Club

Supporter Advisory Board: Annual update

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The independent chair of the Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board, Jane Dowson, has provided the below update:

As the independent chair of the Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board, I am grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity, in the opening stages of the new season to give you an update on the SAB’s achievements and challenges over the past 12 months.

The SAB membership comes from the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, Leeds United Supporters Club, Marching Out Together, the Disability Supporter Board and LUSCOS, as well as individual members covering a wide range of supporters and their interest groups. I would like to thank them all for their support and diligence. They give you, the supporters, a voice at the top levels of the club. Working with the club they express your concerns and highlight your hopes, challenging when needed and celebrating when earned. They give their time for the love of the club with no remuneration which is admirable.

I know all the SAB members would to say a special thank you to Jordan Owens (head of football communications) and the Leeds United team for their support, ensuring our monthly meetings go smoothly. We would also like to say a big thank you to Angus Kinnear (chief executive) who has tried to get to every meeting, which we appreciate is not always easy, as the demands on his time are great. We have also had presentations from Morrie Eisenberg (chief operating officer), Mark Broadley (head of IT & facilities), Katie Holmes (head of ticketing & matchday operations), Aaron Duckmanton (former head of digital, marketing & retail), Luke Irwin (Leeds United Foundation), Laura Strong (head of matchday safety and security), Mark Pitts (Supporter Liaison Officer) and Dominique Grant (PR manager).

We also held a one-off meeting to discuss the club’s future direction with chairman Paraag Marathe. The meeting covered may issues we all wanted answers to, especially the progress on ground redevelopment and how supporters could be involved in its design as well as discussing investment, and links to the 49ers.

Some of the items covered at our meetings were:

  • Working with Leeds United, supporters are now able to access defibrillators 24/7 on the external areas of the ground. Three defibrillators have been fitted and have been registered with the ambulance service.

  • Pushed for the introduction of a sustainability policy at the club. Leeds United have a great ethos already recycling water at Thorp Arch Training Ground, using compostable paper cups and recyclable glass, making sure energy comes from sustainable sources and so much more, but had never published the sustainability policy. Electric charging points will be introduced in the future and the club are planning to work with the SAB and supporters to develop a sustainable travel policy, including ways to promote and improve and park & ride operation.

  • We had frank exchanges with Aaron Duckmanton about the club’s digital offer and he outlined plans to update the website, app and LUTV. Looking ahead, plans are for accounts to be more streamlined, so they all work together under one log-in so making the supporter experience much better.

  • Katie Holmes has been to our meeting several times to discuss ticketing and pricing including ways of making the club’s memberships easier to navigate. She is aware of supporters concerns about the length of the waiting list for season tickets.

  • We discussed the club shop and match day issues with queuing, leading to a promise to see how the situation can be improved, which we will follow up in the coming months.

  • We were and are concerned about the service traveling supporters get from the club. Mark Pitts the new supporter liaison officer will attend home and away matches making his whereabouts known using what3words and being highly visible in a new brightly coloured jacket, so supporters will always have a point of contact.

  • The confiscation of coins at an away match was chased up for the SAB and resulted in the confiscated money being donated to the Leeds United Foundation.

  • The bathroom facilities were discussed, and the provision of new hand driers and improved provision of hygiene products is a result of SAB concerns.

  • The planned replacement of the supporter paving stones at Centenary Square has come directly from supporter comments through the SAB. Complicated by the original company going out of business, the club has acted promptly and has worked out a way to resolve this issue.

  • Luke Irwin from the Leeds United Foundation was introduced to the SAB to discuss the Premier League Fans Fund project the club and charity are currently working on. The proposal is around making the ground as welcoming as possible, limiting abuse and discrimination, whilst also considering education for supporters around appropriate behaviours.

  • Issues impacting disabled supporters were brought forward, with solutions often found.

  • Having highlighted the issue for disabled drivers, the club have worked with LCC to provide much better and safer parking.

  • For one of our meetings, we went to Thorp Arch Training Ground. We had an introduction to the facilities from Adam Underwood, head of football operations and an outline on how the club supports apprentices and players.

  • Supporter concerns about fan tokens an issue around them were discussed.

  • Following different incidents over the season, we have been assured at several meetings about the training of stewards.

  • The club’s calendar of match events has been discussed including moving dates and time for TV coverage and the excellent support for the very popular Rainbow Laces and Armed Forces matches.

  • The continued engagement between the club and community, including the successful Iftar again held at Elland Road earlier this year.

  • Pre-season tours given complications this year and what can be done in the future.

  • Implementation of a sensory lounge in the South Stand for supporters requiring a quiet space during match days.

  • Club merchandise and the cost and quality of replica kit, especially for junior supporters, was discussed.

This is just a snapshot of the conversations had at meetings, many more subjects were covered. Our key focus to give a voice to the issues and concerns you have as supporters.

Life as a member of the Leeds United supporter family is fantastic, full of highs and lows but we are all, and always will be, Marching on Together. The club will shortly be going out to refresh the SAB membership so please watch out for the invitation to apply.

With best wishes,

Jane Dowson

SAB Chair

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