[Albion] Fan advisory board

[Pondicherry]

What would you like to see us do to gain the trust of the fans?

There will always be a certain amount of cynicism around any advisory board / forum unless it can be seen to be changing things. So I would identify one single issue raised by fans (doesn't matter what it is) and get it resolved so we can all see the FAB can make a real change. That is the starting point. Note that surveys, reviews, gaining club trust and monitoring e-mail addresses do not count. And I am not convinced that a De Zerbi flag was a burning fan issue.

 

[Barry Izbak]

There will always be a certain amount of cynicism around any advisory board / forum unless it can be seen to be changing things. So I would identify one single issue raised by fans (doesn't matter what it is) and get it resolved so we can all see the FAB can make a real change. That is the starting point. Note that surveys, reviews, gaining club trust and monitoring e-mail addresses do not count. And I am not convinced that a De Zerbi flag was a burning fan issue.

OK. Like what?

 

[dazzer6666]

Update from the Fan Advisory Board: No one likes us, we really care

Clive Stead from the Brighton Fan Advisory Board provides an update on what the group have achieved in their first year working with the club

www.wearebrighton.com

 

[Pondicherry]

OK. Like what?

I haven't seen the list of issues that have been raised with you. If you are happy to post the list then do so and I and others could comment. From my own personal perspective I would like some changes to the exit strategy for Palace and Brighton fans after the upcoming game. Last year was dangerous and it appears we are going to repeat the same process. However I would caveat this as a suggestion because I don't know if this is a Police or club decision. The FAB can only change certain things and this may not be one it can change. Pick something small and achievable. If there is nothing like that then what is the point of the FAB?

 

[timbha]

This is 100% the case of course.
I should have explained the reason we had to gain the club's trust.
We had a very unfortunate first month back last summer when two of our number left the FAB due to breach of the confidentiality agreement we had all signed.
Following that we very much got the impression that the club almost regretted the whole thing.
We've worked bloody hard to recover this situation.
What would you like to see us do to gain the trust of the fans?

I take a lot of comfort from this and applaud both FAB and the club for not letting the poor behaviour of a couple of people ruin their efforts at the first attempt.
Little gets my goat more than people in trusted positions breaching that trust by blabbering what they know to their mates or worse still on social media.
One step back and two steps forward I hope. Good luck and thank you, FAB and the club, for moving this in the right direction.
Whilst some might criticise or ridicule kind gestures such as funding the flag, I see it as an olive branch to get things moving.

 

[Barry Izbak]

I haven't seen the list of issues that have been raised with you. If you are happy to post the list then do so and I and others could comment. From my own personal perspective I would like some changes to the exit strategy for Palace and Brighton fans after the upcoming game. Last year was dangerous and it appears we are going to repeat the same process. However I would caveat this as a suggestion because I don't know if this is a Police or club decision. The FAB can only change certain things and this may not be one it can change. Pick something small and achievable. If there is nothing like that then what is the point of the FAB?

Here's just four things that we got changed in our first four months at request of fans

• Bag drop - moved from the coach park so its easier to find and stops people walking up the steps when most are coming down.
• Automatic Lights in the disabled loos - staying on longer and helping people who use these facilities.
• New Safe Standing Survey - first since 2016 which the club didn't see as necessary until we lobbied them. (results are due out later this month)
• Disabled trained stewards to wear different coloured hi-viz bibs - to help disabled fans identify specially trained help.

None of these things affect me, or maybe you, but they are things that were raised and changes that the FAB has made happen.

Regarding the exit policy for the Palace game, it is something that is decided by the joint safety committee. FAB are not members. It's the Albion Safety team, Sussex Police and The Met.

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

 

[Seaview Seagull]

Here's just four things that we got changed in our first four months at request of fans

• Bag drop - moved from the coach park so its easier to find and stops people walking up the steps when most are coming down.
• Automatic Lights in the disabled loos - staying on longer and helping people who use these facilities.
• New Safe Standing Survey - first since 2016 which the club didn't see as necessary until we lobbied them. (results are due out later this month)
• Disabled trained stewards to wear different coloured hi-viz bibs - to help disabled fans identify specially trained help.

None of these things affect me, or maybe you, but they are things that were raised and changes that the FAB has made happen.

