Fans Consultancy Group Meeting

[imavillan]

On match days the Holte Suite is only open to season ticket holders. Can this be extended to include 'members' of the club.

I have joined the membership scheme, which, other than getting a match ticket (the only reason i got one) it offers very little if anything.

Being able to get into the Holte Suite would be quite a nice option.

Thanks.

[DaveAV1]

On the issue of trains, I understand that adding an additional service on match days creates a big scheduling issue for the rest of the service. However would it not be possible to add more carriages to the existing service? One or two extra carriages to trains after the match would make a huge difference. There are often more half empty carriages on the trains travelling to Aston before the game than there are on the dangerously full ones after the game. 

[OutByEaster?]

So, here are the notes from Tuesday's meeting with Mr Purslow:

 

Quote

 

10 December 2019

Club Reps

 

Christian Purslow Chief Executive Officer

Paul Tyrrell Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

Tommy Jordan Communications Director

Lee Preece Supporter Liaison Manager

 

Main 10-point Agenda

1. The group asked you at our last meeting about the situation of the internal purchase of Villa Park, and if the role of the subsidiary company  ‘NSWE Stadium Ltd’ was linked to this.  At the time, you stated, “yes and no”, and the answer that followed was off the record.

A couple of weeks later, the media got wind of the sale, after documents filed with the land registry came to light.  Since, it’s been announced that the Premier League are to scrutinise the deal, as some club’s have pushed to close this apparent loophole to comply with the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules.

Recently, Sheffield Wednesday’s owner was charged for breaking the rules on such a deal.  Obviously, there were certain accounting details in that case, in terms of timing and the valuing of the ground at £60m.

What is the situation in terms of the Premier League ‘scrutinising’ the Villa Park deal?  In layman terms, how is the deal set up (does the club pay a rental?) and with ownership now technically outside the club, what assurances do supporters have that NSWE will look after their interests?

Christian (CP) assured the meeting that the ownership of the stadium lays directly with our owners and that supporters can be entirely content with this position.  He made reference to Villa Park being our home since 1897 and expects us to be playing here in 2097!  It is inconsequential where Villa park sits within our ownership structure.

 

2. Back in 2012, the club were one of the first Premier League clubs to offer to trial standing areas.  It was announced in the media and the club had Birmingham MP support too.

In light of the recent government report suggesting they were now open to such trials in their data gathering on the issue, and the support for standing stated in all the main political party manifestos, what’s Aston Villa stance now?

The Head of Stadium Security has voiced his concerns to the group regarding persistent standing at Villa Park, but there now seems to be a waning of the club’s earlier enthusiasm for the only gilt-edged solution – standing sections.
 

Clubs like Wolves and Spurs have future fitted their stadiums with rail seats, but can Villa get back to being at the forefront of the issue?  After all, we did once have the largest standing kop end in Europe.

There’s been previous plans drawn up for such trial sections, so what are the current plans of the club regarding standing?

If it were suddenly cleared by the government, for it to be ok to implement standing for the start of next season, what would be the club’s actions on the matter?

CP acknowledged we have widespread and potentially unsafe standing at present and he acknowledged the impact this can have on children, elderly and ambulant fans being unable to view the match safely or in comfort.  Any help from fans and / or fan groups in encouraging others to be mindful of the negative impact of standing so all can see the match clearly would be appreciated.

We very much support the introduction of safe standing and hope that a change in legislation will provide us with the opportunity of giving fans the choice to sit or stand at Villa Park.  When we can, we want to be at the forefront and ready to implement.

 

3. There was a recent Premier League club meeting where the issue of VAR was aired out.  Did you leave that meeting confident your concerns were met?

What solutions for improvement have been put in place (or are planned) by the PL – especially in terms of quicker and clearer in-stadia communication?

There was a long discussion on VAR.  CP advised the FCG that the club (and all PL clubs) had made representations to both the Premier League and the PGMOL about what we believed were inconsistencies with the system in the first part of the season.

