FAN meeting 28th November

[Bristol Rob]

10 minutes ago, John Galley said:

SOUTH STAND TOILETS - Why is there no hot water and the hand dryers blow out cold air?

Apply that to the Dolman as well.

[54-46]

On 18/11/2016 at 08:47, Welcome To The Jungle said:

Using the example of the cost of football survey, why are the majority of our away tickets priced above the average premier league away ticket price. Cap or not cap that is disgraceful. £20 for away fans is a must (even if they are the cheapest in the ground) to show this club values away fans, as the way it treats the away fans of other clubs is a reflection of how it sees our own fans surely!

Agree 100%

Would also be interested to know if clubs liaise with each other for corresponding fixtures.

Taking Ipswich as an example, we are charging their fans £25 yet when we are at Portman Rd a few weeks later we are expectedly to pay c. 25% more at £32.50

[T R]

3 hours ago, 54-46 said:

Agree 100%

Would also be interested to know if clubs liaise with each other for corresponding fixtures.

Taking Ipswich as an example, we are charging their fans £25 yet when we are at Portman Rd a few weeks later we are expectedly to pay c. 25% more at £32.50

And you still get a large majority of fans who will still pay these high prices

[Phileas Fogg]

11 hours ago, Barrs Court Red said:

It was supposed to be part of the South Stand and the lower Dolman

Yep, we need to keep this on the agenda and not let it be forgotten.

[shelts]

Why does it take twenty minutes to get out of the Dolman ?

[RumRed]

On 26/11/2016 at 20:00, Bristol Rob said:

Will the club remove references to 'As seen in The Sun' from any pasty based advertising?

Don't really care if they are a 3rd party vendor or not.

To start with, no one if going to think.. 'I'm going to spend thirty quid on a football ticket to then spend money on a pasty because the sun said it was nice'

Secondly, you only sell one brand of pasty. Seen in the Sun or not, it isn't as if we need telling, and it isn't as if we are going to buy something else as it's that or nothing.

Thirdly. I'm currently buying nothing on the basis that I choose not to associate my spend with anything 'associated' with that rag. 

I'd really question their marketing department, it doesn't take a genius to realise that's a bloody awful boast anywhere, let alone a football stadium.

[RumRed]

11 minutes ago, shelts said:

Why does it take twenty minutes to get out of the Dolman ?

Try cod liver oil, works wonders.

[RumRed]

1 hour ago, oldrosie said:

Why are the best seats in the ground never for sale??

 

SL quite likes it and I'd imagine it would be out of the reach of most if it was up for grabs.

[Dollymarie]

I shall post the club response to most of those questions submitted before Friday in this thread. Any others were discussed tonight and those minutes should be available as fast as Mike can get them typed up in his spare time  

[Lack of Action Man]

Who shot JR?!

[Redandy]

Don't know if this is relevant for this but I posted a thread on the size, range of products and quality in the Reading/ London Irish club shop which I had a look around on Saturday. Are the club not missing a lot more revenue by having such a great ground but a supporter's shop that does not appear to have kept pace with everything else.

[Dollymarie]

Right, club response to most of the questions posted on here. The rest were discussed last night and will be available shortly. 

Bristol City Fans Advisory Network

Meeting No 11, Monday 28th November 2016, 7pm

Club response to questions pre-meeting – in italics

Q. Shop non-matchday ticket sales – is this going to happen soon?

A. This will be covered at FAN as it's an ongoing thing

Q. Wi-Fi – is this now working, if so, in what areas?

A. We are still chasing an answer

Q. Matchday Experience

a) Winterstoke Road entrance – lighting very dim around the statue/ticket office/bar

A. This is on our agenda. It does form part of the project and we acknowledge it’s an area we need to and will improve, though an exact ETA isn’t available yet.

b) Half-time queues in South Stand – seem to be getting longer

A. It was bad for the Hull game but much better since, both for football and rugby

b) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

A. Again, this is something we continue to monitor. There is no safety issue here, but we understand why fans are bringing it up. Clearly it’s those leaving from the Dolman and West Stands, around to the South Stand exits. We don’t really want to close off those routes.

Q. Club Kit 2017/18 – result of consultation

A. We have full feedback from the Survey, which we will share with FAN.

Q. Deliveries to Ashton Gate

A. Deliveries are made to VIP Entrance 3 now, which is where reception is based. We can’t have the Shop being a drop off point. They have all their own outgoing parcels and when you throw incoming parcels into the mix too, it’s just a recipe for disaster! Even when unmanned, there is a clear sign at reception which states “deliveries please call 650” which immediately receives a response from someone to collect.

