Structured Dialogue Minutes | Vital Football

Structured Dialogue Minutes

Structured Dialogue Meeting – Tuesday 10th May 2022 at 7pm

Supporters Group attendees:

• BASIL
• BSA
• BST
• Leyland and Chorley
• Manchester Seasiders
• Poulton-Le-Fylde
• Tangerine Knights
• Martyn Corner (Independent)
• Ryan Jackson (Independent)
• Apologies from the Muckers and Yorkshire Seasiders who were not able to attend In attendance from Blackpool FC:
• Simon Sadler (Owner)
• Ben Mansford (CEO)
• Brett Gerrity (Director)

BG opens the structured dialogue by welcoming everyone, particularly new members from Poulton- Le-Fylde Seasiders and Manchester Seasiders. Thanks to everyone for attending and to the SLO for organising the event.

Season Tickets:
What will the Season Ticket pricing policy be (bands etc)? When will details be released and tickets go on sale? What is the Club’s target for ST sales? (Tony Hodgson)

BM: Aware that a number of clubs already on sale with 2022-23 season tickets, but the Club wants to take time to make the best decisions possible and as such has waited for the Club’s appointment of the Club’s new Head of Finance who started last week. The Club is working on digital side of things with new website, single-sign-on capability which will include ticketing, retail, Tangerine TV etc. An announcement on pricing structure of season tickets will be published in a matter of days. We hope to be on sale with season tickets in the next 7-10 days. It has been a quite a remarkable season overall, given what the side has achieved and hopefully we will be able to grow on the 8,000 ST holders from 2021/22.

SS: Confirms introduction of 18-21 category after listening to supporter feedback.

Given cost of living issues will the Club consider a more flexible/friendly payment plan for next season? (various inc. Nick Long)

BM: V12 is the only realistic credit system around for clubs to use for financing. Appreciate it is difficult to get credit checks by certain organisations, but that is the only supplier left available. Given the regulations around credit and who can be licensed to provide credit, it’s difficult for the Club to do much more outside the current provider.

What specifically are the plans for the Club 1953 area? Is it earmarked for corporate seats? (BST – Patrick McChrystal)

BM: The 1953 suite was changed previously, and now has a one course meal as part of the provision. It also has M block seats, so it already is part of our corporate offering. This seems to have gone down well over the last five-six games of the season when it was introduced, and the plan is to continue with this next season.

Are there expansion plans for the Heineken Experience in the South (taking rows of seats)? Could the Heineken lounge be opened up to ST holders for an additional membership fee? (Ryan Jackson)

BM: No season ticket holders will need to give up their seats for the Heineken Experience. Season ticket holders can already upgrade to take advantage of the Heineken Lounge, and it is the Club’s intention to offer a seasonal pass for admission to the lounge. Details on this will be announced in the coming days along with other ticketing announcement.

Will the Club consider reinstating ST perks (discounts on catering, merchandise etc)? (BSA – Bev Jacklin)

BM: No intention to do that at the moment. Club continues to come a long way with introduction of Sports Alliance, online shop etc. Digital ticketing will also be introduced this coming season along with new website and an app. Once all of this digital strategy has been implemented, there may be room to look at introduction of points/loyalty scheme. Club will continue to review this.

Match Day Ticketing:
What will the match day ticketing price structure be? (various inc. John Spooner)

BM: After listening to feedback, the Club has decided to remove the ABC categorisation model and will introduce a membership model. A standard ticket will be £30 but if supporters buy a £15 adult membership for the season, they will get £5 discount off each home match they attend. This means an adult ticket will be £25, which is a similar pricing structure to when the Club was in the Championship ten years ago.

A Family Stand ticket for an adult will be £25, but again if you are a member you will get a £5 discount on that ticket (£20). A 5-11 ticket will be £5, meaning an adult and child will be able to attend a match in the Family Stand for £25 altogether, providing the adult is a member. Similarly, with an elderly concession ticket in the Family Stand, this will be priced at £20 down to £15 if they are a member. An U18 will be priced at £10 in the Family Stand.

BG: We hope this pricing structure will attract fans of the future, and get young supporters engaged at an early age and enjoy that environment where they feel safe and can enjoy watching Blackpool.