There was no appetite from any club to abandon VAR during the season, and he was hopeful that ongoing changes would meet the concerns of supporters across the game.  CP felt his biggest concern was the destroying of goal celebrations – a fundamental of the game.  All PL clubs agreed three areas of improvement required.  Quicker decisions, more consistency with decisions and better communications within the stadium.  CP felt there had been some improvements but stressed that VAR is still at the embryonic stage.

 

4. The amount of season tickets sold this summer must have come as a surprise, especially when you look back at the club’s recent history (even in the last successful period pushing for Champions League qualification, the club didn’t match the current total).

Will this perhaps give you the opportunity to potentially fast track any developments or plans for the club?  How will it translate in terms of season ticket prices next season?

CP recapped to the meeting progress that has been made in the last 18 months.  All debts wiped out, a number of structural changes on the playing side, our Academy restructured, first team acquisitions & a new Sporting Director.  Some changes have been made internally at Villa Park, including upgrading matchday player facilities and the external dressing of the stadium which has been favourably received by fans and also recognised by the Premier League’s Visit Football scheme assessors.

The playing side remains the priority with a long-term programme of upscaling the football club following the consolidating of our Premier League status.

CP is thrilled that season ticket holders who supported the club in the Championship have been able to enjoy the same prices in the Premier League.

Prices for the Liverpool cup match were discussed at length and CP agreed to check if prices had been set at the correct level.

 

5. What do you think is the fundamental considerations for the club in terms of building the supporter base, both locally and internationally (beyond success on the field)?  What is actively happening in relation to this?

Significant effort has been focused on growing our Arabic community, where we have seen growth over the last few months (resulting from ownership and signings).   We’ve developed our digital platform (Arabic website) and our Arabic specific social content to engage our new fan base.

We are also looking to international markets where we already have hotspots of fans – North America, Australia, the Nordics.  We want to grow authentic fans and feel that MENA, along with these pre-existing fan base clusters, gives us good breadth of opportunity to grow.   We’ve supported PL initiatives focussed on North American (Events Live in Austin and Miami, plus ePremier League) and internally are currently focussed on MENA.

Locally we still have a strategy in place from the Championship where we want to bring the club and the city closer together to grow more affinity with Birmingham residents.  A prime example of this is the Digbeth Dining Club Fan Zone in Trinity Forecourt we have started the past few games, along with things like supporting Independent Birmingham and growing ties with the council and CWG.  We feel this will position us as a key pillar of support to the city and attract the new young, vibrant community growing in Birmingham.

 

6. We realise that there is no short-term plans for stadium redevelopment, be it the North Stand or commercial enterprises like museums and hotels.  And, we appreciate your disdain for ‘bogus logic’ and hyperbole promises, with your wish to be judged on what you actually achieve.

That said, can you share your own longer-term vision for Villa Park and the infrastructure around it?

Year 1 has seen a focus on rebuilding the squad, with a focus on matchday experience.  Parts of Villa Park that had been mothballed during our time in the Championship have been brought back in to use (Upper Trinity, North Stand boxes).  Bodymoor Heath has seen changes including new facilities and pitches, including the new stand and facilities to enable under 23 matches to be staged in an appropriate environment.  Our current focus is to establish ourselves as a Premier League club.

7. We’ve previously discussed the concerns of gambling having too much exposure in the football world and you’ve shared our concerns in terms of preferred sponsorship partners.  With more time for the club to work on a more preferable partner since we last met, have any inroads been made at this stage?

CP understood some fans concerns of betting partners within the industry and reminded the group that planning for front of shirt partners can take a minimum of two years to implement.  A number of key discussions are being held but no decisions have been made at this stage.

We’re also looking to grow more affiliation with brands that have a natural affinity with the club and our fans – for example Purity as our ale provider has been very successfully launched.

 

8. The need for a fair and transparent system for dealing with various sanctions on fans – covering fan behaviour, including ticketing offences.

