We met with the Club Board on Thursday afternoon to ask them a number of questions that had been sent in by Trust members.
Matchday Arrangements
Q: What is the reason for the exit in the corner of the Sandy Lane and Wilbutts Lane stand now being closed? This has been the case for the last few home games.
A: As far as the club are aware, the gate should have been closed all season. The decision to keep it closed at the end of matches is purely down to the safety of supporters to reduce the risk of any trouble between home and visiting supporters. The decision was made by the Club’s Safety Officer as part of the Safety Advisory Group that meets with the Police in planning for matches. The Club said they were happy to raise this again at the Safety Advisory Group meetings.
Q: Please can we have the gate back at the corner of the car park for all us supporters that park on that side of the club that struggle to walk far.
A: The decision to get rid of the gate followed the Wycombe home fixture a couple of seasons ago where the Coach was attacked midway through the match. (we pointed out that if someone was intent on damaging the coach, climbing over a 4 foot wall wouldn’t put them off). The Club agreed to look into this.
Q: I have a 9-year-old son who goes in Desmond’s den before every home game. He mentioned to me that it would be great if one of the players who isn’t playing on the day of the game to go in there and sign autographs and have pictures. Would this be something the club would consider?
A: The was something the Club were very keen to introduce next season. The Club feel very strongly that they should be pursuing initiatives like this.
Q: Have the board got any initiatives planned to improve the environment in the family stand. We have moved from the family stand to the sandy lane due to the poor behaviour and foul language of some people in that area. We will need to improve build on our image as a great family club if we want to build supporter base for the future.
A: Next season, the Club are looking at making Blocks Y and Z a genuine family section. The Pearl Street Stand is known as the family stand but in reality, it doesn’t come across that way. This is very much work in progress, but it’s expected that this will be in place for next season, hopefully with dedicated trained stewards for this area, as well as a number of other initiatives aimed at young supporters.
Q: Are there any plans to convert the bar in Studds to a more match day friendly one? It always takes a long time to get served, and sometimes we don’t get served at all. (I joined the queue at 40 minutes gone on Saturday, which was out of the bar and at the food kiosks, and it took 15 minutes to get served. Many people either didn’t bother, or like us, opted for half pints in the end). In my opinion, the system of serving either needs to change, or a much-reduced range of drinks needs to be available. This is frustrating not only from a match day experience perspective but to also see the club missing out on easy revenue.
A: The Club have looked at a number of schemes that can address the speed in which hospitality can be dispensed to fans. In the long term, this bar will be increasingly aimed at families.
Q: How concerned are the board with the dwindling gates? The entertainment this season has mostly been dire, what are the plans to make coming to games enjoyable again?
A: The Board said that the top and bottom of it is that they have to win games. Next season will see a much-improved playing budget, and it is their belief that this will make a difference.
Q: The atmosphere at dale is flat! What can we do to create a better atmosphere as a club, could we get a singing section in a certain part of the ground?
A: Work is already underway on this initiative with the trial of a singing section in the back five rows of the Pearl Street in the game against Bristol Rovers. This has been fan driven and the Club and Trust have both supported the work that has taken place so far on this. More work is to be done following the trial, but the signs so far are very positive.
Q: Not a major issue but if you don’t already have the answer, could you please find out why the scoreboard stops at 45/90 mins and doesn’t show added time?
A: EFL rules do not allow clubs to do this. The Broadcasters will show it but it is not allowed to be shown within any ground.
EFL investigation / Morton House
Q: Have the EFL given the club any idea of timescale as to when the independent panel will give its verdict?
A: No, but it’s clear that they want to get on with it as soon as possible. The Club has submitted its defence to the EFL and awaits its response.
Q: Is there a date, after which it would impact on the Club’s close season transfer activity? Having the Club in ‘limbo’ might adversely affect the attitude of potential signings.
A: There is no end date in place, but there will be no issues about being in limbo. Whilst not diminishing the EFL charges, it will be very much business as usual by the Club throughout and beyond the process.
Q: Did “Morton House” (whatever that is) ever secure an official, recognised transfer of shares from sellers into their name, or the names of those who claim to own shares in the name of “Morton House”? I understand EFL rules may have prevented this, but it remains an unanswered question of concern for supporters that they may own part of our club.
A: The Club said that this is not something that they can comment on at this moment in time.
Q: The club’s most recent accounts, as filed at Companies House, mentioned in Note 13 that, “the directors have filed a separate legal action against a former director and employee of the company, and are considering other legal actions against individuals based on available evidence”. Are the directors able to report if there has been any progress on the action already filed against a former director and employee, and have further evidence-based actions been filed against individuals?
