Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on June 21, 2017, 09:22:56 PM
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The next Fans Consultation Group meeting will take place on 28th June. I can't
be arsed going make it so amfy will be there. Here's the agenda.
Catering
1. With the promised Capital investment from Compass, what is planned to improve the infrastructure to ensure staffing is more efficient, in-order to avoid pinch points on match day?
2. The club announced Heineken as their new beer partner last year. However, with the changing culture of beer drinking in Britain with a focus now on craft and local beers, what is being done to address this?
3. To improve the match day experience around Villa Park and catering offering would the club consider holding a trial street food event?
Match Day
4. There is a lack of half-time entertainment. What is being done to re-introduce fan competitions?
5. There has been positive move by changing the music building up to the start of kick-off. For example, Hi Ho Silver. Is this going to continue and what will be the entrance music for the forthcoming season?
6. What is the likelihood of the Lions Club re-opening in the Doug Ellis Stand?
7. To support the Project B6 fan funded flags initiative; can the club please provide concourse signs on the exit of the Lower Holte & North for the return of flags to a designated drop off point in addition to a stadium announcement pre/post match?
8. With heightened security levels due to terrorism, what is the club doing to improve security when supporters have been able to smuggle in flares which have then been set off in the ground?
9. At the Leeds United away game last season there was overcrowding and altercations with the police as well as stewards after a flare had been released as supporters tried to exit via the emergency exits. The overcrowding and handling of supporters created a safety hazard. Can the club please request a report from Leeds United of what happened that evening?
Ticketing
10. Print at home tickets attract an admin fee. Considering the cost of printing the ticket is at the expense of the supporter, can the club please explain the basis of this fee?
11. Supporters continue to experience problems accessing the online ticketing website. What is being done to address the server capacity to cope with the extra traffic?
12. Not all ticketing requests can be serviced by Ticketmaster and some supporters have to be re-directed to the club. Can the club please be transparent on the ticket service offering as this isn`t clear when dialling in?
13. When away tickets are released on-line the qualifying criteria does not feed through in a timely manner to supporters` accounts. As a result supporters often experience delays in being able to purchase tickets contrary to the criteria advertised.
Supporter Engagement & Welfare
14. Following the introduction of Villa Support Twitter account, what other channels is the club considering in order to drive effective supporter communication? For example, has it considered a Facebook Q&A or an enterprise live chat solution?
15. What progress has the club made in transmitting live feeds of games (U23s) from Facebook to AVTV for those that do not have social media accounts?
16. Can the club please provide supporters with an update on the forthcoming new loyalty program?
17. What is the club`s alternative to the EFL`s iFollow?
18. What is the club doing to support fans with autism?
For example, Middlesbrough have set-up a special sensory room so that children with autism can attend matches.
Other
19. When can supporters expect the club to reveal the new shirt sponsor?
20. When will supporters be able to purchase the 2017/18 kit and how will prices compare to last season?
21. What`s the update on safe standing?
22. Where is the club at in terms of increasing the provisions for disabled fans?
a. Is it adhering to the deadline of Aug that was set when we were in the Premier League in 2015?
b. If not, when do we expect to meet the requirements?
c. The North Stand what other areas of the ground have been identified for increasing disabled seating?
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Thanks Dave / Amfy, i presume on the field and squad development matters are not in scope for the FCG?
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In certain sectors of the ground the club do not give concessions. A good friend of mine has a Spurs season ticket and, as a concession, has paid just over £300 whereas I've paid nigh on £600. Also I understand that at WBA concessions are given in all parts of the ground. Now whilst I realise that we are better than either of these clubs (after all who wants to watch the likes of Harry Kane when we have the likes of Bacuna!!), can someone please ask the question. The Club did tell me, a couple of months ago, they were discussing this at board level but have heard nothing since. Would be most obliged.
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Can you ask how our attempts to act as a community club coexist with our efforts to sign a racist.
Also, can we have a free pie.
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The main thing i would like to see is the ticket office being able to have a screen showing seating availability so when you are buying a season or matchday ticket they can swing the screen round so you can see and choose your seat. i thought that they had this facility in the past, it would certainly improve the service. If it is too late to mention this time perhaps it could be for next meeting
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I'm surprised no one has objected to the use of the word "fans" yet.
