Matchday Experience Working Group (MEWG) – Update 7: May 2025

[Swans Trust News]

Background

In January 2024 Swansea City Supporters’ Trust were delighted to publish our full report on the Matchday Experience at Swansea City, which we kicked-off in October 2023. All our previous updates which included a link to the full survey report are available to access on our Trust website HERE

The project was established to better understand the experience of supporters in and around the stadium on matchdays and identify positive changes that could improve this. Almost 1000 supporters responded to our survey with the results providing a clear and strong case for changes to be made.

We promised to take the next steps with the support of the club to form a joint working group that will own these findings and others that are identified.

We are pleased to advise this group made up of a combination of club, Trust and supporter representatives are now fully up and running and they held their seventh meeting at the Swansea.com stadium and via Teams on Monday 14th April 2025.

This meeting gave everyone an opportunity to review progress to date and revisit some of the key recommendations arising from recent fans surveys.

The project is now known as the Matchday Experience Working Group – MEWG – and the full group is made up as follows:

Paul Meller (PM) – Swans Trust
Adam Lewis (AL) – Swans Trust
Dave Dalton (DD) – Swans Trust
Chris Golledge (CG) – Swans Trust
Tony Sharpe (TS) – Swans Trust
Katie Doyle (KD) – Swansea City
Hayley Ford (HF) – Swansea City
Kev Johns (KJ) – Swansea City
Lee Joseph (LJ)
Paul Joseph (PJ)
Ian Davies (ID)
Thomas Hughes (TH)
Craig Fulford-Astley (CFA)
Jamie Ranford (JR)

DD chaired the meeting and thanked everyone for making time in attending. PM took the notes which have now all been approved by those in attendance.

Our guest for this meeting was Swansea City Chief Executive Officer Tom Gorringe (TG)

Apologies were received for this meeting from Kev Johns, Chris Golledge and Adam Lewis

Another constructive meeting can be summarised as follows:

1. TG Introduction

TG recently appointed as Club CEO joined the early part of the meeting and outlined his role and background. TG has been involved in football for seventeen years working in all four divisions in a variety of roles starting with Portsmouth where he worked with Trevor Birch and helped navigate the club through administration twice. Then moved onto Brighton who were promoted to the premier League during his time there and more recently as CEO of Bristol Rovers. Left Brighton as wanted greater exposure to the football side to enable him to learn all aspects required to take up the CEO role.

As CEO at Swansea TG will review business operations and support football side. He is a strong advocate of fan engagements and wants to make the stadium as attractive as possible in order to maximise stay on matchdays.

TG was asked a number of questions by the group with responses summarised below:

• Does not see the club as a stepping stone. Looking to be here long term.
• Agreed what club needs most is stability going forward.
• See this as an opportunity for the club to reset/fresh start and put new improved processes in place.
• Club do not own stadium which is on a long-term lease from the council. In addition to the lease, the club cover all running costs of the stadium, they have also subsidised the Ospreys who haven’t covered all the costs associated with their matches at the stadium.
• Club spend a reasonable amount on marketing already and not currently looking at further marketing around the area, e.g. on buses
• Club have benefited from the new Sky broadcasting deal but acknowledge that it has been to the detriment of attendances.
• Public transport to the ground is very poor. Was much better at Brighton’s out of town stadium where club providing free bus transport for fans. Agreed specific item for discussion next meeting as discussion deferred to accommodate TG.

There followed a general discussion around what could encourage fans to turn up at the stadium earlier on matchday. Concourse pricing was highlighted as the major factor with prices around £2 pint more expensive than surrounding establishments. Club needs to provide an offer that is more attractive than local pubs. TG advised the club are looking into the creation of a permanent fan zone. It was also pointed out that there was nothing to attract non-drinkers to the ground early. Could also make food and beverage more affordable by for example early bird pricing, providing 1 in 5 drinks free, etc

TG left the meeting having been thanked by all those in attendance.

2. O/S matters arising from previous meeting

• Exit route north side of stadium – works ongoing including lighting and will be complete for start of next season
• Group diversity – Her Game Too ambassadors Harriet Williams and Sophie Hughes Swansea City welcomes two new Her Game Too ambassadors | Swansea to join the Group once established in post and/or identify other suitable female representatives.
• Targeting of those who have not attended matchdays for a while to find out why. Club recently featured a video bringing Gwynn? to the stadium who had not attended for 10 years due to concerns over access in order to demonstrate how accessible the seating is.
• Recent survey seeks views on why fans are not attending/renewing season tickets and will be looking at targeted solutions
• HF has reviewed flag waving at Newcastle, Crystal Palace and more recently Aberdeen which is more comparable to Swansea with 15k attendance. They have set up a committee of fans to lead on the flag waving – has to be fan led, logically involving Mr Flag and if established as a committee would feed into the MEWG
• Group recommended the drummer in the home end should be given a free season ticket and this has now been confirmed by the Club.

