CLUB NEWS: Fans’ Survey Feedback

The results are in and it’s time to give you some feedback from our recent Fans’ Survey.

Before we go into any detail, we must say a huge thank you to all 178 of you that took the time to give us your thoughts. The response way exceeded our expectations. We have gathered some invaluable information and allowing us to look on each point in turn will allow us to improve everyone’s experience and help mould how the club looks going forward.

Firstly, a little bit about who completed the survey. Most people who completed the survey were aged 55 and above but it was great to receive replies in good numbers from our younger supporters. 76% of fans who replied attend more than half our home games and 58% have attended at least one away game.

So on with the interesting stuff. The survey provided lots of opportunity for specific comments and whilst it is just not possible to discuss all these here the Board will look at these individually and look to see what we can implement quickly or come back to individuals for more information where appropriate.

The whole idea of the survey was to find out how we can improve the club and the matchday experience for the most important people, the supporters so it would make sense to start by highlighting some of the more notable concerns:

One of the biggest issues was around waiting times at our various outlets on matchdays, also highlighted specifically by many were the quality of the PA/Tannoy system in some areas of the ground as well as the general condition of our ageing home and its failings in light of the expectations of the modern-day fan.

There was a clear feeling that communications from within the club could be better and that clarity on a long-term vision is required. Our use of modern technology was also raised, with concerns around the mobile friendliness of our website and issues around the mobile App.

So, with that in mind, where do we start?  Well in fact we already have. A new food and beverage outlet has been created on the Derwent End of the ground with a lot of input from David Yates, one of our new Associates, and by the time you read this it will be up and running. This should reduce queues around the kitchen in the Tony Hopper Bar. Please give it a try.

With regards to communication, we have made some progress this year with huge improvements in Social Media content, scheduling and planning. We accept that ‘in match coverage’ isn’t quite where it should be but that is down to a shortage of volunteers, whom we must add are doing their best. We also accept that not everyone uses social media and that we have work to do in that area.

From a Board perspective we are looking at introducing quarterly meetings with both our supporters groups with the first one actually having been held last week. From there we will see what else we can do for the wider fanbase.

We plan to hold a review very shortly into the technology around the club and with several of our new Associate Directors having particular knowledge in this field they will be heavily involved when we move forward.

The PA system is maybe more difficult to rectify in the short term. With the proposed short term nature of Borough Park as we know it, significant investment in this as well as any other fixed facilities would be somewhat foolish. We do accept the issues highlighted and will make immediate improvements where we can.

On the subject of the new stadium, as expected this was a popular topic but comments were certainly not all negative. However, a lack of progress reports should be seen as such. The Board has been fully engaged with the project attending regular meetings over the length of the entire project, particularly over the past few months where significant progress has been made. However, updates remain the responsibility of Cumberland Sports Village rather than individual stakeholders in the project currently.

So let’s look at some positives and whilst we don’t really need to go into detail, there are many but we accept we can’t rest on our laurels, the work must go on. 

Firstly we must mention our volunteers, the fanbase were very appreciative of their efforts and went to great lengths to point this out.

There was also widespread praise for the efforts to drive family friendliness, attract youngsters and their families to games and also for the clubs wider community involvement with 72% noting this as a positive attribute. Briefly looking at some of the other positives:

• 74% felt the club was well run
• 84% thought the matchday experience was positive
• 70% felt they were valued as a supporter
• 64% thought the club were recruiting well and had built a good squad

To finish, this is just the beginning, we will be looking to build on this survey and if we want to quantify success or failure in our efforts to drive change then a repeat in 12 months is a necessity. We may look to add specific surveys on particular areas if we feel it would help us.

Obviously, you don’t need a survey to make suggestions or bring ideas, we now have a specific fans representative as an Associate Director, we are all approachable and are open to suggestions and thoughts as well as for you to voice concerns when necessary.

Thank you once again for your help with this project and thank you for your amazing support from the terraces.