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Thanks Dave & amfy.
I look forward to the reading the minutes of the meeting (hopefully).
There are several items on the agenda that are of interest to me
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Re point 18 - The Autism room is a great idea, one of my sons, who's six is Autistic and a similar arrangement would allow me to bring him to VP. At present that's a step I'm not willing to take as in the stands the noise from the speakers alone would be too much for him. Obviously we don't need to worry about our celebrations too often.
FYI, this what Sunderland did: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-35491555/sunderland-football-team-provides-viewing-room-for-autistic-fans
I'm quite happy for the club to consult me on this matter if any further information is required. Please PM me as required.
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Can the issue of Wi-fi be raised ........ often see ads on TV screens to post pics onto twitter yet its almost impossible to get any access inside ground. Fully understand part of reason is number of people using but we must be able to be improved
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In certain sectors of the ground the club do not give concessions. A good friend of mine has a Spurs season ticket and, as a concession, has paid just over £300 whereas I've paid nigh on £600. Also I understand that at WBA concessions are given in all parts of the ground. Now whilst I realise that we are better than either of these clubs (after all who wants to watch the likes of Harry Kane when we have the likes of Bacuna!!), can someone please ask the question. The Club did tell me, a couple of months ago, they were discussing this at board level but have heard nothing since. Would be most obliged.
Yes ,please ask about this. I have a season ticket in the trinity road stand , if I want to take my grandsons who are 9 and 7. I have to pay full price for them to be able to sit near me. However in other parts of the ground there are concessions. If we want to attract younger fans ,who will be the future of the club ,why do we make it so expensive or difficult to bring them? It's not like every game is a sell out.
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Re point 18 - The Autism room is a great idea, one of my sons, who's six is Autistic and a similar arrangement would allow me to bring him to VP. At present that's a step I'm not willing to take as in the stands the noise from the speakers alone would be too much for him. Obviously we don't need to worry about our celebrations too often.
FYI, this what Sunderland did: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-35491555/sunderland-football-team-provides-viewing-room-for-autistic-fans
I'm quite happy for the club to consult me on this matter if any further information is required. Please PM me as required.
Might be better if you got hold of Lee Preece lee.preece@avfc.co.uk
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Hello Amfy, If you get chance can you please raise the point about season ticket holder Villa car stickers. A minor point to some granted. They stopped them last year due to cost cutting but surely having 20,000 + people driving around the country advertising our club and proud to do so must be worth the minimal amount they cost to produce ? I miss mine and would like it back please :)
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4. There is a lack of half-time entertainment.
There is a lack of first half and second half entertainment, too.
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Is there a decision on streaming?
Thanks
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Is there a replacement for the Villa cash scheme for people without season tickets???
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Thanks Dave, will do.
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Hi! I am currently sitting on a coach waiting to leave Glastonbury. I'll have a proper look at all of this when I get back.
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Is there a replacement for the Villa cash scheme for people without season tickets???
Is there a replacement for the Villa cash scheme for people with season tickets???
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Hi!
These are the standard minutes sent out to everyone. There was further discussion around all of these points which I am happy to expand on if anyone has any further questions.
Fan representatives
Anne-Marie Fern Heroes & Villains
John Gillett Lions Clubs
Ian Stokes Vital Villa
Michael Steede Avillafan.com
Peter Warrilow Aston Villa Supporters Trust
Mo Razzaq Aston Villa Supporters Trust
Steve Gough Aston Villa Independent Supporters Clubs
Daniel Robinson Villa View
David Michael My Old Man Said
Scott Jones Villa Talk
Club representatives
Keith Wyness Chief Executive Officer
Brendan McGlinchey Operations Director
Tommy Jordan Head of Media & Comms
Lee Preece SLO
Catering
1. With the promised Capital investment from Compass, what is planned to improve the infrastructure to ensure staffing is more efficient, in-order to avoid pinch points on match day?
Investment is being spent on catering retail, looking at the service triangles and replacing equipment to improve the transaction times.
2. The club announced Heineken as their new beer partner last year. However, with the changing culture of beer drinking in Britain with a focus now on craft and local beers, what is being done to address this?