Having a clear published set of tariffs ala Manchester United and Liverpool do (see - https://www.manutd.com/en/Tickets-And-Hospitality/Match-Tickets/Club-Sanctions#), will help bring consistency for both fans and club employees.

We would also like an appeals system to possess an independent element in the final stage.

Spurs, for example, have recently worked with their fan groups on their sanctions and appeals process, and are due this month to publish their sanctions policy.

At the moment, as supporter groups, we’ve been made aware on several occasions over the years of supporters experiencing an uncertain limbo (missing multiple games before even a hearing) after having season tickets confiscated by the club, over an alleged misdemeanour.  This at times has arisen from poor communication from the club or slowness in the process.

A clear and transparent protocol would in our eyes improve this situation and make less work for all.  It would also help act as a deterrent.

In terms of appeals, at the moment an appeal is heard by the same people (department) that makes the initial judgement/sanction.  Perhaps a second appeal stage like Manchester United have - with independent representation on a panel - would be an example of best practice?

CP is fully supportive of the system adopted here at Villa Park.  We currently have a hearing, followed by an appeal hearing (if requested) and then escalation to the Senior Exec team (a three-tiered process).

This season we have had 33 ejections for a variety of poor behaviour.  Whatever the offences CP is disappointed that we have had this number of ejections and wants our fans to be an exemplar of how to support the team with passion but without exercising poor behaviour.

The club agreed with feedback from the FCG that our procedure for dealing with fan conduct should be published and that this would be useful as a deterrent.

 

9. Looking ahead to potential developments in football, we would be interested to get your views, in context to Aston Villa, of the use of facial recognition technology at football grounds and attempts to monetise fan engagement, as in the case of Socios, who have began to roll it out with the likes of West Ham and Juventus.

We have no plans or intentions to monetise fan engagement on these lines and have no thoughts on facial recognition software at this time.

 

10. Ambition moving forward…

a) As supporters, we all know the kind of market the January window offers. Broadly speaking, how does this forthcoming window fit into the current team building?

Does the club see the team having any clear needs to attend to?  Or perhaps does it have business to conclude with original targets from the summer?

The supporter base is concerned about a lack of legitimate striker cover and options, in the same way we were concerned about starting last season light of defensive cover (which was rectified in the January window).

We prefer not to comment on January transfer window plans in public or even behind closed doors.

b) In terms of Dean Smith’s new contract.  Obviously his initial contract would have been levied very much with the aim of promotion in mind.  With that said, does the new contract reflect where the owners see Villa within the next few years?

With so many clubs apparently in transition at the moment on the pitch, is there one eye on the opportunity of potentially fast-tracking our ambition (i.e. challenging top six)?

DS is at the heart of our rebuilding process and that is the rationale behind his contract extension.

As a two way process, is there anything that CP wants to feedback to the group and/or fans

CP asked the FCG to recommend to the club the most appropriate way of marking Ron Saunders’ achievements.  A discussion was held about the various different options and it was agreed that a Heritage & History FCG would meet in January to make the recommendation to the club.

 

On-going Issues From Previous Meetings… Any Updates?

Any progress in increasing presence/foot print in the city centre?

Issue not discussed.

 

 

I'll add some thoughts and notes on how the meeting went shortly.

 

[sidcow]

Thanks for the notes. 

Celebrating Ron Saunders? 

1) Rename The Doug Ellis Stand The Ron Saunders Stand.  

2) If that don't want to get into that controversy rename The North Stand The Ron Saunders Stand (then rebuild it twice as impressive as The Doug Ellis Stand). 

Edited December 12, 2019 by sidcow

[fightoffyour]

Thanks as always @OutByEaster?

Purslow should get into politics (though I don't want him to leave Villa, I think he's doing a good job).

Edited December 12, 2019 by fightoffyour

[villa89]

 @OutByEaster? Sorry to bump this thread but in the next meeting would it be possible to ask the club to implement a similar system to Roma when they announce a new signing? They include a picture of a missing child and it is really helping find people. The below article from BBC explains what they are doing and how it is working.

