On Wednesday evening (29th July), Bromsgrove Sporting held a fans forum in the UK Electrical Stadium’s Rousler Bar – plenty of questions were asked and answered, in what was an insightful night for those who attended.
Representing the club’s ownership were Darren Alderson, Adam Hutchison and Darren Smith, who fielded questions alongside manager Tim Flowers.
Darren Alderson began the evening by delivering an informative presentation that reflected on the new ownership’s first 100 days and everything that has already been achieved in a relatively short amount of time (see slides below).
Adam and Tim then spoke about the playing side of the club, looking at pre-season thus far, the new squad that has been assembled and aspirations ahead of the new campaign, to name just a few subject areas.
The presentation concluded with Darren Smith looking at the technical side of things, with a focus also on exciting events and further ground improvements that will be coming to the UK Electrical Stadium in the not too distant future.
CLICK THE GRAPHIC BELOW TO READ THE OPENING PRESENTATION FROM THE FORUM
Questions then came from the audience – some of the subject matters included…
– Tim was asked about his current squad – he said that he’d like to add a couple more players to what he has. There are a few current trialists still to look at and he also touched upon our latest addition, Lamin Barrow, and how exciting he has been so far and his rapid rise up the non league pyramid.
– Training arrangements were discussed, and the search for the ideal place to train in the week, depending on the time of the year. Plenty of options as to where to train are being explored, stressing the importance of getting the right venue.
– As a target for the season, Tim said he would like to target being in the mid-80s points-wise; he believed that would have you firmly competing for the league title.
– Food and beverages were talked about; Darren Smith said extra offerings – both in the Hangry Moose and other food outlets around the ground – would be considered (e.g. pies and ‘traditional’ football food for the outdoor outlets, along with a pricing review. A pricing review of the bar would take place too, also adding that there will be plenty of events taking place in the Rousler Bar throughout the season, with the ambition of turning it into a seven day-a-week venue.
– The club shop was asked about, specifically when would it re-open. A soft launch would take place at the first home game against Rushall Olympic, with its ‘official’ launch being at the first Saturday home game, versus Anstey Nomads. Photos of the refurbished club shop were shown on the screens, featuring a full stock of new home shirts.
– A fan asked about the possibility of coach travel to away games being supported by the club; the reply being that it would be something that would be looked into, emphasising the importance of our support; both home and away.
– A proposal from a fan was put forward to have a suggestion box within the ground, for fans to put ideas in that would be passed on to the club’s board. This idea was warmly received by the whole room, with the ownership saying that communication between themselves and supporters is of vital importance.
– asked whether another fans forum would take place this season, it was said that it is a possibility, with the priority being the next few months, having a good start to the campaign and hopefully getting our attendances well up on last season.
– extra revenue streams (away from the pitch) were explored; Adam said that he’d like a 3G pitch but not at the UK Electrical Stadium, saying that grass is definitely the best surface to play football on. The possibility of ‘Evenings with’ events – most commonly taking place with former professional footballers – were asked about as a good way to generate income. The board said that there would be lots of events coming up, including film nights and utilising the car park behind the Shed End for certain events. Darren Smith said that his company Elonex would bring its expertise to the fore to help the club generate income – as has been seen with the big screen at the World Cup fanzone over the summer.
Bromsgrove Sporting would like to thank everybody who attended what was an informative evening, ahead of what promises to be an exciting season for the club and everybody associated with it!