Regarding the exit policy for the Palace game, it is something that is decided by the joint safety committee. FAB are not members. It's the Albion Safety team, Sussex Police and The Met.

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

Hi Barry if you look at the Security for Palace thread you will see what others have said about the problems with the exiting the Palace game. I don't mind inconvenience but the collision of fans going in opposite directions was dangerous and we know the club apologised for it afterwards.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Regarding the exit policy for the Palace game, it is something that is decided by the joint safety committee. FAB are not members. It's the Albion Safety team, Sussex Police and The Met.

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

First of all, thanks for the updates. With regards to the Palace game, waiting until afterwards is risking similar issues to last time. I am in the WSU and last year, I did as I was told and walked the long way round to get back to the coach park. Once I got to the area near they players car park, everything stopped as there were people walking down from the East Stand to the station coming up against everyone heading for the bus and coach parks.

I'm over 6' tall and not a slim bloke but I could feel the crush and could see others getting concerned. In front of me were two ladies I recognised from my coach so I used by bulk to create a space for them to be able to breathe and then to force my way through the oncoming crowd. I haven't felt as at risk at a football ground since some of the old days of bad policing and terracing (Selhurst, Fratton Park).

I can see the same thing happening under the current advice. It would be good if the FAB could feed these concerns back to the club and to get them to share the option flagged up by others whereby those coming out of the West heading for the bus and coach park should use the slope and get up onto Village Way.

 

[SI 4 BHA]

Here's just four things that we got changed in our first four months at request of fans

• Bag drop - moved from the coach park so its easier to find and stops people walking up the steps when most are coming down.
• Automatic Lights in the disabled loos - staying on longer and helping people who use these facilities.
• New Safe Standing Survey - first since 2016 which the club didn't see as necessary until we lobbied them. (results are due out later this month)
• Disabled trained stewards to wear different coloured hi-viz bibs - to help disabled fans identify specially trained help.

None of these things affect me, or maybe you, but they are things that were raised and changes that the FAB has made happen.

Regarding the exit policy for the Palace game, it is something that is decided by the joint safety committee. FAB are not members. It's the Albion Safety team, Sussex Police and The Met.

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

Hi Barry, you mention a "bag drop", I never knew this existed, where is it now please? Can anyone use it? Is there a cost? Can't find anything about this on the club website.
Thanks

 

[Southwick_Seagull]

Hi Barry, you mention a "bag drop", I never knew this existed, where is it now please? Can anyone use it? Is there a cost? Can't find anything about this on the club website.
Thanks

It’s a kiosk type thing at the bottom of the steps by the coach park/away end. Costs £5 with the proceeds going towards Albion In The Community I believe.

 

[Barry Izbak]

First of all, thanks for the updates. With regards to the Palace game, waiting until afterwards is risking similar issues to last time. I am in the WSU and last year, I did as I was told and walked the long way round to get back to the coach park. Once I got to the area near they players car park, everything stopped as there were people walking down from the East Stand to the station coming up against everyone heading for the bus and coach parks.

I'm over 6' tall and not a slim bloke but I could feel the crush and could see others getting concerned. In front of me were two ladies I recognised from my coach so I used by bulk to create a space for them to be able to breathe and then to force my way through the oncoming crowd. I haven't felt as at risk at a football ground since some of the old days of bad policing and terracing (Selhurst, Fratton Park).

I can see the same thing happening under the current advice. It would be good if the FAB could feed these concerns back to the club and to get them to share the option flagged up by others whereby those coming out of the West heading for the bus and coach park should use the slope and get up onto Village Way.

I have raised this with members of the Safety Team this afternoon. Thank you for setting out the issue so clearly.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Hi Barry, you mention a "bag drop", I never knew this existed, where is it now please? Can anyone use it? Is there a cost? Can't find anything about this on the club website.
Thanks

There is something they don't advertise deliberately because they don't want bags being brought to the stadium. You will have seen this in the pre match brief every match.
If they advertised it, it would become over subscribed and they worry people would start using it every week.
It is there for the people who don't read the brief - primarily away fans in my experience.