It wouldn't cost the club anything to do it and given the exposure of the premier league it might help find someone. 

Quote

A British boy has become the sixth child to found as a result of Roma's missing children campaign, the Serie A club has said.

In July, Roma started including pictures of missing children in social media posts announcing new signings.

On Tuesday, the club said a 15-year-old from Essex, who featured in the post to announce the signing of Turkish defender Mert Cetin, had been found.

...

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51041303

[imavillan]

Can this be raised at the next meeting please?

Seems a shame to me that these guys are trying there damdest to generate an atmosphre and getting little ot no help from the club.

Evertime i've been to the ground and seen all the flags there, many being very poignent in there messages, i've been filled with pride.

It's a bad show when fellow Villa fans take the flags and do not return them. 

It's also pretty rich from the club to use them in official promotions to then not help the guys.

 

I hasten to say i have no involvement in this group but happen to think what they are trying to do can only help with the VP atmosphere.

[limpid]

3 hours ago, imavillan said:

I hasten to say i have no involvement in this group but happen to think what they are trying to do can only help with the VP atmosphere.

In that case, perhaps you should have an involvement  Feel free to start a thread for this.

They appear to want to be independent from the club (which I totally understand), so unless they ask themselves, I don't think it should be brought up at the FCG.

[sidcow]

Can the new towel dispensers be brought up at the next meeting. 

They are awful, spend half an hour pumping the lever to get a tiny piece of paper towel.   Hands are dry before you get the towel and the 10 people behind you have given up and gone off drip drying. 

[The Fun Factory]

Might be a bit late to mention it but I was disappointed about the pride rewards and how they got rid of several seasons of points. I could be wrong but I felt there was  minimal communication by the club for this. I suspect they are winding down the pride rewards and we will get something else next season. I think the whole system whilst a good intention is too confusing and has not been enough interest in the support base. Villa cash was a lot more simpler.

Also I was not a fan of the recent commique on pravda  which said along the lines that season tickets are the property of the club and all resales must be through their system. Handing your season ticket to a mate if you cant go has been going in since time immemorial. Happens all the time in supporters clubs- would they rather have a empty seat? They want you to use their resale system so they get another slice of the pie through a commission.  I just thought it was  a bit high handed even if technically they  could be in the right.

Edited January 26, 2020 by The Fun Factory

[brommy]

Pride rewards have been pants. I had over 5000 and got an email just a few hours that I didn't see until just after over 2000 points were deleted from my account.

The actual rewards are either pretty useless (a PC wallpaper!) or very difficult to obtain. For two seasons I wanted to spend 600 points on the pre-match meet-up. Checking several times per day for each of 40+ matches went as follows: 'coming soon'...'coming soon'...'coming soon'... 'sold out'. So infuriating!

I can tell you that the current rewards process is NOT a suitable way to reward the loyalty of someone who has had a season ticket for 30 consecutive years. Please ask the club if they genuinely believe it is and if not, what plans they have to do better. 

[brommy]

6 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

Might be a bit late to mention it but I was disappointed about the pride rewards and how they got rid of several seasons of points. I could be wrong but I felt there was  minimal communication by the club for this. I suspect they are winding down the pride rewards and we will get something else next season. I think the whole system whilst a good intention is too confusing and has not been enough interest in the support base. Villa cash was a lot more simpler.

Also I was not a fan of the recent commique on pravda  which said along the lines that season tickets are the property of the club and all resales must be through their system. Handing your season ticket to a mate if you cant go has been going in since time immemorial. Happens all the time in supporters clubs- would they rather have a empty seat? They want you to use their resale system so they get another slice of the pie through a commission.  I just thought it was  a bit high handed even if technically they  could be in the right.

Agree with the first paragraph.

On the second, I believe the terms and conditions of a season ticket have always referenced they were non-transferable. It's understandable that the club would want to know who is in each seat to help identify anyone abusing regulations such as racial abuse. The answer to lending a mate your season  ticket is as it was decades ago. Keep stum.

