BCFC: Have Your Say

18 Nov 2022 | 4 comments

St Andrews

Blues Trust was encouraged to see the announcement from the club earlier this week that it wants to hear from Blues supporters across a range of issues. The full announcement is shown below and on the club’s website here.

The Trust welcomes this latest commitment to engage with supporters of the club. It is something that the Trust has been pushing hard for. Indeed, the matter was raised again only last week in a meeting held with club officials, not least because an EFL requirement for the club to meet regularly with supporter representatives (so called Fans’ Forums) has not been met in recent months.

The recent Fan Led Review highlighted the need for clubs to engage meaningfully with their supporters. Although the FLR recommendations have not yet been fully adopted, it is noticeable that many other clubs are already moving in this direction. For example, you may have seen earlier this month that Premier League clubs have unanimously approved the introduction of the Premier League Fan Engagement Standard (FES) which is to be implemented by clubs this season.

In approving the FES, each Premier League club has agreed to a series of commitments. These include the introduction of a Fan Advisory Board with the primary purpose of engaging in discussion, exchanging information and securing feedback from a fans perspective. In each case, a Fan Advisory Board will be a consultative body representative of club supporters.

The Premier League states “supporters are essential to our clubs and the success of the game. The FES puts structures in place to establish consistency across the League, improve transparency and ensure fans have a greater voice”.

There are other examples of lower league clubs also strengthening their engagement arrangements. So change is coming for supporters and, whilst it appears that our club is playing catch up, the commitment made this week is still of value and to be applauded. Blues Trust will continue to encourage the club to make speedy progress.

Have Your Say

“We want to let supporters have their say around St. Andrews.

From choosing designs for new murals and programme ideas, to travel surveys and live matchday feedback, we want to hear what Bluenoses have to say about the St. Andrews experience across the season, and implement their thoughts.

Starting from our first fixture back following the 2022 FIFA Mens World Cup, QR codes will be around the Stadium in poster sites, allowing fans to give live feedback about the game they have just attended to help us tackle queuing times, entertainment and stewarding.

Blues will also be contacting fans regularly to gather opinions on a range of decisions that will affect season ticket holders, match-by-match fans, and the wider support from across the nation and further afield. We will be surveying throughout the campaign to better understand and develop travel options, the matchday programme, pre-game entertainment and much more.

The Have Your Say campaign will also include the bi-annual FansForums, which will be announced to supporter groups soon.

This campaign will kick off with Season Ticket holders being given the chance to vote on a new mural to be painted in the Tilton Road Stand – keep your eyes peeled for that and many more emails across the season.”

Blues Trust

Membership

Want to be a full member with voting rights?

We have options for 1 and 2 years at £5 per year.  There is also a 5 year membership for £20 so you get 5 years for the price of 4.  See information and options here.

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4 Comments

  1. Eileen Goode

    This is not a comment about the renovation of the club, but why do we never see replays on the big screen? They used to show goals at one time but that has stopped. I’m sure most supporters would welcome that.

  2. Eileen Goode

    I’ve tried to ask about goals not shown on big screen and it was returned as a duplicate comment. If that’s the case why didn’t the club answer the question?

  3. Ed Truman

    It is disappointing that the club have not given you the courtesy of a response Eileen. I wouldn’t have thought it would have been difficult to do that. The EFL regulations contain a whole section on the use of giant screens at matches. They make clear that they are not to be used to relay to spectators closed circuit pictures of the Match at which they are present, except with the prior written consent of The League. I don’t know if the club have asked for, and been denied, that consent.

    The rules are crystal clear on the question of supporter engagement as well. As the Trust correctly points out, a minimum of two fans forum’s are required per season. So the club should be arranging these as a matter of course, each season, and not promoting them as something new and exciting.

    Why does it always feel that we Blues supporters are regarded as an inconvenience by the club….?

  4. Mitchell

    Ed Truman’s last sentence is majestically spot on. Emblazoned as a club motto wouldn’t be out of place. We hope for better times and courteous responses in the future. All BCFC management from home and abroad should ET’s final sentence, which only takes 5 seconds but hopefully will hit home for longer.

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