BM: Sadly, the free U5 ticket offer introduced has not been properly utilised. We had 161 free U5 tickets last season, and only 19 of those were in the Family Stand. Over two thirds of the remaining U5 tickets (142) attended less than ten games last season. Many people were therefore taking tickets in those prime areas of the stadium and not using them regularly. Free U5 tickets will still be available in the Family Stand to encourage the progression of a new season ticket holder and a new match by match fan. But, given we have a limited capacity stadium and 142 seats were empty for a good amount of the season which other supporters could use, we have removed this from other areas of the stadium. This is based on the data.
 
Part 2

For non-ST exiles, purchasing match day tickets for BR games has proved difficult. It feels discriminatory. Please can the process be improved? (Martin Perry)

BM: This should not be the case, so if the SLO refers the Club on to this case in particular, we will look into it and resolve this issue.

We need a proper system to credit away purchases, particularly when someone makes multiple bookings, and to allow fans who pay on the day to upload the purchase to their account for credit purposes. (PLFS -Tim Fielding)

BM: We’re aware of the logistical issues regarding crediting when purchasing away tickets, as this was clear during the Preston game where there aren’t enough tickets for people that want to go to the match. Therefore, the only fair way is to give the tickets to the supporters that we know for definite have been to the most games. The client reference number gives us that definitive information. Not aware of another way that will give us that information at the click of a button that alleviates any suggestions of favouritism.

BG: It’s a fair point that supporters maybe aren’t aware of how you link client reference numbers. People probably didn’t understand the point in linking client references until we came to the Preston game, and this will be communicated further during the new season. Club felt the fairest way to distribute Preston tickets was to prioritise season ticket holders who had been to the most away fixtures.

At away games fans who wish to sit are often forced to stand because others stand in front of them (and stewards don’t enforce sitting down). Is there a way that seated areas could be guaranteed at away games for those who want them? (various inc. John Dewhurst)

BM: We can raise that club-to-club. Sarah, our Ticket Office Manager, works hard with her counterparts at other clubs to discuss areas that are more suitable for seating, but ultimately we have a very good, energetic, loud away following. Sarah and the ticket office will work hard on this area to get feedback from opposing clubs. It will be interesting to see how the Safety Advisory Group address persistent standing, as this does create issues.

The Project:
What is the Club’s long term investment plan? How will it be financed? (BST – Patrick McChrystal))

SS: No secret that there are two major capital investment projects that the Club are planning on undertaking – the training ground and the East Stand redevelopment. Conservatively, the cost of those will be £30 million, and these figures are going up all the time. This is the main focus, and the Club won’t be splashing out big transfer fees whilst there are these investments to make. This will help to secure the long-term viability of the Club. I commit to the investment and will loan the money to the Club, and will hope to get some or all of it back in the future. It’s down to all of us fans to contribute wherever possible, whether that be retail, ticket sales, sponsorship etc. Hopefully, the Club will also become a beneficiary of redistribution of funds through the football pyramid in the future.

Does Simon Sadler want promotion to the Premier League? (If only for the money to pay for the training ground and the new east stand.) Can Simon Sadler afford to push the Club forward? (BASIL – John Walsh)

SS: We don’t feel we should gamble to get to the Premier League with the aim to generate income to pay for the infrastructure investment. We need to keep improving year on year on the pitch, as we have done to date. We need to maintain our position in the Championship and then if the wind is blowing in the right direction, then there is a chance we could do it, but we have a greater chance of

reaching the Premier League and staying there with the infrastructure in place, which is what we will continue to work towards.

The Club management & recruitment structure has now been stable for a period of time. How do you broadly assess this period, is there anything you would have done differently as a management team and what do future goals and targets look like? (BSA - ?)

BM: Since Critch joined us in March 2020, the Club has been very successful on the pitch. We should strive to do as well as possible and learn from any mistakes made. Our three pillars of coaching, recruitment and academy are what we focus on and in Neil Critchley we have the best in the class for coaching. We have one of the lowest budgets in the league but have been competitive this season.

In terms of recruitment, we have young players who want to learn and want to be here and we have John Stephenson, our Head of Football Operations, who is fantastic at his job. As for the academy, we’ve already seen this year how competitive they have been, particularly in the FA Youth Cup against Chelsea and to win the Lancashire FA Cup last week too. A number of those players have also signed pro-contracts, so we are moving well but there is still a long way to go.