3. MEWG Terms of Reference

Final hard copies of the ToR were circulated to the group and agreed. Document will now be signed and published on the Swans Trust website. Note: now available HERE

4. Matchday

Various issues were raised by the group:

• Closed turnstiles on matchdays: reason for this was questioned along with details of numbers closed and money saved. Club to confirm.
• Restriction to NW corner exit post-match (barriers and stewards): Matter raised at previous meeting still creating congestion not facilitating exit. Club to look at again.
• Post game offer: better to accommodate fans in stadium than sat in car park waiting for walking crowd to disperse. Club to email those with parking passes to remind that Mel Nurse bar is open post-match and open to everyone.
• Leftover food: opportunity to make available to away fans for journey home
• Searches on entry: this is a potential condition of entry dependent upon police advice, etc. Reminder to be made clearer as part of ticket purchase?
• Mel Nurse Bar servery: potential use by pop-up eateries from next season?
• Mel Nurse bar pregame matches: opportunity to show more than 1 game on screens pre match (unlike on concourse)
• Pre match and half-time entertainment: agreed specific item for discussion next meeting
• Potential for local bands in stadium bowl pre match: temporary stage could be erected over unused seating area in a corner. Club to consider further.
• Sign Language on big screen: Lot of positive feedback – signer works well with Kev Johns. Some Sunderland fans attended game earlier in season specifically because of provision of this service. Radio City commentary for visually impaired also highlighted – tune to 1386 AM or download App.
• Pre-match video: being reviewed for next season (20 years at the stadium)

5. Ticketing

25/26 Season tickets now up to around 6000 (increase of approx 1000 over past month). Early bird offer finishes end of April. Most of group were yet to renew but intended to. Target is 9500 now that club are safe from relegation and ticket prices have been frozen.

Owners have purchased and given away 500 tickets per match recently besides coach provision for QPR away which has a sold-out allocation. There are restrictions on the number of ticket reductions that can be offered during the season so not to devalue a season ticket purchase. Offers over last 2 home games have been targeted at different groups with some attending for the first time such as Buzz Parks. The last game of the season is specifically aimed at the local junior leagues. For the Hull game the big screen graphics have been designed by local school children who will also be reading out announcements during the match (NB this was well delivered and the graphics were great).

All ticket options next season, including Jack Army are up for review.

6. Swansea Jack Pub

Club provided update on third party venue opening up on Little Wind St this summer fronting onto Oystermouth Rd from which the club will receive a percentage of turnover.

It will be a community football tavern modelled on that at Coventry City’s Sky Blue Tavern. It will serve food all day, run shuttle minibuses to and from stadium on matchdays, buses to away games, screen away games midweek, etc. Will be looking for memorabilia from fans to assist with decoration plus the naming of areas such as booths within the venue.

7. Heritage Update

PM provided update on latest Trust projects including:

• Blue plaque application
• Equipment box painting
• Heritage talks
• Relocation of Wall of fame
• International Wall
• Red Wall

8. AOB

• KD will talk through latest supporter survey feedback at next meeting
• PJ asked for next meeting to be held at Fairwood – agreed
• TS raised potential to wear retros shirts for last game or Black and white. Club will consider and/or for first game of next season to celebrate 20 years at the stadium

Meeting closed at 7.35pm. Next meeting scheduled for late June 2025 – date tbc

If anyone would like to consider getting involved or submit any questions for the MEWG in advance of the next meeting please send us an email to supporters@swanstrust.co.uk

And don’t forget that that Trust are in regular contact with all departments within the Club as well as holding various meetings with senior managers where we routinely raise issues we receive or are aware of.

If anyone would like us to raise anything affecting them, please don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing us at supporters@swanstrust.co.uk

We will then discuss it with the Club as appropriate.

Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
16th May 2025

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The post Matchday Experience Working Group (MEWG) – Update 7: May 2025 appeared first on Swansea City Supporters' Trust.

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[Ichabod Crane]

MEWG

Literally trips off the tongue.

Ffantastig work again from the Crust!

Tony Sharp btw

Blast from the past right there pop pickers

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Club have benefited from the new Sky broadcasting deal but acknowledge that it has been to the detriment of attendances.

Bollocks with a capital B.

It was the standard of football under Williams that hit attendances.

 

[Neath_Jack]

• Searches on entry: this is a potential condition of entry dependent upon police advice, etc. Reminder to be made clearer as part of ticket purchase?

You just accepting that load of nonsense? Can I see a copy of their workings out for every person in the East stand getting searched for every game. It’s pure bollocks and discriminatory.

 

[NeathJack]

• Searches on entry: this is a potential condition of entry dependent upon police advice, etc. Reminder to be made clearer as part of ticket purchase?

You just accepting that load of nonsense? Can I see a copy of their workings out for every person in the East stand getting searched for every game. It’s pure bollocks and discriminatory.

Also, no one gets searched in the West.

 

[jacabertawe]

Also, no one gets searched in the West.

Untrue

 

[Molbys_pie]

Positive to hear of thoughts around a better bus service from town (especially with the new bar in mind) and also a more permanent fan zone type of thing.

One thing I have noticed with these meetings is that most things are just carried forward, and very little is actually agreed, hopefully that will change.

Interesting commentary about season ticket volume, and the dynamic that the club will 'receive a percentage of turnover' from the bar which will be operated by another provider, I hope it's a decent amount (probably not, but I am still behind it).

 

[NeathJack]

Untrue

Well I sit in the West I I haven't been searched or seen anyone searched in the last 3-4 years.

 

[Dillwyn the Dog]

Why not get some drinkable beer in there. Madri is Carling rebranded - staropranen (or whatever it was called) was much better.

 

[monmouth]

Why not get some drinkable beer in there. Madri is Carling rebranded - staropranen (or whatever it was called) was much better.

Glad it’s not just me that thinks Madri is a pile of hipster shite.