Meeting with the Directors – Nov 2019 – Rochdale Supporters Trust.

The Trust met with the Dale Board of Directors on Monday evening to ask them questions put forward at the AGM and sent in by Trust members.

Thanks from supporters (from AGM)
The Trust was asked at the AGM to thank the Board for the changes that had taken place at the club over the past year which has seen more information put into the public domain about the state of injuries with the first team. It had been a sense of frustration, especially under Keith Hill’s time, that fans were left in the dark with regards to who and who was not available. The Board admitted that when drawing together the criteria for a new manager, this was one of the things that they had listed as being important.
Investment into the club (from AGM and member)
- What importance do the directors put on the necessity for investment? If it is required, why now when we have a recognised model of spending what we can afford and selling on players to increase income into the club?
  The conversation regarding investment was a lengthy one, and had raised a number of concerns from Trust members at the recent AGM. The concerns from the Trust were that the events at Bury had highlighted what can happen when “investors” come into a club, and that world of football was seemingly filled with stories of investors coming in promising the earth but the ones that prove to be successful were very much in the minority. We have a long history where the Board at Dale have evolved rather than been subject to frequent change, and that has provided a stability and an acceptance of the “Rochdale way”. The Board accepted this but responded that the game has changed in recent years and there is an ever-growing need for financial support in the game. In recent years, we have been heavily reliant on player sales, and we cannot keep hoping that player sales will fill the financial gap. We sold three players in 2018-19, and we cannot as a club assume we will always be able to do that. The Directors said they were very much stewards of the club and they see the investment as being ensuring that there will still be a club to support in another hundred years. Any investor would have to be aligned to the vision of the Board, and it would go without saying that they would be very, very carefully considered.
- Given the club have admitted to having “Non-Disclosure agreements” signed, how far along is the club in obtaining investment, and will the club agree to keep the Trust abreast of any club ownership developments as agreed in the MOU?
  The Board admitted that they were in discussions but the nature of a non-disclosure agreement meant that they were limited to what they could say about it. They agreed that they would keep the Trust informed of any potential changes.
Can the Trust / club decorate the Dale Bar to reflect it being a football bar? (from AGM)
The club stated that they would be delighted if work could take place, and would gladly accept any help to do so. With the Trust recently purchasing the Luke Matheson shirt from Old Trafford, the Trust are keen to have the shirt in display in there. The Trust would come up with a long term plan to give the bar a Dale theme to justify its name.
Matchday Prices initiative (from members)
- What has been the impact of the pay on the day increases?
  Attendances have maintained and even increased for some matches to indicate that it is having no obvious detrimental effect on matchday attendances. There has been a large increase in the number of supporters who are buying tickets in advance, and Fridays tend to be very busy at the ticket office now. The long term plan is to make it even easier for supporters to purchase tickets in advance with barcode entry next season, which will include entry via print at home or mobiles.
- What has been the impact of the Category A / Category B matches?
  It hasn’t worked out as hoped so far mainly due to the two games that came into this category both being Tuesday night matches, and the Bury game being expunged.
- Do the club intend to repeat these schemes next season?
  It will be reviewed in full at a later date when a final decision will be made but the indications at present are that it will continue.
Closure of the gate in the car park (from member)
- Why has this taken place and why were supporters not informed?
  The Trust informed the Board that they had received a large number of complaints from supporters about the gate in the corner of the car park being closed off, and that there had been no communication with supporters over this. This had led to supporters climbing over the wall at the last home match to gain access to the car park this way having parked at the back. The club stated that this was a consequence of the recent incident which saw damage and theft from the Wycombe team coach, and the need to secure the car park generally to improve stadium security. The club apologised that they had intended to announce this change but the work had been done earlier than originally anticipated. At first the Club had intended to unlock the gate for match days but lock it at other times and having tried this the lock was kicked off and an alternative became necessary.
How successful has the new half time draw been? What plans are in place to improve sales? (from member)
There had been a sizeable reduction at the start of the season but it has reverted to close to last season’s levels in recent weeks. Tributes were paid to the staff who sell the tickets at home games, with one recent home game cited where the number of tickets sold equated to 35% of the home attendance.
What is the Chairman’s vision for the football club going forward? (from member)
The Chairman stated that his vision for the club was a survivability and to not end up like Bury. The intention is always to do better than “as well as we can”.
Club finances (from members)
- We know that the board build into their budget the possibility of extra income from a cup run but the game at Old Trafford must have been beyond all expectations. Will this additional income be used in January to strengthen the playing staff?
  No, whilst the revenue from this game was significant and welcomed but it was not as big as you might expect.
- How would the board describe the current financial status of the club?
  They admitted that things were tight, and the football world was currently going through difficult and tough times at this moment. It was highlighted that there were only three clubs in the division with lower attendances than ourselves, with all three owned by Chairmen who ploughed significant funds into the running of those clubs.
As per the official site, the Portsmouth and Bolton games now appear to be priced at the lower category when at the beginning of the season they were chosen as higher priced category games. Why has this changed? (from member)
The Portsmouth game was chosen as one of the higher tier matches following their successful season last season, and an expectation that they would bring a significant away following for this game. Things haven’t worked out for the South Coast side so far, and the expected reduction in demand has seen prices revert to Category A. The Bolton game has been changed to the lower tier simply on the basis that this will be the third time this season their supporters have been asked to come to Crown Oil Arena. Also, the Bolton game will be a fixture included in a further fixture promotion package and as such, it made sense to reduce the price to that of other games that will be in the package.
Has the increase in prices in matchday catering seen a reduced demand from supporters in terms of units sold?
At this moment in time, it was difficult to tell. The club receive the information on the sales from the caterers the following month, and due to the club reverting to Clayton Pies halfway through September, it was not possible at this stage to make any sort of assessment. The club stated that they were looking at introducing card payments to the kiosks in the near future.
A number of concerns regarding Goldbond have arisen. Rather than discuss them all at this meeting, the questions were submitted to the club with a view to a specifically arranged meeting at the Trust’s request to discuss these. Further questions had also been received that will be sent following the meeting.
Update on the 5-a-side football pitch
It was stated that the decision regarding planning permission would take place in the last week of November. The company assigned to construct have stated that it will take eight weeks to complete, and the club are looking at an official opening on Saturday 14^th
Building the atmosphere at Spotland
- Safe Standing
  Very informal discussions had taken place to see if a safe standing area at the back of the Pearl Street stand would help to boost the atmosphere at Spotland. Feelers had been put out but the feedback received suggested that those in the area affected would not welcome such a change, and that unlike at Shrewsbury, a standing area already existed at Spotland. Following this feedback, this will not be pursued.
- Flags
  The Trust are keen to purchase a number of flags to help boost the atmosphere with the younger supporters. The intended flags are the hand held flags that can be waved by junior supporters. Further research is required, both in terms of what will be allowed within the ground, and obtaining various quotes before any commitment is made.
Update on the Travel Club
Previous meetings with the club had discussed the proposed Travel Club that had yet to take off. The Trust had contacted the club in September over this, and had subsequently launched a survey to gauge feedback. The Trust will again contact those responsible for coach travel at the club and inform them of the supporter feedback. Initial findings had suggested a pick up / drop off point within the town centre as Spotland isn’t the most accessible for many supporters, especially late at night.