Q. Sports Bar not open on non-match days

A. There is no staffing issue with the Sports Bar & Grill. We’re currently working internally on cost-effective and revenue- generating events we can potentially stage in the Sports Bar & Grill on non-matchdays. We’d welcome any feedback anyone has on this .

Q. Price of majority of away tickets is greater than average Premier League price - why?

A. Dependent on the game grading, it’s either £25 (Silver) or £30 (Gold) for away supporters. The average for Premier League is £29.44 for away fans. When taking into account the number of Silver and Gold matches in 2016/17, our average away ticket price is £26.96. I know it remains the desire from supporter groups that Premier League agree to £20, rather than £30 cap for away fans. Clearly Premier League clubs are hugely subsidised by the TV deal, which doesn’t apply to Championship clubs.

Q. How is the SLO planning to carry out their role?

A. In the summer it was put forward by BCFC & BSL that the replacement for Dave’s role would be shared between myself (BCFC Head of Comms) and Rachel Lemar (BSL, Head of Supporter Services). This was first put forward at FAN, and since then – following some debate – it was decided that myself and Rachel would meet with the Supporters Club & Trust to see if this was a viable solution (given the Supporters Club & Trust had very kindly put forward a job spec and desirables for the role). Since this took place in August/September time, it became clear that the role better fitted with my remit at the club than Rachel’s, which is essentially heading up the ticketing team, although Supporter Services do still play a key role in engaging with supporters on a day-to-day basis. As part of my commitment to the role, I attend every Fans Advisory Meeting and Supporters Club & Trust meeting (something which had fallen by the wayside last season), as well as engaging with other supporter groups (eg Rob Wood from Disabled Supporters, Keith Perry from Senior Reds, Sean Takle & Section 82 from Atyeo). This has been progressing well but I still feel it can expand further over time. The Supporters Club & Trust, at their most recent meeting, admitted they were pleased with the way the SLO role has been working for them this season. I am available on email, social media and the OTIB forum. Additionally, if fans would like a specific meeting with me, I’m easily contactable at the club.

Q. Post-match egress from the Dolman is very slow - can the front walkway be used and can the concourse be controlled between leavers and remainers?

A. As mentioned previously, this is something we continue to monitor but there’s no easy, immediate fix.

Q. Does the ST discount for the shop not apply for online sales?

A. Unfortunately not yet but this is an ultimate goal of ours. It’s something we continue to investigate implementing.

Q. Memorial Garden/Brick Scheme - when will they come to fruition?

A. This remains a key part of Marina Dolman Way in the build project but I don’t have an exact ETA yet. Priority at the moment is ensuring the ground floor (eg dressing rooms) become available to BCFC and BRC as soon as possible.

 

[Bristol Rob]

1 hour ago, Dollymarie said:

Right, club response to most of the questions posted on here. The rest were discussed last night and will be available shortly. 

Bristol City Fans Advisory Network

Meeting No 11, Monday 28th November 2016, 7pm

Club response to questions pre-meeting – in italics

Q. Shop non-matchday ticket sales – is this going to happen soon?

A. This will be covered at FAN as it's an ongoing thing

Q. Wi-Fi – is this now working, if so, in what areas?

A. We are still chasing an answer

Q. Matchday Experience

a) Winterstoke Road entrance – lighting very dim around the statue/ticket office/bar

A. This is on our agenda. It does form part of the project and we acknowledge it’s an area we need to and will improve, though an exact ETA isn’t available yet.

b) Half-time queues in South Stand – seem to be getting longer

A. It was bad for the Hull game but much better since, both for football and rugby

b) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

A. Again, this is something we continue to monitor. There is no safety issue here, but we understand why fans are bringing it up. Clearly it’s those leaving from the Dolman and West Stands, around to the South Stand exits. We don’t really want to close off those routes.

Q. Club Kit 2017/18 – result of consultation

A. We have full feedback from the Survey, which we will share with FAN.

Q. Deliveries to Ashton Gate

A. Deliveries are made to VIP Entrance 3 now, which is where reception is based. We can’t have the Shop being a drop off point. They have all their own outgoing parcels and when you throw incoming parcels into the mix too, it’s just a recipe for disaster! Even when unmanned, there is a clear sign at reception which states “deliveries please call 650” which immediately receives a response from someone to collect.

Q. Sports Bar not open on non-match days

A. There is no staffing issue with the Sports Bar & Grill. We’re currently working internally on cost-effective and revenue- generating events we can potentially stage in the Sports Bar & Grill on non-matchdays. We’d welcome any feedback anyone has on this .

