Meeting Two - 4 December 2024

West Ham United hold second Fan Advisory Board Meeting

On 4 December 2024, West Ham United held the second Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting, bringing together elected representatives from the supporter base with senior club officials. As part of the meeting, Jo Bailey was welcomed to the FAB, taking over from Josh Dodd in representing Pride of Irons. Maurice Birnbaum was also welcomed, representing the Away Scheme Members following a vote at the last meeting and subsequent election.

Attendees:

Date: December 4, 2024 6-8pm Location: Virtual

Fan Advisory Board representatives:

1. Andy Payne (Hammers United and FAB Co-Chair)

2. Apu Vyas (Inclusive Irons)

3. Austin Gigg (Junior Supporters Board)

4. Cathy Bayford (Disabled Supporters Association)

5. James Brown (Claret Member)

6. Kevin Hind (West Ham United Supporters Trust)

7. Martine Dodwell-Bennett (Bondholders Committee)

8. Maurice Birnbaum (Away Scheme Member)

9. Mike Field (Old School Hammers)

10. Peter Tyler (Co-Chair, West Ham Women’s Supporters Board)

11. Paul Christmas (West Ham Official Supporters Club)

12. Scotty Burkhart (Overseas Supporters Rep)

Apologies:

1. Jo Bailey (Pride of Irons)

Club Representatives:

1. Tara Warren, Executive Director and Nominated Board Level Official

2. Nicola Keye, Director of Ticketing, Executive Director of the Women’s Team

3. Catherine Smith, Head of Supporter Services and Fan Engagement

4. David Chaplin, Head of MarComms Operations

5. Dan Francis, Senior Writer and Communications Lead

Agenda:

1. Welcome and Action Log

2. Club Concessionary Policy and Wider Ticketing Strategy

3. Safe Standing at London Stadium

4. Status updates on fan initiatives

   • Pride of Irons 10-year anniversary

   • Junior Supporters Board

   • Away Season Ticket Scheme

   • Level Playing Fields Regional Forum and DSB meeting

   • Women’s team playing at the London Stadium

   • Matchday WhatsApp Channel

   • International Supporters Club

5. AOB

   • Away Fans in Home areas - WHU v Arsenal

   • Independent Football Regulator

2. Club Concessionary Policy and Wider Ticketing Strategy

• The Club shared the feedback it had received from a survey it had sent to supporters, and the feedback received from Supporter Representatives from the Fan Advisory Board as part of a ticketing and concessions workshop held 19 November 2024.

• The Club shared a proposed set of guiding principles that would underpin future ticketing policy: fair to the majority, simple to understand, affordable for families. Supporter Representatives suggested the final principle should not be limited to just families but affordable to all and the Club agreed to consider how this could be applied to all supporters. Supporter Representatives suggested clearer definitions for terms like ‘fairness’ and ‘majority and the Club agreed to work the detail of this.

• The Club outlined proposed changes to the policy, which reflected the new guiding principles. The Club highlighted that the 2023-24 level of discount (up to 83% in some Bands) was not sustainable, whilst acknowledging supporter concerns surrounding affordability, choice and flexibility. Supporter Representatives confirmed they would like to see a level of fairness and consistency within the policy, with a return to concessions in Bands 1-6 for existing, new supporters and season ticket holders.

• Supporter Representatives highlighted that since the August meeting with the Club, they have been advocating for a full reversion to previous concessionary policies, as supported by fan feedback and a petition with over 21,000 signatures and data from Supporters Representatives fan survey run by the FSA. The Club confirmed that feedback had been heard, and the focus was on building a policy for future years that reflected the outlined principles. The Club shared how some specific outliers within the concession policy would not be sustainable. Supporter Representatives flagged that affordability, choice and flexibility was paramount for any new policies.

• Supporter Representatives stated they had sent a series of detailed documents to the Head of Supporter Services and Fan Engagement relating to Club Ticketing Policies, written by Supporter Groups and endorsed by Supporter Representatives. Supporter Representatives emphasised the time and effort spent compiling these proposals. The Club confirmed these documents (shared on 2 and 3 December) had not been reviewed ahead of the FAB meeting and that any proposals that had been brought for discussion would be based on survey results and the workshop with the FAB. Supporter Representatives also suggested that the Club incorporate insights from the Supporter Representatives survey run by the FSA into its ticketing policy development. The Club stated they would review the documents and feedback to Supporter Representatives.

• The Club confirmed they would now build the ticketing policies for the 2025-26 season and beyond. The final policies would be shared with Supporter Representatives before a wider announcement. The Club confirmed it would not be considering any other changes to policy other than those already raised and discussed for the 2025-26 season. Supporter Representatives asked about the timeline, stressing the importance of clear timelines and sufficient communication with fans to avoid last minute issues and questions

• Supporter Representatives asked for detail on some specifics of ticket allocations within the Stadium. The Club provided detailed information on the number of seats in different bands, and the ways the Club strives to ensure there are affordable options for all supporters. It was agreed the Club would look at how many U18 Founder Season Ticket holders were still Season Ticket holders as Supporter Representatives had stated that these were promised when seats were taken up in 2016. It was agreed Supporter Representatives would share any written information they had with the Club in relation to promises made to Founder Season Ticket Holders on concessionary pricing as the Club could not find any information on this in the historic literature

3. Safe Standing at London Stadium

• Supporter Representatives asked the Club to clarify the position on the introduction of railed seating at London Stadium. The Club confirmed London Stadium is an all-seater stadium for home supporters and we continue to monitor guidance relating to safe standing