SS: A very good question. Even though I acknowledge there are things that didn’t work out, I wouldn’t have done anything differently. It’s all been part of the learning experience and mistakes and picking yourself up and moving forward is part of life.

Infrastructure:
Is there an update on the new training ground (site selection, development timeline etc)? (various inc. John Thompson)

SS: We are very close to an announcement and have spent some time this week drafting a press release for this.

BM: We have an agreed contract and are waiting on a signature for this. We don’t want to announce anything as positive as this until everything has been agreed and signed.

Could the Club create an exit for away fans at the back of the East Stand as an alternative to them egressing past the North or out of the South? (Matt West)

BM: Have been working hard with Lancashire Police and Lancashire Council to improve exit plans from the stadium. We hope these plans will mitigate any issues of egress from the south east corner and north east corner. We are on with this and we will try and have an improved exit in place for the start of the new season.

Could the space created by properties on Henry Street that have recently been demolished be utilised to create better/safer access and egress for away or home fans at the northern end of the East Stand for the coming season? (Ryan Jackson)

BM: That space will not be utilised, but as already discussed, we are on with this area and hope to have something in place for the start of the new season.

Will the Club consider introducing some form of stair rails in the steeper aisles of the ground (North and South Stands)? (BST - Tony Sharpe)

BM: We’ve discussed this in the past and adding all of that metal back in will take a lot of funding and a lot of time. We are advertising for a new Ground Safety Officer, which we will take up with them once they are appointed and get their views. If a specific fan has problems in getting up and down the steps, then we can discuss with Sarah about relocating to a different seat which is easier to access.

BG: Appreciate this may not be what is wanted, but it is the most practical solution. If a supporter cannot make it to the top of the stand without struggling, should the Club really assist them in doing so in that way - we have a duty of care.
 
Part 3
Can we please get the pigeon infestation sorted once and for all? (BFC Volunteers)

BM: The Club is doing its best with the legal means which we can utilise. We are trying to do the best we can with the infrastructure we have got.

BG: We need to recognise the great work all of the volunteers do to clean up around the stadium for no reward. The Club will work to help as much as we can.

Is there a timeline for the East Stand redevelopment now we are an established Championship Club? (various inc. Mark Turner)

BM: Most supporters are aware that along with Blackpool Council, we made an application for some town deal funding – known as levelling up money. We were successful in acquiring £6.5million of funding, which can be used to enable the progression of the project. The actual building of the stand and everything that happens on the footprint will rest with the Club and Simon. Some progressions to the back of the North Stand car park where the housing site is will be seen in the coming weeks, and we are able to start work on this area. We now need to finalise the plans for the stand and what we should and shouldn’t put in there. We need to make a planning application for this, which may need some acquiring of land behind the East Stand. Timing of any announcements are difficult on this because of how the process may go with some of that land that needs acquiring. We will try and finalise our plans for the East Stand and seek to make a planning application as quickly as possible. We have until March 2026 to access the £6.5 million of funding.

SS: You’re probably looking at £2,500-£3,000 per seat, which if for instance we built a 5,000 seater stand will cost £15million, so you’re looking at a major investment. We want to ensure the Stadium is developed correctly, and this includes improved access for disabled supporters. Ultimately, we just want to get the Stadium completed. We might have five years, but we just want to get it done and get it done correctly as soon as possible.

Policing:
Regarding the away game at Preston, what representations have the Club made to PNE and West Lancs Police, if any? And what approach would the Club wish to take to next season’s two fixtures? (BST - ?)

BM: For the home fixture, we had the demand to sell to our own supporters, so we decided to sell to them rather than give Preston an increase of away tickets. They received just over 13% of the gate, when the regulations say they are entitled to 10%. There were then some direct conversations with Preston for the fixture at Deepdale, as we were told they were going to give us 10% for our supporters, after segregation. We pointed out that if we were to run next season’s fixture at Bloomfield Road in this way, then they would receive far less seats than they had for the fixture back in October.