Q. Price of majority of away tickets is greater than average Premier League price - why?

A. Dependent on the game grading, it’s either £25 (Silver) or £30 (Gold) for away supporters. The average for Premier League is £29.44 for away fans. When taking into account the number of Silver and Gold matches in 2016/17, our average away ticket price is £26.96. I know it remains the desire from supporter groups that Premier League agree to £20, rather than £30 cap for away fans. Clearly Premier League clubs are hugely subsidised by the TV deal, which doesn’t apply to Championship clubs.

Q. How is the SLO planning to carry out their role?

A. In the summer it was put forward by BCFC & BSL that the replacement for Dave’s role would be shared between myself (BCFC Head of Comms) and Rachel Lemar (BSL, Head of Supporter Services). This was first put forward at FAN, and since then – following some debate – it was decided that myself and Rachel would meet with the Supporters Club & Trust to see if this was a viable solution (given the Supporters Club & Trust had very kindly put forward a job spec and desirables for the role). Since this took place in August/September time, it became clear that the role better fitted with my remit at the club than Rachel’s, which is essentially heading up the ticketing team, although Supporter Services do still play a key role in engaging with supporters on a day-to-day basis. As part of my commitment to the role, I attend every Fans Advisory Meeting and Supporters Club & Trust meeting (something which had fallen by the wayside last season), as well as engaging with other supporter groups (eg Rob Wood from Disabled Supporters, Keith Perry from Senior Reds, Sean Takle & Section 82 from Atyeo). This has been progressing well but I still feel it can expand further over time. The Supporters Club & Trust, at their most recent meeting, admitted they were pleased with the way the SLO role has been working for them this season. I am available on email, social media and the OTIB forum. Additionally, if fans would like a specific meeting with me, I’m easily contactable at the club.

Q. Post-match egress from the Dolman is very slow - can the front walkway be used and can the concourse be controlled between leavers and remainers?

A. As mentioned previously, this is something we continue to monitor but there’s no easy, immediate fix.

Q. Does the ST discount for the shop not apply for online sales?

A. Unfortunately not yet but this is an ultimate goal of ours. It’s something we continue to investigate implementing.

Q. Memorial Garden/Brick Scheme - when will they come to fruition?

A. This remains a key part of Marina Dolman Way in the build project but I don’t have an exact ETA yet. Priority at the moment is ensuring the ground floor (eg dressing rooms) become available to BCFC and BRC as soon as possible.

 

Not sure I understand the 'deliveries to Ashton Gate' question.

Are you fielding questions from the postman now?

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Dollymarie said:

I shall post the club response to most of those questions submitted before Friday in this thread. Any others were discussed tonight and those minutes should be available as fast as Mike can get them typed up in his spare time  

Appreciate the earlier replies Dolly, but was there any indication when the new dressing rooms would be in use?

Seems bizarre that they are still not in use 4 months into the season.

[Bristol Rob]

11 minutes ago, Countryfile said:

Appreciate the earlier replies Dolly, but was there any indication when the new dressing rooms would be in use?

Seems bizarre that they are still not in use 4 months into the season.

Also seems a bizarre thing to want an answer from the club on! (This isn't a dig at you).

Just wondering why anyone other the the playing staff would care when there are other things that impact fans on the agenda.

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

Also seems a bizarre thing to want an answer from the club on! (This isn't a dig at you).

Just wondering why anyone other the the playing staff would care when there are other things that impact fans on the agenda.

Well it could impact on the redevelopment of the Atyeo and the proposed fans bar, and I would be surprised if it wasn't just me who is curious to know, but apologies if it is outside the remit of the meeting.

[Dollymarie]

January is what they are hoping for. They are hoping to have the area handed over from the contractors who are doing the snagging and other stuff this week and then the club will begin their internal fit out. A few changes had to be made which is why there has been a delay.

[Bristol Rob]

1 hour ago, Countryfile said:

Well it could impact on the redevelopment of the Atyeo and the proposed fans bar, and I would be surprised if it wasn't just me who is curious to know, but apologies if it is outside the remit of the meeting.

In that context the question seems a lot more interesting! 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Bristol Rob said:

In that context the question seems a lot more interesting! 

Glad you agree

[reddoh]

On 18/11/2016 at 08:32, Dollymarie said:

Hi all,

The next FAN meeting is Monday the 28th of November. 

If there are any items you would like to put forward for discussion then please add them to this thread, and I will do my best to get queries answered.

Please remember we have the Q and A section if you have things that Mark Kelly might be able to answer instead. 

There are a few items already on the agenda.

a) Shop ticket sales – is this going to happen soon? Acceptance of deliveries – shop appears best place for visitors/deliverers.  Liaise with Coffee Shop & Sports Bar – possibly open Sports bar with available staff

b) Wi-Fi – is this now working, if so, in what areas?