Although craft beer sales are on the increase this still only represents a small percentage of what we sell. The demand for regular beer products represents about 95% of our beer sales so we will always ensure that we have a product range to meet this demand. We are in discussions with Heineken to explore what craft beer products we can introduce for the coming season as we want to ensure that we are trying to cater for all our fans requirements.
3. To improve the match day experience around Villa Park and catering offering would the club consider holding a trial street food event?
We have had the Holte Car Park licenced so that we can hold events like this on a match day and it’s something we will be looking at for next season. This is not something we can do every match as an event like this takes time to build up, something the club will be looking to grow over a few seasons.
Match Day
4. There is a lack of half-time entertainment. What is being done to re-introduce fan competitions?
Every aspect of the matchday experience, we are attempting to improve. We want to ensure that fans are not only entertained by the football but at everywhere they turn on a matchday. Halftime entertainment is something that is dependent on personal choice and
is therefore difficult to please all parties. We will conduct some research to determine what people want to see and then look into reintroducing it if the desire is there.
5. There has been positive move by changing the music building up to the start of kick-off. For example, Hi Ho Silver. Is this going to continue and what will be the entrance music for the forthcoming season?
As mentioned above, we want to improve the matchday experience for the fans, but also improve the atmosphere for players. It is a careful line to tread to ensure we’re pleasing fans but we’re also getting players suitably fired up to go out and perform. We are currently looking into developing an AVFC Spotify playlist that we’ll encourage people to follow. We will use this in the build up to matches and will take feedback on what songs our fans would like included. The entrance music we will need to discuss with the first team Captain.
6. What is the likelihood of the Lions Club re-opening in the Doug Ellis Stand?
No likelihood for 17/18. The Holte Pub will remain available for Lions Club Members for weekend matches. The Pub is likely to close for mid-week matches with the Holte Suite Mezzanine being used as an alternative.
7. To support the Project B6 fan funded flags initiative; can the club please provide concourse signs on the exit of the Lower Holte & North for the return of flags to a designated drop off point in addition to a stadium announcement pre & post-match?
We recently met with Project B6 and will support their venture in any way we can.
8. With heightened security levels due to terrorism, what is the club doing to improve security when supporters have been able to smuggle in flares which have then been set off in the ground?
Searching is a hot topic. To be brutally honest we have had complaints from those who do not want to be searched and of course have other fans concerned that there is not enough. The reality is that we have to abide by laws. We cannot search an under 18 the same way as an adult and even then until we can strip search, this is the strongest deterrent we have. We have a really strong relationship with the police and always react to any intelligence or new ideas. This is as powerful a tool as any other security method.
We are investing in further training for all of our stewards as we understand the need to continually develop. The use of dogs is another option but again they have limited ability and limited time windows that they can operate in.
9. At the Leeds United away game last season there was overcrowding and altercations with the police as well as stewards after a flare had been released as supporters tried to exit via the emergency exits. The overcrowding and handling of supporters created a safety hazard. Can the club please request a report from Leeds United of what happened that evening?
As a club we did not get involved in the investigation as it is not our place to do so. They operate under their own safety certificate as do Aston Villa. I know the LUFC safety advisory group were involved along with the local police and that really positive action was taken including the removal of seats and widening of gangways. To that end, as a club, we just need to be satisfied that the laws that apply to all clubs are being monitored and adhered to and we have no reason to doubt that.
Ticketing
10. Print at home tickets attract an admin fee. Considering the cost of printing the ticket is at the expense of the supporter, can the club please explain the basis of this fee?
17-18 will see a change in the booking fee structure, including the introduction of no booking fee for print at home tickets purchased on-line. Full details will be announced in due course.
11. Supporters continue to experience problems accessing the online ticketing website. What is being done to address the server capacity to cope with the extra traffic?
As has been recently highlighted, we have a new ticketing software system being launched week commencing 10th July. This answer applies for question 12 & 13.
12. Not all ticketing requests can be serviced by Ticketmaster and some supporters have to be re-directed to the club. Can the club please be transparent on the ticket service offering as this isn’t clear when dialling in?
See answer to 11.
13. When away tickets are released on-line the qualifying criteria does not feed through in a timely manner to supporters’ accounts. As a result supporters often experience delays in being able to purchase tickets contrary to the criteria advertised.
