BANTAMS SUPPORTERS TRUST

The role of supporters in our game is growing ever larger, and it is important that as many fans as possible get involved in fan-related activity both at a local and a national level. From ticket pricing to VAR, governance to broadcasting and fixture scheduling, there are issues in our game that need supporter input. It’s vital. If you have a keen interest in these areas, this is the perfect event to attend. The Trust are affiliate members of the Football Supporters’ Association, and therefore we would like to extend our invite to their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Manchester on Saturday June 14th. The FSA will be welcoming Martyn Henderson, the interim chief operating officer for the incoming independent football regulator (IREF), to discuss his work in building the organisation before the Football Governance Bill achieves royal assent later this year. The FSA will have representatives of PGMOL (Referee officials body) in attendance, as well as an opportunity to have a go at the VAR systems currently in place in the Premier League. As well as that, there will be workshops for members throughout the day on the following topics: Ticketing Supporter engagement Broadcasting/3pm blackout Fans for Diversity Women’s Voice in the Men’s Game Young supporters Governance and Finance in the Women’s game Football and the climate crisis The AGM will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University on Saturday 14 th June, starting at 10:00 am, finishing up at 5:00pm. You can register for the AGM here . More information can be found here .

It is rapidly coming to that time of year when we will all be coming together give our respects to those who tragically lost their lived in the Valley Parade fire, and this year will mark the 40 th anniversary. As such, as in any anniversary, the effort to mark the occasion will be much greater. Therefore, we would like to make that extra effort to encourage more volunteers. Last year up to 30 volunteers plus, including the help of you, our members, together with the efforts of the disabled supporters community, the collection raised £4,176.71 before the last match of the season against Newport County. It was almost double on what we raised the year before (£2,455.11) with just a handful of volunteers. This year, our last home match of the season, versus Fleetwood Town is on the 3 rd of May. At this point in time, the team is vying for an automatic spot, but there is a real possibility that automatic promotion will be determined by the end of the Fleetwood game so we are expecting a greater attendance, for this match. It is imperative therefore we will need a bigger visual presence, which will require more volunteers to help with the bucket collection before the match starts. If the game hasn’t been moved to an earlier K.O. we normally expect volunteers to arrive from 1pm outside the WD Gate entrance - the large gates opposite the club shop. Our names will be ticked off before we all receive buckets and then stand outside the various entrance points around the ground. We all need to meet back at that entrance around 2.45 to hand buckets in so you can all get back to your seats before Kick off. If you would like to be involved in the bucket collection please contact us at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk . If you don’t have a ticket for Fleetwood match you may get a free one if you are prepared to volunteer. We do need you to let us know in advance so that we can let the Club know.

In attendance from the Club were, Ryan Sparks (RS) – Club CEO and Brett Cullen (BC) Head of Marketing Representing the Trust was, Manny Dominguez (MD) – Chair Bantams Supporters Trust met with the Club on Monday 10 th March. This meeting discussed the season proposed ticket offer and matchday prices only. Rising Season Tickets and Matchday tickets The Club’s explanation was that they want to keep the football accessible and affordable to ordinary fans, but they need to ensure the viability of the business. They said that they had to raise the prices, because of rising costs of between £350,000 to £400,000 while working to protect the players’ budget. Examples of rising costs were given as; increases in utility prices, rates, policing, stewarding, the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions from the employer. Examples of the offer for the Early Bird prices were shown: Adult £299 – A rise of £50 on last years’, and to the value of £13 per game and £24.92 per month on Direct Debit for 12months. Over 64’s and Under 24’s £263 – A rise of £44 on last years’, and to the value of £11.63 per game and £21.92 per month on Direct Debit for 12months. Prices are frozen for Youth and Juniors to encourage families. Match day tickets were are also intending to go up from £20 to £24 in advance and from £25 to £28 on the day. The Trust’s position We understand that money is tight amongst many of our supporters due to the continued cost of living crisis, and therefore it has always been our position that the Club should keep season ticket prices as low and affordable as possible. Freezing prices for all after an increase last year was our ideal scenario. The Club’s position The Club understood how hard it is for many people and they reiterated that being affordable for the supporters was always going to be part of Bradford City’s identity. They also showed a table of where we are in terms of offering the best value in both League Two and indeed League One. In those league tables, those at the top represented the clubs with the most expensive ticket prices, so it showed our Club as one of the lowest in both leagues, which show us as being amongst the most affordable. They said they were fighting a trend of rising costs of season tickets at other clubs. At the time of this discussion, not all Clubs had revealed their prices for next season. The Trust asked about perhaps re-introducing an updated, modern day version of the flexi-card. This will not be re-introduced, as the direct debit scheme in effect, replaces it. The Trust asked about an ‘Unwaged’ category price, but it was felt that the Community Foundation does a lot of work drawing in supporters from deprived areas with community tickets. The Trust commended the Club on introducing the £5 offer for the Colchester game they had recently, and suggested that they do more of them. At that point they were undecided about a future offer like that given the desire to protect the overall value of season tickets. It was asked about trends regarding age groups that bought season tickets for this current season, and they gave us a rough breakdown: Adults 24 – 64: 6,500 Seniors: 2,000 Young adults: 1,000 Youth: 1,600 Junior: 2,000 Consultation The Trust asked about a consultation period, and the Club’s response was that the intention was to put out publicity about the offer in April so it was suggested we could ask our members what they would be prepared to pay. More generally, from a Trust point of view, it was explained that consultation should really be at a formative stage, where a proposal or offer can be at a stage of intention by the proposer but there should be adequate time to digest, and respond – a consultation period, where a membership based organisation like ours, can gauge how their members feel about something and respond based on what that view is. The view of the Club is that they are always pressed by time constrains during the course of a football season and that they do the best that they can to engage with supporters groups. The Trust was grateful it was invited to discuss the season ticket offer. We always value and appreciate the Club’s time and effort to engage with us.