 

[Pondicherry]

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

There were threads on this after the game last year and there is another thread this year. I e-mailed Barber about it last year as did others (Barber denied there was an issue). The club know about it and the FAB should be aware of it. To summarise as per others on this thread, there was a crush outside the East stand as two sets of home fans going opposite ways met. Stewarding was minimal and failed. Police were not in evidence. I suspect this ship has failed but I think this is exactly the sort of fan issue that FAB should address. I know NSC is not the font of all knowledge but I suspect it is the largest single expression of BHA fan opinion whether people like it or not. I guess Bozza could confirm the contributor/viewer numbers/ demographics.

 

[Goldstone1976]

There were threads on this after the game last year and there is another thread this year. I e-mailed Barber about it last year as did others (Barber denied there was an issue). The club know about it and the FAB should be aware of it. To summarise as per others on this thread, there was a crush outside the East stand as two sets of home fans going opposite ways met. Stewarding was minimal and failed. Police were not in evidence. I suspect this ship has failed but I think this is exactly the sort of fan issue that FAB should address. I know NSC is not the font of all knowledge but I suspect it is the largest single expression of BHA fan opinion whether people like it or not. I guess Bozza could confirm the contributor/viewer numbers/ demographics.

I can have a stab at the demographics:

White, middle aged or older males: 98%
Everyone else: 2%

 

[Pondicherry]

I can have a stab at the demographics:

White, middle aged or older males: 98%
Everyone else: 2%

NSC, the last refuge of this endangered demographic!!

 

[Barry Izbak]

First of all, thanks for the updates. With regards to the Palace game, waiting until afterwards is risking similar issues to last time. I am in the WSU and last year, I did as I was told and walked the long way round to get back to the coach park. Once I got to the area near they players car park, everything stopped as there were people walking down from the East Stand to the station coming up against everyone heading for the bus and coach parks.

I'm over 6' tall and not a slim bloke but I could feel the crush and could see others getting concerned. In front of me were two ladies I recognised from my coach so I used by bulk to create a space for them to be able to breathe and then to force my way through the oncoming crowd. I haven't felt as at risk at a football ground since some of the old days of bad policing and terracing (Selhurst, Fratton Park).

I can see the same thing happening under the current advice. It would be good if the FAB could feed these concerns back to the club and to get them to share the option flagged up by others whereby those coming out of the West heading for the bus and coach park should use the slope and get up onto Village Way.

Hi, I took this up with the Safety Team last week and have had the following response:

The system we implemented last season was the same that we have put in place previously, with no issue. Following the problem near the north east corner last year, we understand why that error occurred and have made steps to ensure it wont happen again. Supporters can also use the slope and access the coach park from Village Way if they wish.

I'm encouraged that they appear to have recognised errors last year and hopefully these new measures they are implementing will make it easier for everyone tomorrow night. I'll be in the bar celebrating the win so hope not to hear of any issues Thursday morning.

 

[dazzer6666]

I can have a stab at the demographics:

White, middle aged or older males: 98%
Everyone else: 2%

It’s our safe space

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Hi, I took this up with the Safety Team last week and have had the following response:

The system we implemented last season was the same that we have put in place previously, with no issue. Following the problem near the north east corner last year, we understand why that error occurred and have made steps to ensure it wont happen again. Supporters can also use the slope and access the coach park from Village Way if they wish.

I'm encouraged that they appear to have recognised errors last year and hopefully these new measures they are implementing will make it easier for everyone tomorrow night. I'll be in the bar celebrating the win so hope not to hear of any issues Thursday morning.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess they didn't provide any information about 'why that error occurred' and the steps taken that you can share with us.

Hopefully it will all be fine tomorrow but I'll be using the slope rather than risk the other route.

 

[Giraffe]

I have heard others say this policy is inconvenient, because they have to walk "the long way round" but no-one has mentioned to me that its dangerous. If you can give us some examples of how its dangerous, and perhaps detail your experiences after Wednesday, send them to FanAdvisoryBoard@brightonandhovealbion.com and I will personally take them up with Adrian the Head of Security and Darren at Sussex Police.

Long term issue suggestion - I'd really like to see a discussion on moving the away fans, ideally into the East Lower. It is a huge advantage we are conceding to away teams to be able to attack one goal with their fans entirely behind that goal.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Long term issue suggestion - I'd really like to see a discussion on moving the away fans, ideally into the East Lower. It is a huge advantage we are conceding to away teams to be able to attack one goal with their fans entirely behind that goal.

The club are indeed looking into moving the away fans at some point. This may happen.