Once we heard that the stand at Deepdale would be halved between Blackpool and Preston supporters, we expressed our concerns both to Preston and the police about the risk we felt our supporters would be under. That turned out to be very much the case and we followed this up. We hope to get to a place next season where ticket allocation is far better, particularly for the away fixture, and that the danger our fans were in will not happen again.

The police commanders that now run our games at Bloomfield Road are different to the ones that run the matches at Preston, and I think we’re now in a much better place. We have a bit more consistency for matches from police commanders who know Blackpool well and have more detailed knowledge of our fan base. I think the recent matches against Birmingham and Derby were well- handled under testing conditions.

What plans does the Club have to work with the police on improving post-match policing around Bloomfield Road and the safe egress of both sets of fans? (various inc. Roland Wyke)

BM: Currently working with the police and Blackpool Council on road closures around the stadium. We’re particularly looking at closing Bloomfield Road between Seasiders Way and Central Drive for a short period after the game.

Match Day Experience:
The PA system is not fit for purpose and cannot be heard in parts of the ground. (various inc. Mike Smith)

BM: That is a significant investment and we feel that money is needed in certain areas first. Reviewing the PA system as a whole is probably something to think about during the redevelopment of the East Stand.

SS: Fixing this during the redevelopment of the East Stand is the best course of action, as we want to do it properly, although we are aware it does need fixing.

The food offering could be more diverse. We did have a healthy option a couple of years ago but sadly nothing now - surely some local businesses would like to increase their takings? (Amanda Causer)

BM: We have got to understand the fact more people are moving to a vegetarian or vegan menu nowadays, although when you have between 23-26 games over the course of a season at the stadium, and speed of service is crucial, it does lend itself to a smaller menu. A more diverse menu didn’t work previously, but we will work with our catering teams and see what we can do.

SS: We want to look at ways to be greener as a Club and do our bit for the environment, not just with food. There’s a lot more that we can and we need to do.

Fans are consistently telling us that standards of stewarding at games fall well short of what they expect. Can the Club tell us what guidelines stewards are given on what their role is? What training do they receive? Will the Club work with fans to improve standards, especially at home games? (BST -?)

BM: As previously discussed, we are advertising for a new Ground Safety Officer. The recruitment and training of stewards and how we would like them to interreact with supporters, will fall under this person. Having spoken to other clubs about this subject, stewarding has been one of the biggest

challenges post-Covid. During Covid, lots of people adapted to different employment opportunities and trying to bring people back for a small amount of work on an event-by-event basis has been challenging. This means most event businesses are now using agency stewards, as they are able to provide more work with more regularity and can train them in-house. This isn’t ideal in terms of the interaction with supporters, as you don’t see the same face on a matchday. We will task the new Ground Safety Officer to recruit and train our own stewards to try and get a level of consistency. We are on with this, but this has been one of the biggest challenges for events businesses post-Covid.

As for involving BST in helping with this improvement, that is a question for the new Safety Officer when they arrive, as they are more qualified to answer that. We’re currently taking CV’s for this role and hope to have this appointment in place as soon as possible.

Could additional catering be provided in a cordoned off area outside the North to encourage fans to arrive early? (PLFS – Ashley Knowles)

BM: We are hoping to be able to make two announcements about the North Stand area as part of the close-season to aid with next season’s matchday. We are looking at the space in the north east corner, which could be used by home fans one week or away fans the next, depending on the match taking place. We’re also looking at trying to take back an amount of space in the North Stand to try to create something positive that will enable supporters to come and start their matchday earlier at Bloomfield Road. We’re going to try and do the best we can with the infrastructure we’ve got, but there a lot of formalities to get through. Hopefully, in good time before the start of the season we’ll be able to make some positive announcements on this.

When and how will more appropriate provision be made for disabled supporters and those in wheelchairs? Their view is often blocked by cameramen or standing fans. (PLFS – Pete Battle)

BM: If we can receive some specific information on this, we can take that up with the ground safety team and the ticket office. We will then deal with this directly, as we don’t want anyone’s view to be hampered.
 
Part 4

Can we have a ballot for a goal scoring/celebration tune? (BSA – Bev Jacklin)

SS: We have fantastic supporters who make incredible noise when we score, so I wouldn’t want to do anything that dilutes that. This is not something we are looking at.

