THE first Fan Forum of the season gave supporters the chance to pose questions to Chairman Ben Robinson at a free event at the Pirelli Stadium.
The evening began with a presentation on the annual Fan Survey results which were presented by Head of Community Will Evans.
The survey again showed how proud the club’s supporters are of Burton Albion and there was also praise for the family-friendly nature of the Pirelli Stadium and the club’s commitment to the community.
The survey highlighted some areas of concern for fans which were discussed in detail at the forum.
This includes queues at the refreshment kiosks on match days, cleanliness of toilets and the supply of the supporters’ shirts for the new season.
The forum was told that there are staffing issues around the tea bars which is an ongoing problem but there will now be a further review of procedures; a replacement is being found for Don Burger who are no longer a matchday option as an outside caterer and the club is looking at introducing pizzas as a food alternative.
An outside contractor cleans the toilets, but a new club staff appointment will provide extra checks on toilets before match days going forward.
The Chairman responded to fans' calls for a say in the design of the shirt for the 2024/25 season by giving a commitment for Season Ticket Holders to be able to vote on a choice of three options and for the club bringing forward the timeline so that the shirt is on sale earlier in the summer.
The Chairman also addressed concerns over Derby County fans being in the home areas at this season’s fixture by saying that the club would have to look at a booking history to try and prevent further problems in the future.
He said: “I want to thank fans for attending the forum and there was a good discussion and a lot of very positive suggestions.
“We take on board all feedback and it was great to see that there was a lot of good things that supporters had to say about what the club is doing as well as areas of concern which we are able to debate and to look at solutions going forward.”
The forum also asked the club to try and secure more coverage for Burton Albion on BBC Radio Derby.
There was also discussion about the Family Zone and its future development and about equality, diversity and inclusion.
Will Evans said: “Forums like this and the fan survey enable us to build a picture of our fanbase and to understand what we are doing well and where we need to improve.
“The Family Zone is still in its infancy but we will be looking to make more positive changes in the future. We are also in the process of launching an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion supporter group which we will start with an informal meeting soon.”
Full survey results (last year’s scores in brackets)
I’m a proud BAFC supporter
9.2 (9.2)
Burton Albion is a family friendly club
8.8 (8.8)
Is Junior Brewers Value for money?
6.7 (7.4)
Family Zone rating
6.6 (6.2)
The club takes the fans opinions into consideration.
6.9 (7.3)
The club recognises and values its supporters
7.8 (8.1)
The toilet facilities are clean and hygienic
6.4 (7.4)
There are a good range of refreshments
6.3 (6.4)
Refreshments are good value
6.3 (6.4)
Queueing time for refreshments is reasonable
4.8 (4.7)
BAFC staff are friendly
8.1 (8.5)
The matchday experience is good
8.0 (8.2)
Matchday tickets can be easily purchased
8.6 (8.8)
Matchday tickets offer good value for money
8.2 (8.2)
Season Tickets are good value for money
8.4 (8.4)
There is a good selection of merchandise
7.2 (7.4)
Is the quality of merchandise good?
7.6 (7.9)
Does the merchandise offer value for money?
7.1 (7.4)
Social media is informative and engaging
7.8 (7.8)
The website is informative and engaging
7.5 (7.7)
IFollow is informative and engaging
7.3 (7.4)
Matchday programme is of good quality
7.4 (7.6)
The club interacts positively with the community
8.9 (9.2)
The stadium is easily accessible
9.0 (9.1)
Stewards are helpful
7.8 (8.3)
I feel safe when entering the stadium
8.8 (9.2)
Fan Engagement is good
7.3 (7.8)
Hospitality is good value for money
7.1 (6.7)
Quality of hospitality food is good
7.5 (7.6)