2. Matchday Experience

a) Lighting in Winterstoke Road entrance – very dim area around the statue/ticket office/bar

b) Half-time queues in South Stand – seem to be getting longer

c) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

3. Club Kit 2017/18 – result of consultation

4. FAN membership and attendance record

(if we could keep this thread on topic I'd be very grateful as it makes it easier for questions to be pulled out  )

can we make a donation to Chapecoense how ever small but a token of respect

[54-46]

2 hours ago, Dollymarie said:

January is what they are hoping for. They are hoping to have the area handed over from the contractors who are doing the snagging and other stuff this week and then the club will begin their internal fit out. A few changes had to be made which is why there has been a delay.

Forgive me if the info is readily available elsewhere, but does anyone know when the original completion date was scheduled?

[Dollymarie]

17 minutes ago, 54-46 said:

Forgive me if the info is readily available elsewhere, but does anyone know when the original completion date was scheduled?

They would have liked the dressing rooms/media area to have been handed over by now, but that wasn't possible due to delays and changes requested was the only info that was given. When the notes come out from tomorrow's meeting I'm sure things will be explained better than I have so far  

[archie andrews]

us fans should able to buy away tickets in person like we used to

[reddoh]

On 26/11/2016 at 20:00, Bristol Rob said:

Will the club remove references to 'As seen in The Sun' from any pasty based advertising?

Don't really care if they are a 3rd party vendor or not.

To start with, no one if going to think.. 'I'm going to spend thirty quid on a football ticket to then spend money on a pasty because the sun said it was nice'

Secondly, you only sell one brand of pasty. Seen in the Sun or not, it isn't as if we need telling, and it isn't as if we are going to buy something else as it's that or nothing.

Thirdly. I'm currently buying nothing on the basis that I choose not to associate my spend with anything 'associated' with that rag. 

Rob cant like this enough.

[The Humble Realist]

20 hours ago, Dollymarie said:

Right, club response to most of the questions posted on here. The rest were discussed last night and will be available shortly. 

Bristol City Fans Advisory Network

Meeting No 11, Monday 28th November 2016, 7pm

Club response to questions pre-meeting – in italics

Q. Shop non-matchday ticket sales – is this going to happen soon?

A. This will be covered at FAN as it's an ongoing thing

Q. Wi-Fi – is this now working, if so, in what areas?

A. We are still chasing an answer

Q. Matchday Experience

a) Winterstoke Road entrance – lighting very dim around the statue/ticket office/bar

A. This is on our agenda. It does form part of the project and we acknowledge it’s an area we need to and will improve, though an exact ETA isn’t available yet.

b) Half-time queues in South Stand – seem to be getting longer

A. It was bad for the Hull game but much better since, both for football and rugby

b) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

A. Again, this is something we continue to monitor. There is no safety issue here, but we understand why fans are bringing it up. Clearly it’s those leaving from the Dolman and West Stands, around to the South Stand exits. We don’t really want to close off those routes.

Q. Club Kit 2017/18 – result of consultation

A. We have full feedback from the Survey, which we will share with FAN.

Q. Deliveries to Ashton Gate

A. Deliveries are made to VIP Entrance 3 now, which is where reception is based. We can’t have the Shop being a drop off point. They have all their own outgoing parcels and when you throw incoming parcels into the mix too, it’s just a recipe for disaster! Even when unmanned, there is a clear sign at reception which states “deliveries please call 650” which immediately receives a response from someone to collect.

Q. Sports Bar not open on non-match days

A. There is no staffing issue with the Sports Bar & Grill. We’re currently working internally on cost-effective and revenue- generating events we can potentially stage in the Sports Bar & Grill on non-matchdays. We’d welcome any feedback anyone has on this .

Q. Price of majority of away tickets is greater than average Premier League price - why?

A. Dependent on the game grading, it’s either £25 (Silver) or £30 (Gold) for away supporters. The average for Premier League is £29.44 for away fans. When taking into account the number of Silver and Gold matches in 2016/17, our average away ticket price is £26.96. I know it remains the desire from supporter groups that Premier League agree to £20, rather than £30 cap for away fans. Clearly Premier League clubs are hugely subsidised by the TV deal, which doesn’t apply to Championship clubs.