A: The legal action with the former director and employee is with the courts, and we are awaiting the Courts to do their bit. Unfortunately, the Courts have a bit of a backlog at this moment in time. Any further action will depend on the evidence and the likelihood of success.
Youth Team
Q: When we played Bradford in January, it ended a run of 317 successive games / six years with at least one academy player in our matchday squad, with the likes of Ethan Brierley and Peter Thomas seemingly closer to a first team position back in 2019 than they are now. This could be understandable if the first team had been firing on all cylinders. Why have we had such an absence of youth involvement this season?
A: The Club stated that it remained the philosophy of the Club to continue to develop young players for the benefit of the first team. There were a number of reasons why the Club haven’t been able to blood the youth players this season as much as they would have liked. The squad is bigger than it could have been, and League Two has been a more physical division this season which has proved to be another hindrance for the younger players. That said, the Club said that the stats suggested that we had fielded the second youngest side in League Two this season, though it has been on loan players contributing towards that.
Furthermore, running a successful youth set up is getting increasingly difficult. Post Brexit, the bigger Clubs are not able to recruit overseas players like they used to do and a knock-on effect of that is they are signing more and more British players. This make is more difficult for Clubs like Dale to recruit and retain young players. The EPPP set up means that youth players can be signed for a set fee meaning that there will always be a vulnerability. Despite that, the youth team is very promising. The U18’s have reached the final of the Lancs Cup where they will play Blackpool and the U15’s have reached the semi finals of the EFL Floodlit Cup.
Hornets
Q: How are relations with the Rugby Club at the moment? It’s been noted that they have operated under certain restrictions for their home games so far.
A: The Club conducted a review of all lease agreements as part of a Health and Safety review during the season. This wasn’t just with Hornets, but was with other lease holders such as Icon Sports, the NHS amongst others. Hornets are currently fully up to date with rent payments, and are currently operating within the rules of the lease agreement. As part of that, they have to operate under the Football Club’s Safety Certificate which makes the RAFC Board liable for its matches, hence the need to ensure that no one operates outside of the lease agreement.
Future developments
Q: Would it be possible to consider re-branding the Ratcliffe Arms in the future…maybe a sports themed bar showing live football/ cricket/ Boxing etc. Burgers/Hot dogs/ wings for sale. A bar that would attract people every day of the week and also host birthday parties for youngsters etc. The type of sports bar that you see in the USA, low lighting and lots of television screens with plenty of drinks offers.
A: This is something that the Club are looking at. The Club are investing on this side of things with a need to take advantage of the facilities of the ground both on matchdays and non-matchdays to bring in as much revenue as possible to support the funding of the First Team. The Club have and are continuing to increase staffing in the development area to ensure that we maximise income using the existing buildings and facilities. The Trust offered to work with the Club to improving the matchday experience within the bars as part of the preparation for the 2022-23 season.
Q: Would it also be possible to have a selection of real ale for sale in the bars?
A: At this moment in time, it would not be possible to do this due to the frequency that the bars are open.
Goldbond
Q: Let’s get the Goldbond doorstep collections reinstated and give the former agents first refusal on having their jobs back
A: This has been discussed many times. The Club still has one year remaining with the Lottery Partner. The Club stated that they would consider everything that generated revenue for the Club, and if there was a compelling business case for it, then they would consider it.
Cash turnstiles
Q: Are there any plans to re-introduce cash turnstiles at the ground?
A: No. However, tickets can be purchased from the ticket office, no supporters has been turned away at any home game this season who wanted to purchase a ticket and the queues for purchasing a ticket haven’t been excessive. The Club admitted that the ability to purchase a ticket at the Ticket Office is to be pushed more on all the Club’s social channels, though supporters who struggle with online purchases might not have access to the Club’s social media. The Trust asked about a second purchase point at the ground, possibly the ticket outlet at the Pearl Street end of the ground, and the Club agreed to look into this.
Queen Concert
The Club are encouraging as many supporters to attend the Queen concert that takes place at the Crown Oil Arena on Saturday 4th June. This is a new venture for the Club and if it is a success, it will bring additional funds for the first team and help arrange similar events in the future. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.rafcshop.co.uk/tickets/events
The Club are keen to expand its LinkedIn community, with currently fewer connections than other similar sized clubs. They have asked for all Dale supporters and their employers to connect with the Club’s Linkedin profile. To support with this, the Trust will also enter the world of LinkedIn.
Dale Community Trust
We had a couple of enquiries regarding the Dale Community Trust. We are looking at arranging a meeting with them in the next week to follow up on these questions, alongside a longer term strategy.
Thank you to everyone who sent in their questions.