreed it is important to take learnings from this.

4. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – EDI (CT)

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – EDI (CT) CT explained her background, having joined the club in September last year. Slowly getting adjusted to football, but very focused on HR!

CT is the lead for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Premier League Standard on behalf of the club. CT explained it would be very easy to tick boxes but we need to do more than this and create an understanding around our EDI journey. In terms of the standard, the club will be working with the Panel as an external working group and working towards ways in which we can increase our fan diversity and inclusion. The club has undertaken a staff EDI monitoring survey, and has previously undertaken a season ticket holder EDI monitoring survey. We hope to send out a new EDI fan survey and are keen for your support on how we deliver this and encourage engagement. We are also looking to deliver EDI workshops with our supporters which will include EDI awareness and stories.

In addition, we will be supporting our Stewards with EDI training that is bespoke to match days and away teams. The Premier League are keen to ensure we are bigger than just Norfolk.

Panel asked what is the timeline? CT explained it is an initial 1-year plan but up to a 5-year plan to get through thereafter a journey of continuous improvement for the whole club as we are at the start and want to ensure this is a thorough plan. Regardless of our league position we still want to be Premier League standard.

Panel asked if someone will be appointed specifically for this? CT stated the club are looking into how this would work. Internally, the clun is currently working with multiple groups, this one, and we have an internal group. As we develop through the standard it is likely we may need a more centralised point.

Panel queried the difference between the EFL and Premier League standard? CT explained much more scrutiny but we are setting ourselves to this high benchmark rather than just doing it for the sake of it.

Panel asked if there a commercial benefit for doing this? Are there any punishments if you fail to make this? CT confirmed there is no financial reward for this. The value of doing it is surrounding staff and fan engagement, inclusion and diversity. It will support diversity of thought as well as a fair workplace. We have support from the Premier League into how we can achieve this. For example, we will be looking to host training that allows staff to leave with a learning for their department, such as Partnerships. We will be looking to include EDI in our relationship management in terms of how our Partners approach EDI and whether it supports our vision.

Panel agrees they can help with this, as recent events have shown how important engagement is. The timing of this panel being created and the recent bad news has highlighted the club has proved how much it listens and takes on board, and shows values the Panel all believe in.

Panel agreed that getting to know people on a better level will help with this, if the club shows this is a genuine attempt to make something positive and demonstrate the honest values of what the club is, and what supporters will get from this. We have an appetite to work with this as a panel and there is plenty of people in the room who would want to assist.

Action: CE – 2/3 panel members to work with CT to move the standard forward.

5. Concourse Queues / Toilets

BF stated that some of the fan areas are terrible, the scrum at half-time to either get a drink or visit the loo can be awful. CE confirmed she had raised the issue with Stuart Cox, Head of Venue Management. The Catering Team is aware of the issue and wanted to take the opportunity to explain they open 1.5hrs before kick-off and during lockdown they have worked to ensure that positions for TVs/queues are in the best place possible to ensure that queues are not blocked. Toilet doors have also been moved to help with this flow.

BF said QPR have turned queues by 90 degrees, so they are more efficient compared to some areas in the ground. CE replied that there has been a lot of thought into what they can do to be better.

Panel raised the issue of the ladies toilets. Not enough toilets compared to what the Panel believe is required. Sometimes when women bring children they have to think about when they go to the toilet rather than enjoying the game, although this is the same case in most stadiums. The Emirates and Tottenham’s stadium are the best, although these are obviously brand new. The Panel know there is limited space to improve at the moment, but we would welcome someone senior to actually experience what this is like first-hand.

Panel asked if at half-time can the club open doors and other areas doors to allow more space for supporters to move, potentially opening some areas outside of the ground?

DC explained that it is something the club has done previously in the Premier League but it is very difficult to monitor / police to ensure fans do not move into different stands as well as other issues. The club have to operate under restrictions from the SAG and local authorities.

LH explained refurbishment of toilets had taken place in some areas of the ground but it will always be difficult to add additional toilets into an older stadium.

Panel acknowledged that over the past few years there have been a lot of improvements such as cashless payments but the club can make more.

Action: CT to raise an EDI point

6. Empty Seats

BF asked why at sell outs are there empty seats in the ground, the refund of £5 for returning season tickets is not a high enough incentive and also are players tickets not being used? Is there anything in place to monitor no-shows?

DC explained the introduction of the technology roadmap and the season ticket buy back scheme is one part of this. The challenge will always be that fans only give a day or two notice if they are not attending the game. The club are exploring ways that the App can be used to inform the Ticket Office when the fan can’t attend and when that ticket is sold the club can credit this on to the supporters account. The value of this is being discussed, but it all depends on how much the ticket is sold for to ensure the club doesn’t lose money. Only credit is given if we sell the ticket but working on guaranteeing the ticket value if we receive the ticket back within a certain window to ensure we have time to sell. However, the ticket could not be given back if the supporter changes their mind on attending.

Panel asked if it was possible to allocate a ticket to a friend if a supporter knows they’re unable to attend?

DC: This can be done for a match ticket but a season ticket is much more difficult because this is a different product. We want the ground full so we want to ensure this process works for everyone. CO said the challenge for overseas fans is the short notice to buy a ticket due to the travel involved.

DC: This is why we have introduced the match pick into the membership scheme, which guarantees the ticket, and this will be saved from the start of the season so you can buy a ticket and arrange travel in advance.

CT informed the Panel that part of the roadmap is also to increase the IT department, who will be able to forecast trends so the club can predict how many people will cancel based on previous data.

