BURTON Albion fans are proud of their club and passionate about supporting the Brewers.
That’s the verdict of the 2021 supporters’ survey, the results of which were revealed at a fan forum last night.
The forum was attended by more than 30 fans in person and over 40 virtually on Zoom.
It started with a question and answer session with club skipper John Brayford, before the survey results were analysed.
Nearly 500 fans completed the survey and following the club’s pandemic response and the Pirelli Stadium’s use as a Vaccination Centre, which were praised by fans, they are prouder than ever to be a Brewers supporter.
The way the club supports the community, and how welcoming and accessible Burton Albion is, was also highlighted.
The survey shows an overwhelmingly positive feeling about the club from the fans.
Head of Community Matt Hancock presented the results and said that all clubs would be pleased with such good feedback.
However, there were issues that concerned the supporters, and these were also highlighted by the survey.
The biggest disappointment for the fans were the refreshment kiosks and bars, especially queueing times.
Matt said: “We should all be very proud of what this club does in the community and how we are viewed by the fans. We are also seen as friendly and welcoming.
“Our development areas in terms of scores are still higher than many other clubs.
“We know there is an issue with the kiosks. Finding staff is a problem and we did another recruitment drive, but we aren’t going to hide behind that. We are committed to looking at the service and bringing in external providers who might offer other food options. We accept it’s an issue and we are going to tackle it.”
Another issue was concern over the club’s ageing fanbase, highlighted by the survey, and the need to recruit more young fans.
Matt said: “We had 100 families at the Family Zone on Saturday, which is a real opportunity to drive the need to engage young supporters. It will now be there every matchday, and we will get players over there at certain games. Where we can, we will do ticket initiatives, and work with schools. There is a problem with seating and availability of seats and there is no immediate plan to look at more seats, but there is a commitment to look at a family seated area.
“And we are fully committed to getting more young people into the ground. It’s a real long- term ambition and we have challenges as we have some big clubs around us.”
There were complaints over the size and type in the programme, which is being addressed.
There were also concerns about the PA system at the ground but with fans having different experiences with some thinking it too loud while others thinking it was not loud enough, the aim is to monitor it and try and pinpoint problem areas.
In response to the survey, we will be changing the matchday music and getting the players and supporters more involved.
Car park pass holders complained about finding people in their spaces on matchdays and the club is working on consistency of car park stewards and better direction to the right spaces.
Green issues – the EFL has launched a Green Code and we are one of the clubs who attended an initial meeting, and we want to make sure we are seen as a club that are thinking about the environment. Energy, food and waste are three things we are looking at and exploring electric car charging points.
Free sanitary products in ladies toilets – they were taken away due to Covid but there is a commitment to return the service.
Social media – we will communicate with fans more directly not just on social media and will be more visible promoting the games and Burton Albion to a wider public.
Matt concluded: “We are committed to listening to fans constructively and acting on it. We have perhaps been guilty of listening and not doing things in the past, but we are now making commitments and you can judge us on these things.”
Survey result scores
483 completed responses
2019 scores in brackets (no survey in 2020 due to Covid)
I’m a proud BAFC supporter
9.2 score (9.0 in 2019)
Is Junior Brewers Value for money?
7.2 (5.8))
The club takes the fans opinions into consideration
7.3 (6)
The club recognises and values its supporters
8.3 (7.2)
Toilet facilities are clean and hygienic
7.7 (6.9)
Good range of refreshments
7.2 (7.2)
Refreshments are good value
7.1 (6.8)
Queueing time for refreshments is reasonable
4.9 (5.2)
BAFC staff are friendly
8.5 (8.5)
Matchday experience is good
8.3 (8.1)
Facilities for families. Would you like to see:
Seated family area – 39 per cent
Family ticket offers – 49 per cent
Goody bag for children 16 per cent
Meet the players at games – 53 per cent
Family Zone activities in the main stand – 23 per cent
Children’s food boxes – 14 per cent
Matchday tickets can be easily purchased
8.5 (7.9)
Matchday tickets offer good value for money
8.4 (7.6)
Season tickets offer good value for money
8.4 (7.2)
There is a good selection of merchandise
7.5 (6.9)
The quality of merchandise is good
7.8 (7.2)
Does the merchandise offer value for money?
7.5 (6.8)
Social media is informative and engaging
7.8 (7.6)
The website is informative and engaging
7.8 (7.7)
IFollow is informative and engaging
7.5 (6.2)
Matchday programme is of good quality
7.3 (7.2)
The club interacts positively with the community
9.2 (8.8)
The stadium is easily accessible
9.2 (9)
Stewards are helpful
8.5 (7.8)
I feel safe when entering the stadium
9.2 (9)
Hospitality is good value for money
7 (5.8)
Quality of hospitality food
7.5 (6.5)