July Club & Trust board meetings
July Club meeting moved
As you know, our monthly meeting with the Club was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 10th July. However, in the leadup to the meeting it became clear that some key members of Club staff would no longer be available at that time and we jointly agreed to reschedule so that we could all get maximum benefit from the meeting.
The July meeting will now take place on Wednesday 31st July and we will take forward any questions previously raised, plus any additional topics which may arise over the next few weeks. We will also deal with any time-critical questions outside of the meeting and reply directly to the supporters concerned.
The vast majority of questions being asked by supporters currently relate to digital ticketing, particularly in the light of the announcement that Ticketmaster Sport is taking over from SecuTix as the Club’s ticketing provider. Given this, we asked for and were given a separate meeting to try to understand next steps in the Club’s move towards digital ticketing. This took place on Thursday 11th July when Simon Duke and Ian Clarke met with Katy Brecht (Head of Ticketing) and Jack Burrows (Marketing Director).
For the Club, Katy and Jack explained that a huge amount of work is underway to migrate from SecuTix to Ticketmaster and that the Club will be providing a lot of detail in the coming weeks. They reiterated their desire not to drip-feed information at this stage by answering specific questions, preferring to provide comprehensive explanations and FAQ when they are ready. Simon and Ian emphasised that, with only five weeks until the start of the season, supporters had lots of questions and worries about how digital ticketing will operate, particularly for season ticket holders, and that the announcement of the new partner had only increased those questions.
The most common concerns relate to how the system will work, technical requirements, provisions for sharing season tickets and options for those who are unable to use the system for various reasons. Katy and Jack confirmed that all of these topics will be covered in their extensive communications. We agreed that the Trust will forward a detailed list of questions to be considered for inclusion in the Club’s communications, including the complex scenarios that some of you have asked us about, and that we will reconvene to work through the draft FAQ when they are available.
It is clear that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, but given tight timescales and the major change involved, we are keen for supporters to be given as much time as possible to understand how the new system will work for them and receive any support they may need.
We will keep you up to date as we hear more.
July board meeting summary
The Fulham Supporters’ Trust board met on Tuesday 2nd July to discuss the latest issues raised by members and coordinate its ongoing efforts to represent the Fulham community.
The board discussed the first meeting of the Fan Advisory Board convened by the Club, which includes a Trust representative. We look forward to engaging with the new process while continuing our structured dialogue with the Club through the separate, well-established format.
The FST remains the largest independent group of Fulham fans, and we look forward to representing them and their interests in all formats of engagement with the Club.
The board briefly discussed its concerns about the planned roll-out of digital ticketing at Craven Cottage, noting many questions from members. An in-depth discussion of these issues is expected in a separate Club meeting.
The board also noted healthy renewal rates of Trust membership as we continue to evaluate how to offer the most value to our members, including such groups as younger fans.
Finally, the board also agreed on a new internal social media policy to increase its presence and engagement on social platforms and briefly discussed preparations for the next Annual General Meeting, expected to take place on Thursday 14th November.
We will continue to encourage fans to engage with the Trust so we can take their comments, ideas and suggestions directly to the Club. Our regular newsletter is set to resume when the season starts in August.