Building The Fan Base/Outreach:
The Club has done a fantastic job of interacting with young people in the immediate Blackpool area with such initiatives as free shirts. However, there is a large fan base further afield in areas such as Fleetwood and Thornton and this is increasing with the success of the Club on the pitch. How will the club look to maintain and develop the fan base in these areas? (Gareth White)

BG: There is an initiative we have recently introduced alongside the Community Trust by the name of Tangerine Teammates, which involves 19 local youth football teams who are partnered with a first-team squad player. Since it was introduced in March, we have had 14 Q&A sessions over Zoom with the youth team and their player, and these have been some fantastic sessions with some wonderful questions put to the players. We’ve also had in-person sessions with Shayne Lavery, Jordan Gabriel and Josh Bowler visiting their clubs. To see the smiles on the faces of the children and the engagement between the players and the children is really heart-warming. As an estimate, we have engaged with more than 300 children since the initiative began, and we want to continue this across the Fylde Coast.

What plans does the Club have to attract and then retain younger supporters who may have low disposable incomes? Specifically, can the Club do more to attract the 16-24 cohort, who are often just out of education and relatively low paid? (BST – Mark Turner)

BM: On both a seasonal and match-by-match basis, we have brought in an 18-21 category. This seems like the most popular band to go with, having done our due diligence on other clubs.

BG: We’ve listened to the feedback on this area, and it’s another example of how much we value the supporters feedback.

Would the Club arrange an exiles day arranged months in advance where fans (especially the kids) can meet the players etc? (BASIL – Karen McGuinness)

BM: We hosted a number of open training sessions before Covid struck, and they worked really well, so I don’t see any reason why this can’t happen again.

SS: We will look to do one around the August Bank Holiday as a bare minimum, as this worked really well last time.

Note: The Club has also committed to posting an events calendar on the website to communicate any further events.

What is the Club doing to promote inclusivity and diversity and counter abuse, and more importantly what more do you think can be done? (BSA - ?)

BM: Togetherness has been a huge part of the Club’s success since Simon bought the Club. West Brom away when all of the supporters applauded the players after a late defeat is a prime example. Critch and Richard Keogh have recently spoken about the warmth they feel from the fans too, so we do have a real strong bond here. We did have some challenges in the north east corner earlier in the season which we continue to work on. Of course, we want to see the most diverse and vibrant fan- base we can, and by working with the Community Trust, we will push this further. Overall, Club and supporters seem to be in good place at the moment, but we need to play our part further and make sure everyone who lives on the Fylde Coast feels welcome at Blackpool Football Club.

BG: Other clubs such as Blackburn have done some really good work with their local communities, and we should recognise the makeup of the community of the Fylde Coast. We can do more and we will do more.

Reserves/Youth/Women & Girls:
Will a Reserve/Development team resume again next season? (BSA – Pat Thompson)
BM: A decision made by John Stephenson, Critch and Ciaran Donnelly has been made with our blessing to re-enter a reserve team league. We will enter the Central League so that should give them around ten further games.

What are the future plans for the Blackpool Girls and Ladies teams? (BST – John Spooner)
BM: We were approached by Blackpool FC Women and Girls, who are their own grassroots organisation, a few months back in how we could work closer together. Simon and the Club support them with kit and in other areas, but we felt more needed to be done. The Club and Community Trust have since recruited a Women and Girls Development Officer to continue with their growth.

We hope to grow this relationship further in the coming months and years, as this is an area we feel very passionate about on the Board.

General:
Why has there been such a long delay since the last Structured Dialogue meeting? Can we commit to quarterly meetings on specific dates? (BST – Robbie Whittaker)

BG: There have been more questions answered today and more in-depth because we have had more space between the meetings. This gives more opportunity for better questions to be submitted as well.

SS: Quality over quantity is really important. If you have these too frequently, it tends to not be as effective.

Note: The Club has subsequently committed to 3 per season.

What would the Club wish the Government to prioritise in legislation to implement the Tracey Crouch Review? What preparatory action is planned by the Club? (BST – Christine Seddon)

SS: A meeting is scheduled with Tracey at the House of Commons next week with myself and Ben to discuss this, but change is needed.