See answer to 11.
14. With more supporters being directed towards on-line ticketing for its added convenience, when will disabled supporters be able to purchase tickets on-line?
The new system will enable disabled supporters to purchase on-line.
15. How will the Away Scheme work this season and how will the club be consulting on away ticketing for the forthcoming campaign?
Applications were sent out week commencing 19th June to Away scheme members who had attended the minimum number of games last season (18 out of 23). The letter states that these are to be returned by 30th June to guarantee inclusion on the scheme for 2017/18. No change in application fee of £25.
This left us with some scope to increase the size of the away scheme membership if we chose to go in that direction. Unfortunately, once the fixtures were released, away games 5, 6 & 7 were Burton Albion, Wolves and Blues, and our big concern was that a season ticket holder could sign up having been to no away games at all last year, get their tickets for these games and then drop out of the scheme. Whilst they would lose their £25 admin fee they would be able to attend these games where as someone who attended 15 away games last year might not have enough games to guarantee a seat.
We have contacted members of the away consultation group and they have unanimously agreed with the proposal to limit new members to season ticket holders who attended a minimum of 15 away games last season. Whilst ideally we don’t want the away scheme to become a closed shop we think it is extremely important that loyal supporters who attended numerous games last year have priority over new members.
Supporter Engagement & Welfare
16. Following the introduction of Villa Support Twitter account, what other channels is the club considering in order to drive effective supporter communication? For example, has it considered a Facebook Q&A or an enterprise live chat solution?
We monitor Facebook messages and are currently scoping a ChatBot technology partner to better help serve queries out of hours. Live chat is not an option currently due to staffing but we’re always investigating options to enhance and open the communications channels.
17. What progress has the club made in transmitting live feeds of games (U23s) from Facebook to AVTV for those that do not have social media accounts?
U23s games in the 17/18 season are currently under contract review but we hope to be able to bring as many as possible to our audience online and via social channels. This will utilise open platforms that do not require accounts for access.
18. Can the club please provide supporters with an update on the forthcoming new loyalty program?
The Club have invested in a new loyalty programme, available through web and app, which rewards fans for online engagement and for spend with the Club. We are also introducing a new e-cash system, which is integrated with the rewards scheme, and allows fans to spend at Villa Park, and beyond, with their season card. More news on both will be released in July, launching in August.
19. What is the club’s alternative to the EFL’s iFollow? Will UK based supporters who spend time overseas whether for work or vacation have the opportunity to purchase access to the streaming service?
We are currently sourcing production partners to help deliver an excellent live experience to overseas fans, matching and exceeding the quality of that made available via the EFL’s iFollow platform. How many games will be available remains an unknown due to broadcast games being excluded from the agreement.
20. What is the club doing to support fans with autism?
For example, Middlesbrough have set-up a special sensory room so that children with autism can attend matches.
We are working to see if a similar facility to that provided at other stadia (such as Sunderland & Watford) can be created here at Villa Park. Our North Stand Boxes are being explored for this.
Other
21. When can supporters expect the club to reveal the new shirt sponsor?
The two-year deal with Intuit QuickBooks will conclude later this month. A new main partner (one year deal) will be announced on July 1.
22. When will supporters be able to purchase the 2017/18 kit and how will prices compare to last season?
The new Aston Villa/Under Armour shirt will be revealed on July 1 with fans able to view the home and away offering. There will then be a one-month pre-sale period with supporters able to receive, collect and buy both kits at the end of July. The price will remain the same as last year.
23. What’s the update on safe standing?
The Club are preparing a piece of research to understand the attitudes of fans towards rail seating and how this might impact upon their matchday experience.
24. Where is the club at in terms of increasing the provisions for disabled fans?
a. Is it adhering to the deadline of Aug that was set when we were in the Premier League in 2015?
Regrettably, we will not meet the deadline of set in 2015. However, we are currently working with individual wheelchair users to provide access to our North Stand Boxes which will increase our provision by 12 wheelchair spaces for 2017/18.
b. If not, when do we expect to meet the requirements?
There is no specific date at the moment but clearly a return to the Premier League will accelerate our plans.
c. Apart from the North Stand, what other areas of the ground have been identified for increasing disabled seating?