[A'Villan]

Can we request that AVFC Youtube channel highlights of all matches are returned to approximately 10 minutes in length, as they were up until recently?

Perhaps a reminder that other clubs are showing 10 minutes worth of highlights free of charge on their youtube channels.

Thank you.

[jackbauer24]

I'd love to know why they deactivated the Season Tickets yesterday so not only do we have to faff with paper tickets (environment!) but also meant they weren't accepting cashless payments from them for food and drink (at least case in lower trinity). 

[OutByEaster?]

1 hour ago, A'Villan said:

Can we request that AVFC Youtube channel highlights of all matches are returned to approximately 10 minutes in length, as they were up until recently?

Perhaps a reminder that other clubs are showing 10 minutes worth of highlights free of charge on their youtube channels.

Thank you.

Free highlights are still available - the club have just taken them in house - I don't think you need to pay anything to register with AVTV (yet) - but there are 14 minute highlights of last night on there right now.

 

[rodders0223]

22 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

Free highlights are still available - the club have just taken them in house - I don't think you need to pay anything to register with AVTV (yet) - but there are 14 minute highlights of last night on there right now.

 

Silly decision though isn't it. Why do I need to go to a separate platform just for Villa games. Who is going to do that nowadays. I want on YouTube people go on youtube every day for a reason. All content in one place.

Bizarre decision alienating people.

[MadridVilla]

13 hours ago, rodders0223 said:

Silly decision though isn't it. Why do I need to go to a separate platform just for Villa games. Who is going to do that nowadays. I want on YouTube people go on youtube every day for a reason. All content in one place.

Bizarre decision alienating people.

Anyone with a shred of business acumen would know that a presence online on YouTube, not just on the club's in-house platform, is much better for engaging with fans around the world, as well as attracting new fans who would not otherwise find highlights. I know for example from watching the NBA highlights on YouTube that I would never have bothered to search for the teams online, find their media platform, log in, find the highlights etc.

Also the problems Villa have had with AVTV have been far too common - rebranding it as Villa TV won't necessarily change my opinion on it.

[OutByEaster?]

9 hours ago, MadridVilla said:

Anyone with a shred of business acumen would know that a presence online on YouTube, not just on the club's in-house platform, is much better for engaging with fans around the world, as well as attracting new fans who would not otherwise find highlights. I know for example from watching the NBA highlights on YouTube that I would never have bothered to search for the teams online, find their media platform, log in, find the highlights etc.

Also the problems Villa have had with AVTV have been far too common - rebranding it as Villa TV won't necessarily change my opinion on it.

In fairness on both of these, the club still puts the three minute highlight videos up on youtube and shortened versions of the interview/fun stuff - the presence is still there. It's also a different platform to the old AVTV, a different company making it and so on. In unfairness to the club, at some point you'd imagine the separation will be linked to a monetisation - enjoy it for free while you can!

 

[jackbauer24]

9 hours ago, MadridVilla said:

Anyone with a shred of business acumen would know that a presence online on YouTube, not just on the club's in-house platform, is much better for engaging with fans around the world, as well as attracting new fans who would not otherwise find highlights. I know for example from watching the NBA highlights on YouTube that I would never have bothered to search for the teams online, find their media platform, log in, find the highlights etc.

Also the problems Villa have had with AVTV have been far too common - rebranding it as Villa TV won't necessarily change my opinion on it.

Definitely the case. I didn't even realise VillaTV had the highlights (thought it was just live stuff) so went and signed up. Still won't log in. Just loops round back to the log in. Put in wrong password and it tell me. Put in the right one and it just doesn't respond. Multiple browsers, three different devices (PC, Tablet and Phone).

It's just useless but fully expect it to be. It's very rare that independent media is succesful and reliable. Youtube is there because it works.

[Junxs]

Can it be asked please why live streaming of u23s games have completely disappeared this season? I realise it was free so we can't complain. Just wanted to know if there was a reason. Perhaps they will return once AVTV becomes a paid service?