Did the Club carry business interruption insurance before Covid, as clubs like Plymouth Argyle did? If not, does it have it now? (BST – Robbie Whittaker)

BM: Insurance was fixed at the Club for a certain number of years before Simon purchased the Club. A small number of clubs did have business interruption insurance, sadly Blackpool was not one of those. It is now very difficult to get cover for another potential pandemic hits.

Are the new home shirts going to be tangerine - not blood orange? This also applies to scarves etc which I have heard people in the shop are not buying because the colours are veering towards red. (BSA -?)

SS: Club has sat down with Puma to discuss this, and went through different Pantones and discussed what tangerine is. The kit that is coming in the next few weeks is hopefully more like most of us think tangerine to be.

Additional Questions:

Will the Club raise a point with opposition clubs regarding the comfort of supporters when travelling to away grounds, as at times it feels like supporters are crammed into one small area?

BM: The Club will raise this on a match-by-match basis, but ultimately decisions are taken by the host Club and police for a reason.

Is there a reluctance to stream the structured dialogue meetings? This would go down really well.

BM: We have discussed this internally, but we feel we can be a lot more open in this format. If this was something more football based involving the Head Coach, then that is different as you’re talking

about football issues in particular. When discussing areas such as Simon’s investment and other areas of the Club, this feels like the right way to go about it for now.

BG: The idea of a structured dialogue is to be more candid and open and discuss more involved issues. A fans forum which can be streamed is something to look at in the future.

Note: The Club will look to put on a Football centred Fans Forum which we will look to stream on Tangerine TV.

Has the pre-season schedule been finalised yet and when can we expect an announcement?

BM: We’re in good shape and have an attractive schedule to look forward to. There is still some paperwork to go through, but we will announce this once everything is finalised.

BG thanked everyone for submitting questions. BG and SLO to set a date for the next meeting.
 
The main thing I took from that is that whilst the training ground and East stand redevelopment are still in the mix, we won't be spending big on any players...


So, it's off to the bin we dip!
 
May depend on our owners investment in Hong Kong whilst he uses his own money to run the club he may not need to keep cash top ups from his investments outside the club in these troubled times…
 
We are moving steadily forward and in a sustainable and sensible manner. A bit of patience is needed whilst the damage from the Oystain Era is repaired. Where we are now would have been beyond my wildest dreams in the dark days of Kokogate.
 
Totally agree Bear. St Simon has already spent fortunes on the infrastructure of the club, repairs to the ground, equipment for groundmen, tweaks at the training ground, plus buying the club and putting in an exec team. Oh and some money for players. The answer has to be sustainability and the training ground, coaching and scouting are all part of that. He's only been here 2 minutes and we forget "Kokogate" (LOL) all that he's done and won promotion. This is a golden time for the club and the first time in my lifetime a chairman who gets it and has the soul of the club in his heart not forgetting local non football initiatives
 
Punters on holiday looking to come to a Pool game will be charged £32. That's £30 ticket and £2 print at home.

There's not many walk ons coming in at this price.
 
So we have to sell to generate funds for transfers?

SS: No secret that there are two major capital investment projects that the Club are planning on undertaking – the training ground and the East Stand redevelopment. Conservatively, the cost of those will be £30 million, and these figures are going up all the time. This is the main focus, and the Club won’t be splashing out big transfer fees whilst there are these investments to make.
 
This needs careful consideration, especially if the East is going to be full of away fans.


Could the Club create an exit for away fans at the back of the East Stand as an alternative to them egressing past the North or out of the South? (Matt West)

BM: Have been working hard with Lancashire Police and Lancashire Council to improve exit plans from the stadium. We hope these plans will mitigate any issues of egress from the south east corner and north east corner. We are on with this and we will try and have an improved exit in place for the start of the new season
 
SeasideEssexXile said:
This needs careful consideration, especially if the East is going to be full of away fans.


Could the Club create an exit for away fans at the back of the East Stand as an alternative to them egressing past the North or out of the South? (Matt West)

BM: Have been working hard with Lancashire Police and Lancashire Council to improve exit plans from the stadium. We hope these plans will mitigate any issues of egress from the south east corner and north east corner. We are on with this and we will try and have an improved exit in place for the start of the new season
Click to expand...

Best way to raise the funding is to charge the away fans to see the Egress a la Barnham and Bailey scam.
 
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