A new development of the North Stand would clearly be an opportunity, but areas such as North Stand Boxes and Doug Ellis Boxes (along with the project in R Block) have been identified so far.
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A new development of the North Stand would clearly be an opportunity, but areas such as North Stand Boxes and Doug Ellis Boxes (along with the project in R Block) have been identified so far.
Does that mean we're getting a new North Stand when/if we get promoted?
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Amfy - Thank you
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I don't think it's as clear cut as that. Maybe more that we're not getting one if we don't!
They do have clear plans for The North Stand rebuild which include future proofing it for safe standing. There is still a clear intent to rebuild.
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Seems very odd that we have to consult the first team captain over the entrance music.
I hope JT has decent taste.
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It's about wanting something that gets the team pumped up. Getting the Captain pumped up helps to get the team pumped up. They don't want to choose something the captain, or the team, hates.
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Thanks, Amfy. As always great job.
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Great stuff, Amfy. Thanks.
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Can they pick the captain based on reasonable music taste please? Last seasons entrance music was shite!
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It's a fair point! There was a fair bit of discussion about which song is actually 'our song' and the actual entrance music is likely to end up being something neutral with HEITS & TFAUSM etc woven around it like last year. There seemed to be a liking for the 'Conor Hourihane' one amongst the club people so I'm expecting something dancey.
It wasn't mentioned at the meeting but I imagine the events in Manchester over the summer have put paid to DLBIA making a re-appearance next season. My personal view is that the city of Manchester and firmly reclaimed it.
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Good work Amfy
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Thanks Amfy, great report, much appreciated
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And our ITK on here was correct. We are back to a gambling sponsor next season (it wasn't confirmed at the SCG I should add).
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People were trying to get it out of them but no joy.
David Michael's asked whether it was a sponsor which could go on a children's shirt and Keith Wyness just said 'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' As it really was like it had turned into a game of 20 questions.
We'll know soon enough.
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People were trying to get it out of them but no joy.
David Michael's asked whether it was a sponsor which could go on a children's shirt and Keith Wyness just said 'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' As it really was like it had turned into a game of 20 questions.
We'll know soon enough.
'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' That comes across as being both immature and smug ..... is that how he operates or am I reading something that isn't there?
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It wasn't mentioned at the meeting but I imagine the events in Manchester over the summer have put paid to DLBIA making a re-appearance next season. My personal view is that the city of Manchester and firmly reclaimed it.
Good - that was also cringeworthily shite!
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People were trying to get it out of them but no joy.
David Michael's asked whether it was a sponsor which could go on a children's shirt and Keith Wyness just said 'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' As it really was like it had turned into a game of 20 questions.
We'll know soon enough.
'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' That comes across as being both immature and smug ..... is that how he operates or am I reading something that isn't there?
Really? It shouldn't. We were all laughing about our increasingly convoluted ways of trying to get the information out of them and it was his way of both joining the joke and shutting it down. It saved him from getting arsey - it was a friendly way of saying 'enough lads - I'm not tellling'. It didn't feel either immature or smug. They have a launch this weekend - he was very keen to not leek anything.
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Really? It shouldn't. We were all laughing about our increasingly convoluted ways of trying to get the information out of them and it was his way of both joining the joke and shutting it down. It saved him from getting arsey - it was a friendly way of saying 'enough lads - I'm not tellling'. It didn't feel either immature or smug. They have a launch this weekend - he was very keen to not leek anything.
Is that a clue at the end? So we're sponsored by a vegetable, or a Welsh gaming company.
Move over Sherlock Holmes!
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People were trying to get it out of them but no joy.
David Michael's asked whether it was a sponsor which could go on a children's shirt and Keith Wyness just said 'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' As it really was like it had turned into a game of 20 questions.
We'll know soon enough.
'Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?' That comes across as being both immature and smug ..... is that how he operates or am I reading something that isn't there?
Really? It shouldn't. We were all laughing about our increasingly convoluted ways of trying to get the information out of them and it was his way of both joining the joke and shutting it down. It saved him from getting arsey - it was a friendly way of saying 'enough lads - I'm not tellling'. It didn't feel either immature or smug. They have a launch this weekend - he was very keen to not leek anything.
Thanks for explaining Amfy - I am at an extremely cynical stage of my life !