Introduction
Jamie Tabor welcomed all the attendees to the first session of the new FCC. The Club has hosted twelve sessions of “Your 90 Minutes” over the last twelve months. These focus group sessions discuss a specific topic and consistently generate very constructive feedback. The next session will focus on Matchday Atmosphere. Anyone wishing to participate should email [email protected].
JT explained that the format of the FCC meeting is informal and urged all attendees to ask any questions and to give their opinions. He stressed that the keyword for the Club was transparency. He said attendees would be privy to confidential information and asked them not to divulge this or post anything online until after official announcements.
All attendees introduced themselves.
JT made apologies for those unable to attend, noting that many of the Directors were on holiday as the meeting coincided with the end of the season and the half-term break.
1. Chief Executive Officer
Susan Whelan welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave a recap of the season which got off to a good start with the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong, followed by the signing of Adrien Silva who despite the technical difficulties surrounding his signing had settled in at the Club very well. The Club then had to bid farewell to Craig Shakespeare. With the arrival of Claude Puel, the Club’s fortunes rose again and the Club finished in the top half of the Premier League, in 9th, narrowly missing out on Europe for next season. The Club’s vision is to invest and grow and to stay in the top half of the Premier League. The U23’s achieved good results, and the Club is seeing an excellent productivity rate from the Academy to the First Team. The Academy also retained Category 1 status.
In June 2017, the owners bought the Belgian Tier 2 club, OH Leuven. This was an important move for LCFC as it gives additional opportunities for LCFC players to play and gain experience. SW and JR are on the OHL Board of Directors.
The Club has launched a new website and digital platform which it is hoped will revolutionise the services to and communication with supporters.
The Club is about to announce adidas as the new kit sponsor. The agreement is a breakthrough for the Club and SW hoped the fans would be as proud of and happy with the new kit as the Players. The Fanstore closes at the end of the month for a complete redevelopment and will re-open on 1st July.
The Club is embarking on two major development projects, with the purchase of 180 acres of land for a new Training Ground, and plans to expand the stadium. The new Training Ground will enable the Club to bring all the teams together on one site and offer the best opportunities to the players. The planning application is due for submission in two weeks. Consultants are working on the optimum plans for the site, to ensure that the spirit of the Club is maintained. The consultation process is expected to last for the next two weeks.
The Club has taken the requirements for GDPR very seriously and is compliant. All data and personal details will be treated with respect.
The Club has achieved Intermediate Level of the Premier League Equality Standard, allocating resources and forming a dedicated team which is now working towards the Advanced Level in October 2018.
The Club will have a women’s team, an ambition hitherto prevented by the lack of pitches. The Club is keen to work with the existing female teams who should be congratulated on their good work. The Club worked with Leicester City Women’s Football Club on their successful bid for Tier 2.
2. Agenda Items from LCFC
2.1 New Fanstore and Kit
The Fanstore is closing on Friday 1st June for refurbishment and the new shop will open on 1st July. For the month of June, Ticketing and Retail activities will be operating on the concourse. The home kit will be launched via online pre-sale from Friday 1st June and goes on sale on 1st July at the official opening of the new Fanstore. JT explained that the shop refurb marks a significant commitment to the Club from King Power. He said the Club would continue to develop the different ranges such as Fox & Crop, Kasabian etc. LD said the shop would be reshaped to give the impression of greater space and with the main objective of improving customer experience.
The new design will open up the area housing the tills; SW added that the new layout will make all in-store transactions more efficient. Progress on the shop refurb will be posted on the website. Completing the work within four weeks is a challenge but will culminate in a grand opening attended by the Club’s Legends, with family entertainment, food and beverages plus click + collect for the new shirts.
JT confirmed that the home kit will be blue (!) and asked FCC members not to share this information, explaining that the Club was contracted to Puma until 31st May. The strapline is #NewHorizons.
Questions from FCC Members on the new adidas kit:
Q. Is the Club aware that adidas was selling the new shirt?
A. adidas has admitted the error and suspended sales.
Q. Is the adidas sponsorship deal more lucrative more that with Puma?
A. The Club considers the agreement with adidas as the right brand alignment.
Q. Can fans buy the Premier League gold patches to put on the new shirts?
A. Only the current Premier League champions (winners of the previous season) can use the gold patches on their shirts.
Q, How much does the shirt cost?
A. £54.99
Q. Will there be associated adidas clothing?
A. The range will include training wear, bench coats, tracksuits but no footwear.
Q. How long is the relationship?
A. 3 years with an option for a 4th year. SW said this is the first year of the relationship between the Club and adidas who are very happy with the new shop design. She noted that adidas are very good at providing marketing and fan engagement support. JT explained that adidas have different tiers for their kit and having a bespoke kit is a mark of prestige for the Club. The agreement maintains the Club’s integrity and the kit will be renewed on a one-year cycle.
Q. What are the colours of the Away and 3rd kit?
A. Confirmation of the launch date and colours of the Away and 3rd kit will be confirmed in due course.
Q. Is the new kit environmentally friendly, ie with the packaging?
A. adidas is leading the way in the non-use of plastic but the Club will ask adidas about its policy on the use of plastic. SJ said LCFC has become the first club to engage with the Premier League’s Sky Ocean Rescue programme. A club representative will be attending a Sky Ocean Rescue conference in July. The programme has two angles, namely engaging at school level and how we use plastic in general.
2.2 GDPR / Personal Data
LD said the Club had taken a very strong stance on GDPR and achieved compliance by the 25th May deadline. The Club is working with the Direct Marketing Association on accreditation. All 3 new website have been constructed with GDPR in mind and all the personal details on the database are protected; individuals decide what data to give and how they wish to be contacted. Information data, eg change in KO time, will still be communicated.
One FCC member said they had changed their email address on the website but were still receiving emails to the old address. JD said he had changed the address manually. LD suggested the issue could be selection of the primary address and will check the account details.
Wednesday 30 May 2018 – King Power Stadium
Attendees:
Fans – Alan Digby (Foxes Trust), Becky Taylor, Cliff Ginetta (Leicester City Supporters Club), Dinesh Prajapati, Dominic Palmer, Graeme Smith (Foxes Pride), Jack Munton (Union FS), Joshua Malam, Malcolm Carter, Nicholas Heard, Olusola Oni, Paul Angrave, Peter Wilson, Richard Smith, Samantha Guyler, Shaun Jackson
Leicestershire Police – Alistair Grimsley, Dave Stevens
LCFC – Susan Whelan (CEO), Mags Mernagh (Director, Estates & Infrastructure), Simon Capper (Finance Director), Jamie Tabor (Head of Bradn, Marketing & Digital Business), Jim Donnelly (Supporter Liaison & Disability Access Officer), Liam Docherty (CRM Manager), Stuart Johncock (Head of Supporter Engagement), Esther Walker (Executive Assistant to CEO)
Apologies:
Fans – Adrian Neal, Andrew Keates, Christine Graham, Claire Harrison, Naresh Patel, Sandra Fixter (Disability Support Association)
LCFC – Andrew Neville (Director of Football Operations), Anthony Herlihy (Director of Communications), Caroline McGrory (General Counsel), Jon Rudkin (Director of Football), Jonathan Gregory (Commercial Director), Kevin Barclay (Operations Director), Richard Lymbery (Operations Director, Levy Restaurants UK)
These Minutes were published by LCFC
Part Two of the Minutes will be published on Weds July 4th covering Foxes Rewards, Training Ground and Stadium Expansion and the EHRC Report and Equality, the minutes will be published over three articles in total