• The Club confirmed there is railed seating in the Upper Tier of the Away End to keep supporters safe. The Club confirmed there are no current plans to introduce further railed seating into the London Stadium in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 season. Regular communications are shared to supporters reminding to take their seats for the games, for the enjoyment and safety of those, and those around them. It was agreed the Club would make a clearer public statement about the current position. The Club would continue to make this information available via Club Channels

4. Status updates on fan initiatives

• Pride of Irons 10-year anniversary

  • The FAB Supporter Representative Co-Chair, on behalf of the Pride of Irons representative confirmed that the Club had been working with Pride of Irons to recognise it’s 10-year anniversary, taking place next February. It was agreed that the Supporter Representatives would contact their respective members on how they can raise awareness and support the anniversary further

• Junior Supporters Board

  • The Junior Supporters Board representative asked the Club to consider offering booster seats for young supporters sat in the lower bowl. The Club agreed to see if this was feasible

• Away Season Ticket Scheme

  • The Away Scheme Member Representative asked for assurances that the Away Scheme would continue. The Club stated there were no current plans to end the Away Scheme, but it would need to evolve to address issues such as ticket abuse and anti-social behaviour. The Club agreed to host a specific meeting to between the Away Scheme Representative and the Club Director of Ticketing to look at the scheme in detail, and how a positive away experience can be maintained. Any proposals would be brought back to the FAB for consideration

• Level Playing Fields Regional Forum and DSB meeting

  • The DSB Representative shared an update on the DSB meeting held on 26 November, confirming that a meeting summary would be made publicly available. The representative also shared updates from Level Playing Field’s Regional Forum, which was hosted by West Ham United on Thursday 28 November

• Women’s team playing at the London Stadium

  • The WSB Representative asked for an update on the team playing at the London Stadium this season as there was a strong desire for the women’s team to play more games at London Stadium and that the long-term goal for Supporter Representatives would be to see London Stadium as a regular venue for WSL matches. The Club reiterated that work is underway to try to host a women’s match this season.

• Matchday WhatsApp Channel

  • The Club confirmed that the Matchday WhatsApp channel has been launched as an additional place for supporters to access key information about each matchday

• International Supporters Club

  • The International Supporters Club Representative confirmed work was underway with the Club’s Fan Engagement Manager to identify a fixture this season to celebrate all our international supporters, with a specific event held in east London. The Club and Supporter Representatives agreed to continue to work together on the planning of this activity

5. AOB

Away Fans in Home areas - WHU v Arsenal

• Supporter Representatives shared concerns about the number of away supporters in home areas at recent fixtures, including WHU v Arsenal. Supporter Representatives registered their concerns on stewarding and safety measures, alongside suggesting the use of sophisticated data analysis to prevent unauthorised access.

• Supporter Representatives reported instances where stewards can appear to lose control of situations, with the Arsenal fixture being the most recent. The Club emphasised that all stewards are expected to have minimum qualifications and that the Club works with London Stadium closely to address any issues when they arise

• The Club reiterated that this is a matter taken extremely seriously and that before each fixture, daily checked are made on purchasing-patterns, residential addresses and email addresses to identify suspected away fans and ticket touts

• The Club confirmed that ahead of the Arsenal game, over 1,000 tickets were blocked. For the limited number of away supporters to who make into the London Stadium concourse or seats, the Club works, in line with a zero-tolerance approach, to share details with stakeholder authorities and take the strongest possible action, including indefinite bans from the London Stadium. The Club confirmed incidents are being fully investigated and the Club will work closely with the stadium operators on future response to issues of this nature

• The Club confirmed efforts would be stepped up ahead of future fixtures – particularly London derbies and high-demand Category AA matches, with further investigations into suspicious accounts and increased communications shared to all ticket purchasers reminding them of expectations ahead of attending

• Supporter Representatives offered to help in these efforts which was appreciated by the Club. The Club reminded supporters that any incidents on a matchday should be reported to stewards or via the ‘SUPPORT’ service to avoid harm.

• Supporter Representatives commented that there should be fan representation on the local authority’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG). The Club said that there would be no changes to the composition of the SAG and that fans are adequately represented by Club employees who attend them, including the Head of Supporter Services and Fan Engagement who contacts Supporter Representatives ahead of each SAG meeting

6. Independent Football Regulator

The Club’s NBLO provided an update on the Football Governance Bill.

Agreed Actions:

• CARRIED: Supporter Representatives to work with the Club in an open and transparent way to submit any further suggestions regarding ticketing and concession policies for the Club (Due: January)

• CARRIED: The Club will offer a meeting to Supporter Representatives to share its current approach to encouraging use of the Ticket Exchange and Ticket Forwarding, asking Supporter Representatives to provide feedback (Due: January)

• The Club to share top-level survey findings with Supporter Representatives (Due: December)

• The Club to amend the ticketing guiding principles (Due: December)

• The Club to share final policy with Supporter Representatives before wider announcement (Due: once renewal window is confirmed)

• Supporter Representatives to share written documentation re Founder Season Ticket holders (Due: December)

• The Club to continue to communicate the position on Safe Standing at London Stadium (Due: December)

• Supporter Representatives to consider how to support Pride of Irons 10-year anniversary (Due: January)

• The Club to investigate the feasibility of providing booster seats at London Stadium (Due: March)

• The Club to arrange a meeting with the Away Scheme Member Representative (Due: January)

• The Club and International Supporters Club Representative to continue to work on event plans (Due: March)

• The Club to continue to deliver and review effective activity which discourages away supporters from sitting in home ends at London Stadium (Due: December)

• Supporter Representatives to share examples from outside football to prevent away supporters from purchasing tickets in home areas, including data analytics methods (Due: December)