Re: stop the forced eviction from the north stand. (good read)
First of all apologies for another e-mail and for its length. I today had a lengthy meeting with Danny Wilson and Vicky Kloss and raised a number of points that you have raised with me. Below is a brief summary of what was discussed and the responses. In addition to this all of the e-mails that have been sent to me raising specific points have been passed on to them. Also apologies for the items below not being in order but I have put the points that you may want to act on at the top of the e-mail i.e. where there may be some flexibility?
I have also not included everything discussed in this due to timescales but will respond to everyone that e-mailed me individually with comments / questions tomorrow I hope.
If any of you want my help in discussing your particular requirements with the club then feel free to contact me and I'll help in any way I can. You all have my e-mail address.
Summary of most Important Points where there may be flexibility
1. Special consideration for those moving who have special requirements due to age / mobility / disability issues?
The club will do its best to cater for these specific requirements and if you are in this position and have not already done so please contact supporter services by e-mail at
supporterservices@mcfc.co.uk as soon as possible with your details and specific requirements. You can also phone them.
2. Special Consideration for Families with Children who don't quite meet the criteria
Although the club will make no guarantees in this area they are potentially willing to show some flexibility i.e. if there is one child under 16 and another over plus two adults then they may be able to accommodate them in the North Stand. Again if you are in this position where maybe there is a group of 4 of you and because of the definition one person would have to relocate i.e. auntie / uncle son/daughter then please contact
supporterservices@mcfc.co.uk
3. Priority for North Stand Refugees for Season Card Renewals
Each year between 2,000 and 6,000 don't renew. Others will relocate to the family stand (not sure how many this will be). Therefore after each stands first renewal window any seats not renewed will be released for sale. The first day of each of these windows will be exclusively for North Stand Level 1 refugees to relocate into those seats. Please check the renewal packs / webs for these dates. If you have already relocated but want to pick a better seat if one becomes available then you can and the ticket office / supporter services are aware of this
Other points Raised and Answers Given
Short Timescales
The idea of making the North Stand family only i.e. City's definition of family, has been in the development for about 18 months. However, the final decision was only taken at a Board Meeting on April 10th which is why they say the timescale for communication was so short. They do accept that the communication could have been better and with hindsight a letter direct to all North Stand Season ticket holders as soon as the decision was taken would have been a better way to do it in advance of the packs going out and the release on the web site. I made a number of points which I thought would have resulted in less trauma for those concerned and the ill-feeling created as a result.
Decision Making Process
The line I got was that it was a collective decision based on the research. They wouldn't identify the team of individuals responsible when I pushed or release the research. They were very general answers to specific questions. I asked if long term season ticket holders were given any consideration and they said "lots". However they decided to make these changes because this is the long term plan and the decision to do it now would affect the smallest number of people possible.
Justification for a whole Family Stand
They are not just saying its the survey but that it is the result of a whole load of research from focus groups etc over a period of time, which I get the impression that a lot of which has been paid for rather than undertaken by the club themselves. They won't let us look at the research or release it but did offer to let an independent qualified marketeer look through it and verify that stats quoted.
Although previously its been said that the justification is the people every year wanting family stand tickets but can't be accommodated it seems to be more about wanting to create a specific fan area for under 16s and then creating the demand. A part of this seems to be being able to say we are the first club to have a whole family stand dedicated at one end of the ground i.e. good PR!
In terms of night matches and some weekend and cup games there will be the facility for child tickets to be upgraded to adults on occasion as happens in the current family stand.
Numbers
There are over 2000 season ticket holders in the North Stand who will have to relocate - wouldn't give an exact number
Waiting list of 2000 for season tickets in total, currently 30,000 season ticket holders with capacity for 36,000 so all can be accommodated.
6,000 under 16 year old season ticket holders all over stadium - wouldn't give me a break down by stand.
They couldn't / wouldn't give me an idea of the number of families with under 16s wanting to move into a family stand.
They had no idea how many families with under 16s would move into the North Stand and how many would pay higher prices
Why Implement Now?
Something we completely disagreed on. Their line is that we would have less choice of seats next season. My point was you could move more people with less disruption over a year with a plan taking account of special requirements and groups that wanted / needed to sit together etc.
Priority by Loyalty Points / Length of Holding a Season Ticket
This was considered in the process but they said was too difficult to take account of and administer in the timescales.
There is more that we discussed and while they listened to all my points and took on board the feedback about how its been implemented and the effects it has caused and bad feeling they still feel their overall aim is right.
My impression is that they expected opposition but were willing to take it for their long term plan. As they say between 2000 and 6000 fans don't renew every year so worst case was that the 2000+ of us affected don't renew would be offset by the 2000 on the waiting list. Basically they see upsetting a few long term season ticket holders is not as important as their future plans.
At the end of the day they know the more successful we get the easier it is to fill the ground, however, I don't think its all about money. I do genuinely feel they believe what they are doing is right for the club long term. I don't because I still feel over the next year a much better plan could have been formulated which would have negated the sense of injustice many of us feel.
One thing that they are now aware of is the upset they have caused to many loyal fans. However they are saying they have received only 70-80 e-mail complaints and 20 letters. They couldn't give me a number on [phone calls received. They have promised to respond to every complaint / issue individually though which is more than some clubs do - a point they were quick to make
I am open to any ideas of what to do next!
Please do not tell me know one cares, people are trying to help other blues, and he is doing a fantastic job.