Q. How is the SLO planning to carry out their role?

A. In the summer it was put forward by BCFC & BSL that the replacement for Dave’s role would be shared between myself (BCFC Head of Comms) and Rachel Lemar (BSL, Head of Supporter Services). This was first put forward at FAN, and since then – following some debate – it was decided that myself and Rachel would meet with the Supporters Club & Trust to see if this was a viable solution (given the Supporters Club & Trust had very kindly put forward a job spec and desirables for the role). Since this took place in August/September time, it became clear that the role better fitted with my remit at the club than Rachel’s, which is essentially heading up the ticketing team, although Supporter Services do still play a key role in engaging with supporters on a day-to-day basis. As part of my commitment to the role, I attend every Fans Advisory Meeting and Supporters Club & Trust meeting (something which had fallen by the wayside last season), as well as engaging with other supporter groups (eg Rob Wood from Disabled Supporters, Keith Perry from Senior Reds, Sean Takle & Section 82 from Atyeo). This has been progressing well but I still feel it can expand further over time. The Supporters Club & Trust, at their most recent meeting, admitted they were pleased with the way the SLO role has been working for them this season. I am available on email, social media and the OTIB forum. Additionally, if fans would like a specific meeting with me, I’m easily contactable at the club.

Q. Post-match egress from the Dolman is very slow - can the front walkway be used and can the concourse be controlled between leavers and remainers?

A. As mentioned previously, this is something we continue to monitor but there’s no easy, immediate fix.

Q. Does the ST discount for the shop not apply for online sales?

A. Unfortunately not yet but this is an ultimate goal of ours. It’s something we continue to investigate implementing.

Q. Memorial Garden/Brick Scheme - when will they come to fruition?

A. This remains a key part of Marina Dolman Way in the build project but I don’t have an exact ETA yet. Priority at the moment is ensuring the ground floor (eg dressing rooms) become available to BCFC and BRC as soon as possible.

 

Blimey...I hope the club have lots of estimators...seems to be a lot of estimating to do on those ETAs!

[Abraham Romanovich]

b) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

A. Again, this is something we continue to monitor. There is no safety issue here, but we understand why fans are bringing it up. Clearly it’s those leaving from the Dolman and West Stands, around to the South Stand exits. We don’t really want to close off those routes.

Point seems to have been completely missed or not understood. Those of us with seats at the back of the South Stand have to queue up to perhaps 10 minutes to exit the stand at full time - the reason for the dealay is that people lower in the stand filter out earlier whilst those at the back just have to wait. It has nothing to do with the other stands.To be honest I'm not sure what the answer is as it appears to be an intrinsic design flaw.

 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, Abraham Romanovich said:

b) Exiting South Stand – noticeable cramped effect

A. Again, this is something we continue to monitor. There is no safety issue here, but we understand why fans are bringing it up. Clearly it’s those leaving from the Dolman and West Stands, around to the South Stand exits. We don’t really want to close off those routes.

Point seems to have been completely missed or not understood. Those of us with seats at the back of the South Stand have to queue up to perhaps 10 minutes to exit the stand at full time - the reason for the dealay is that people lower in the stand filter out earlier whilst those at the back just have to wait. It has nothing to do with the other stands.To be honest I'm not sure what the answer is as it appears to be an intrinsic design flaw.

 

The only way to get more people out of the stand quicker would be to install further vomitories, which is not going to happen, it isn't necessarily a design fault, more a trade off between longest exit time and seat capacity.

The stand could have been designed to exit everyone in five minutes, the cost would have been fewer seats.

if exits had been installed at the back of the stand, as well at the lower level that would have helped, but I guess there wasn't space to do this at the back of the stand.

I sympathise with the problem, but like you can't see how the problem can now be addressed.

[CodeRed]

31 minutes ago, cynic said:

I think the point being made is that a lot of Dolman and West stand supporters are exiting via the south stand concourse exits.

 

Not sure that there is a solution that will satisfy everyone.

I agree, That's the way the stadium exits had to be designed - given the layout of the site. Everyone in the Dolman has to move to exit the stand (through the concourse) either North or South.  I sit in Dolman B (Atyeo end) but head towards the South Stand exits as I use the new P & R bus and they all run from south of the stadium, as does the A bus now, and of course Parson St. Station.

Before I would have exited from the north end and used the walkway behind the Dolman but this is now closed and the only alternative would be to walk along Ashton Rd -Duckmoor Rd - Raynes Rd or the other way around Marsh Rd.

We just have to accept the South Stand exit route will be the most natural route for most fans given the above transport locations and more supporters probably live South rather than north of the ground.

 

[phantom]

Don't forget those watching the FT results come in and those having a beer etc after the game that are just stood still in the area

[T R]

5 hours ago, phantom said:

Don't forget those watching the FT results come in and those having a beer etc after the game that are just stood still in the area

Still waiting for the answer to the question about the clubs dates, I suppose I will have to wait a bit longer. It is a bit like q&a, takes forever to get replies.