Inaugural meeting of the AFC Supporter Forum

The inaugural meeting of the AFC Supporter Forum took place at Pittodrie last week with representatives from the club meeting with a number of supporters to discuss off the field issues.

Back in June the club asked supporters to apply to be part of the forum which will meet several times throughout the season and be chaired by Aberdeen FC SLO, Lynn Fiske.

Over 200 supporters applied to be part of the forum and ultimately nine were selected to sit alongside representatives from Red Army Displays and Dons Supporters Together who were given a place at the table in recognition of the work that has been done in the past few years to engage with their fellow supporters.

The nine additional supporters have been selected in an effort to aim for a wide range of representation and the initial forum members include season ticket holders, non-season ticket holders, AberDNA members, Supporters Club representatives and unofficial supporters group representatives.

The group have also enjoyed different experiences during their time supporting The Dons and it is hoped that the members are able to offer different perspectives and generate positive outcomes for the wider support.

The meeting was also attended by Rob Wicks – Commercial Director, Jamie Howell – Acting Ticket Office Manager and Scott Gormal – Marketing Manager.

After the close of the first meeting Lynn Fiske, AFC SLO commented, “There was huge interest and I would like to thank everyone who applied to be part of this initiative.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t select everyone, but I would encourage those who haven’t been selected to use their voice ahead of each meeting and get in touch.

“It is great to finally get the Supporter Forum up and running. This is the type of communication that the club has been missing for a while and it’s important that this type of format exists to get key issues discussed and addressed in a constructive way.

“There was a lot of positivity and some good ideas generated at the first meeting, mainly around the matchday experience and it has given the club plenty to work on ahead of the next meeting.”

Ahead of the inaugural meeting all attendees were asked to submit topics for discussion with the main focus of the night being Loyalty Points. A presentation was delivered by Jamie Howell & Scott Gormal on the Loyalty Points process, inclusion in AberDNA and some analysis of the supporters who are attending away matches.

Concerns over the procedure for Supporters Clubs being allocated away tickets were raised and a new solution is now in place for future matches:

– Supporters Club area to be highlighted on the ticketing site for each away match to allow likeminded supporters to sit together
– Supporters Clubs to be allocated tickets based on their average order for high demand matches

Following on from the Michael Devlin appeal process and result a number of supporters expressed their concerns and asked for clarification on the club’s position. Rob Wicks reiterated the club’s disappointment and indicated that a further statement would be issued. Rob also shared that a new Communications Strategy is in the early stages of being implemented and that supporters would see the club taking a stronger approach.

Several supporters asked if any plans are in place to improve the experience at Pittodrie, particularly around what can be done to improve the atmosphere on a matchday. Scott Gormal provided an update and confirmed that plans are being progressed to bring some more colour to the stadium through work being done with Red Army Displays.Longer term the club are looking at options to utilise areas around the stadium on matchday to provide activities and entertainment for supporters. After input and some fresh ideas being generated by several Forum members it was agreed that the topic would be discussed in full at the next meeting.

The AFC Supporter Forum will meet every two months to discuss key issues with the ultimate aim of taking the club forward. If you have a point that you would like to be answered or have a topic to raise for a future meeting then please contact slo@afc.co.uk

Detailed notes from the first meeting can be accessed here