However BF stated that fans do see the same seat empty every game. DC shared that a data report on the season ticket holders was undertaken and only 4,000 people came to every game, meaning that these seats are empty. It is really low, and the club wants to ensure this does not happen. Most clubs lose 10% of their capacity due to people not attending and we do have better attendance but want to do more.

Panel asked is there a way to send these people a survey to see if they are even aware of the buyback option? DC said the fans are contacted but the club can only tell them a certain amount of times and the current process isn’t easy to give tickets back. This new roadmap should help the issue.

Panel asked if this will be ready for the start of the season? DC explained it should be but things out of our control can change so we cannot say for certain. As CT has said we are employing more people to help with this.

MF pointed out that fans can donate tickets to charities who can then sell the tickets rather than using this system. DC explained this is actually classed as touting and people use fake charities to sell their ticket at a higher price. In the past fans buy a season ticket and then sell each match for a very high price. The club wants to ensure processes are in place to ensure that supporters are getting legitimate and fair priced tickets. Tickets need to be checked to ensure they are not fake. This happens more often in the Premier League, and tickets only scan once so if someone gets in with a copy of a ticket, the fan will not be able to get into the ground. Processes are in place to ensure that complimentary tickets for staff, sponsors, and players are given back if they are not used to ensure that we can fill the ground. Ticket can be given back at the last minute and previously we have kept a list of fans requesting last minute tickets but when they are contacted people can’t attend or they don’t answer calls. We try not to sell things too far in advance as fixtures can change and we can only refund tickets and not travel/accommodation.

Panel said fans often comment about building more seats.

DC explained two plans are in situ to extend the capacity in the City Stand which have different time lengths and costs, but it can cost around £40-50 million to get another 6000-7000 seats. More work is required on different things such as the land the club owns and the need to look at remaining a sell out for whatever league we are currently playing in.

EW asked if the club announces sold seats or actual attendance? The club announce sold seats. This is the most common practice amongst other clubs especially from a commercial perspective.

Panel asked if the App will help with attendance? The app will make it easier to buy tickets, attend games, and give back tickets. When the match is sold out on the day of the game and fans will give their seat back, we may restrict this to members only to ensure Norwich supporters are getting these tickets and not supporters from other clubs. We have been behind from a technical perspective and we have spent a lot of money to catch up and move ahead.

7. Junior Canaries Parties and Events

BF noted that Junior Canaries restricted numbers or timings for events and meeting the players. It is often so rammed its uncomfortable, but a player meeting a young supporter is so beneficial. NS explained the club has not hosted player events throughout COVID and have spent a lot of time evaluating how to provide the best possible experience for juniors when meeting players as we completely agree this creates a lifetime memory. As a trial moving forward junior events will be drop-off only rather than parents staying, not only does this mean the club can increase the number of juniors at events, but it also allows a more meaningful experience for juniors when meeting the players; this will obviously be based on the age of juniors. CSF and their coaches will assist with parties and other events. This was recently trialled at the Carrow Road Kick About event and was very successful for both juniors and parents.

Panel asked if this be the same at events for international supporters? NS explained that the new membership categories have been introduced to ensure that every member will receive benefits that are suited to their own circumstances. Having an exclusive international membership allows the club to plan events for international supporters whilst taking into account the additional travel plans needed. Splitting the junior members into new categories also means that events are better suited to the different ages as appreciate a 17-year-old supporter will want a different event compared to a 7-year-old.

CE explained the additional work undertaken on supporter services requests to ensure the club acknowledges and supports wherever possible; especially requests for wedding certificates which are happening a lot right now.

The Panel said its great to hear this positive news and appreciated that there has been a lot of unseen work during the last 18 months. Panel acknowledged the wellbeing calls made to season ticket holders during lockdown. CE said a number of colleagues called approx 3,500 people, mostly over 65 during lockdown to ensure that they have been okay. Fan group newsletters had also been created to ensure a line of communication with supporters. The point of this is to show what the club has been doing behind the scenes rather than on the pitch.

8. Potential update from Premier League

Unfortunately, after the recent announcement there it not an official update in terms of how many fans returning.

9. Any other business

Streaming of EUROs? Unfortunately this is not possible as a licence is required. The club did apply but it was not granted. BF explained that his brother had a cardiac arrest during a game a while ago and was fortunate that there was medical support around him. After that, the club ###installed defibrillators in every corner of the ground. Everyone saw what happened at the EUROs, is the club confident that if this happened at Carrow Road it would be solved? CE explained the club explores helping everyone in the stadium, regardless of what the issue is, from cardiac arrests, to hearing issues. Currently exploring pre-game announcements and having someone doing this in sign language to ensure inclusivity. Although some people don’t want to share their disabilities, the club would l like to ensure everyone is considered. Previously the norm was to have this in place but not say anything, we are looking into what we can do to ensure that Carrow Road is a home for everyone.

The Panel agreed that the club has so much good news to share but doesn’t demonstrate it. The Panel said they were really impressed based on what they tave heard but the club doesn’t shout about it. LH agreed and explained that during the past 18 months we have had our heads down and got on with it but that we should look to sharing a good news article demonstrating the improvements since fans last came to a game.

Panel supportive in promoting good work and accepting the positive feedback. CE explained that the whole point of this meeting is to share ideas and get feedback from a range of supporters. To us this is work but little things such as moving TV screens to help queues can seem small to us but we are aware this is massive news for supporters.

CT raised awareness of the recruitment for matchday and full-time roles around hospitality/catering and asked the Panel to share this information.

CE thanked everyone for attending. Meeting concluded at 7.45pm.

10. Date of next meeting

Thursday 16th September 2021 at 6pm