QUIZ NIGHT #

We are delighted to announce we will be hosting a quiz night in the club bar at Beveree after the Torquay United game on Saturday 5th October. The quiz will start at 18:45 and food will be provided beforehand. So round up your friends and family and join us for what promises to be a fun evening.

Tickets are £10 and are now on sale, members have a 24 hour priority booking window.

Teams are a maximum of 6 people and we are happy to match up those coming alone or in smaller groups.

There will be big prizes, a 50/50 draw, and some special guests too.

We will see you there!

SURVEY RESULTS #

Firstly a special thank you to longtime Beavers fan and Trust member Allan Hyde for designing our first ever (thoroughly impressive) member survey.

A huge thank you to all 65 members who took the time to respond. The data helps us to focus on what’s important to members in the coming months and years. We have summarised the key outcomes and themes below but should you wish to receive a more in depth analysis please do get in touch.

DEMOGRAPHICS #

There were 65 responses from a mix of current, ex and non-season ticket holders, age groups, and length of time as Hampton supporters. A large majority were white and male. Over 2/3rds support other teams as well as Hampton with an even split between Hampton being the primary or secondary team.

VIEWS ON THE CLUB #

Positives

The Club’s website, social channels and emails are popular and over 1/3rd of respondents listen to Radio Beaver.
Beveree is rated highly for stadium cleanliness, stewarding, the fanzone, the match programme, matchday announcements, for going cashless, for growing crowd numbers, for the increased focus on youth, and for the family friendly atmosphere.
The Academy is also held in high regard with requests for more information on matches and development.

Areas to Improve

Communication from club owners/directors is poor, although recent efforts from the new Chairman are welcomed.
There are concerns around sustainable financial policy, long-term vision, maintaining the club ethos and traditions, investment in facilities (especially toilets), and engagement with the Trust.
The majority feel the Club does not listen to or value the views of its supporters.
The price of food and drink, also main bar service should be quicker.
Community engagement and outreach is important and most would like to see more.

VIEWS ON THE TRUST #

Positives

The large majority have a positive view of the Trust and the board. The newsletter is well regarded and the new website and online payment is good.
The majority rated member engagement and transparency as neutral/good and as very important to members.
The majority appreciate our efforts to maintain the club ethos and representing member views to the Club, although transparency around these efforts can be improved.
Most respondents did not use the coaches but those who did rated them highly. Reasons for not using the coaches were varied but mostly personal and not related to the coaches themselves or organisation/cost.

Areas to Improve #

The board need to have as broad a range of skills and experience as possible. There should be clear strategic goals and timelines and an annual review of board performance. The Trust must be better at execution and communication of these goals.
The Trust needs a presence on matchdays and a stronger relationship with the Club.
Better social media and further website improvements.

KEY OUTCOMES AND NEXT STEPS #

Clear long-term vision from the board and broad range of skills and experience
Better execution and regular review of board performance
Matchday presence
Improved Club relations
Increased transparency with members
Improved website and social media

UPDATE ON CLUB RELATIONS #

The Club approached the Trust board during the summer to partner on the player sponsorship scheme, a very welcome development. However despite agreeing headline terms and following up multiple times with the Club board the scheme was launched without our assistance. This was an opportunity missed by the Club and no reason was given.

We lobby regularly for a matchday presence to greet supporters, sell programmes and launch a 50/50 draw however the answer remains no for reasons which remain unknown.

We are pleased some members have returned to volunteering on matchdays and we are willing to help organise non-match day volunteering however there has been no further contact from the Club. Anyone interested in volunteering at Beveree either on matchdays or during the week should contact us via email or speak to a Trust or Club representative (usually in hi-vis) at a home match.

We welcome the recent board changes and we remain positive and open to dialogue and partnership on anything beneficial to the Club and supporters. We will continue to engage and hope the Club recognises the Trust as the democratic voice of the most loyal and longstanding fans as well as many new to the club.

We all want nothing but the best for the club.

COACH TRAVEL #

We ran several coaches last season, some busier than others, but all were enjoyable and enabled fans to attend away games who otherwise couldn’t. We intend to do so again this season depending on demand. The key factors identified are the coach being cheaper and/or quicker than public transport, difficult stadiums to reach, and big away games. Sadly with the early FA Cup exit there will be no repeat of Hartlepool.

Following the survey results and potential cost we are looking to provide a coach to Weston-Super-Mare on 22nd February. More details to follow.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL #

If your membership has recently expired you will be receive a renewal reminder. We continue to improve the website and hope to automate the renewal process soon. Thank you as always for your support.

We have membership cards and badges for every member and will be distributing them soon, hopefully at Beveree. We will let you know the details asap.

Renew or buy membership

EASYFUNDRAISING #

If you haven’t heard of it then Easyfundraising is the easiest way to raise funds for the Trust. You simply sign up, and when you shop at all your favourite participating websites a small donation is made from the retailer to the Trust. It’s that simple!

Step 1: Create an account

Step 2: Add the browser extension and each time you shop at a participating website you will automatically be asked if you wish to donate. There’s also an app.

Step 3: Shop as normal!

Thank you as always for supporting the Beavers Trust and COYB!