DCWat wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 8:30 pm
You could ask but they couldn’t disclose the answer!!
Apparently they can!
Looks like there isn't an NDA (unless there is one but for specific items only? ) - This is from the Clarets Trust -
The second and latest meeting of the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) took place on Wednesday 19th April, chaired by the Director of Fan Experience Russell Ball and attended by Alan Pace.
The proceedings began with official photographs taken of all FAB members, ahead of official information regarding the FAB being published by the Club in the coming months. It is not an official requirement of clubs outside of the Premier League to have a fan advisory board, with Burnley Football Club getting ahead of the curve in establishing its own FAB ahead of next season. As such, they have been finding their feet over the past few months and Russell will be attending training with the Premier League on supporter representation over the summer. That is all to explain why there has been no communication directly from the Club about the FAB since our first meeting a few months ago. In the meantime, I trust many of you will have seen updates filtering out across social media from various members of the FAB and I will endeavour to continue producing updates after each meeting!
As for what was discussed at the meeting, I was pleased to be given assurances from Chief Operating Officer Matt Williams that the EFL transfer embargo would be lifted in the coming weeks - with the green light coming earlier this week after the Club's accounts had been filed. We also discussed plans for the Burnley FC Women's match that was to be held at Turf Moor and it was amazing to see almost 3,000 supporters in attendance to see the players beat Liverpool Feds last weekend. With the welcome investment of former USA international footballer Kealia Ohai Watt (and her husband/NFL legend, JJ Watt), the Club looks well set to push for promotion again next season. At the first meeting of the FAB, my fellow Board Member Eve Gurman suggested that the Burnley FC Women's social media accounts should be merged with the Burnley FC accounts, in order to bring the Club in line with teams such as Manchester City in offering the biggest platform possible for both teams. Eve's suggestion was given the green light from Alan Pace and the Club was pleased to report that Burnley FC Women's content has started to be pushed onto the Burnley FC feeds, with a full merger to come down the line - a first success story for the FAB!
Furthermore, after discussions at our first meeting surrounding issues of lighting in some areas of Turf Moor after night games, I am pleased to report that LED lighting is being introduced in some of the passages behind the Longside (North Stand), that will hopefully offer safer walkways in the future. Similarly constructive feedback was given by members of the FAB in regards to catering queues at half-time at Turf Moor, and Russell Ball reported in our latest meeting that additional tills will be in place for our return to the Premier League, alongside digital ordering screens and other improvements that should hopefully improve our catering offering. On a similar note, fans can expect to see notable changes in hospitality at the start of next season, especially in the Jimmy McIlroy Stand.
The majority of the meeting was led by Supporter Liason Officer Jack Ormesher and Insights Manager Nathan Kavanagh, who delivered a detailed breakdown of the results from the latest Clarets View survey. What stood out to me was that just under half of all fans who have attended a game at Turf this season have also visited the Fanzone, which is great to hear. As should be expected, the survey has provided the Club with plenty of scope for improvement, with matchday entertainment and kiosk waiting times high on the agenda. Finally, it was fantastic to hear plans for a ticket exchange ahead of the Cardiff City game, an idea that had proved popular at the first FAB meeting.
To cut a long story short - anyone who knows me will testify as to how much I talk (!) - the first couple of FAB meetings have been introductory on the whole, but have been thoroughly enjoyable and productive. It was a pleasure to be selected to represent the Clarets Trust on the FAB and I am loving getting to know my fellow FAB members. Onwards and upwards!
FINAL THOUGHTS
To anyone who has read this far, thank you! I hope you have learned a thing or two and my apologies again for the delay in providing a Fan Advisory Board update. It has been another wonderful season following Burnley and made even sweeter today seeing news of Vincent Kompany's contract extension. It has been fantastic meeting lots of new faces as the season has unfolded and I think we can only look to next season with optimism. On the Trust front, I am looking forward to holding the first set of elections since I became Chairman and starting projects such as the Disabled Supporters Group and potentially a ticket scheme for local schools - watch this space.