We introduced our Customer Charter in August 2000 and have proactively promoted its contents to the Club's supporters in a variety of formats over the past three years.

The MFC Customer Charter has a permanent place within the 'Fans' section on the Club's official website at www.mfc.co.uk. Last year, the Charter was published in full in the Middlesbrough FC Handbook with an abridged version appearing in the Club's official magazine, Riverside Roar, in November 2002. During the 2002/03 season, every one of Middlesbrough FC's 22,500 season ticket holders received a copy of both 'Riverside Roar' and the Middlesbrough FC Handbook. Copies of the report are also available by contacting the Club's Media & Communications Department on 01325 729916 or email media.dept@mfc.co.uk.

The following report reflects our work in relation to our Customer Charter and to the agreed recommendations of the Football Task Force.

ACCESSIBILITY

Ticketing

Season Tickets: This season, we again strived to increase accessibility to the Club, with season ticket prices ranging from £313 (or £16.47 per match) to £470 (or £24.73 per match) for adults, while a range of concessions was available for those in the under 9, under 16, 16-21 and over-65 age brackets. Our season ticket prices remained the same for a third successive season.

In line with our policy of offering concessions designed to include our young and elderly supporters, this season we again offered season ticket price concessions of up to 50% for those aged under 16 or over 65. For instance, West Stand season tickets for those aged under 16 or over 65 were priced at £186, compared to £382 for adults. These concessions were available in all areas of the ground. Until 2001, a similar offer had been in place for all areas apart from the West Stand but this has now been extended to include the West Stand.

For the second successive season, we offered substantial season ticket price concessions to our supporters aged between 16 and 21, regardless of whether they were in full-time education, unemployed or in full-time employment. These concessions, which were available in the North West and South West corners, saved supporters between 26% and 51% of the price they would otherwise have had to pay for an adult season ticket. Concession prices in these areas were £230, compared to adult prices which ranged from £313 in the North Stand to £470 in the West Stand Upper. This special pricing policy, introduced in response to requests from our fans, was designed to help our young supporters continue to attend our fixtures during a period of their lives when money is often tight. It has proved extremely popular with supporters in this age bracket. In 2002/03, 432 supporters took advantage of these concessions, compared to 364 in 2001/02, a year-on-year increase of 18%. This figure was set to increase to over 500 supporters for 2003/04.

Following discussions with supporters, we introduced new season ticket concessions for those aged under 9. In line with our policy of making Middlesbrough FC accessible to all age groups, this concession was introduced as we understood that parents were less able to pay our under-16 season ticket prices (from £186) for very young children than they were for teenagers. The concession, which was available in the North West and South West corners, meant that season tickets for those aged under 9 were priced just £99, an average of just £5.21 per game. This represented a saving of 53% on the cheapest under-16 concession (£186), which had previously been the cheapest option. In 2002/03, 89 supporters took advantage of this concession, with the figure set to increase by 150% to over 200 in 2003/04.

We had 22,500 season ticket holders during 2002/03, some 1,500 of whom took advantage of our new, more advantageous instalments scheme. This allowed supporters who could not pay for their season ticket in one payment to pay through 10 monthly instalments, paying an additional 10% of the season ticket.

Part season tickets were also available until December 26.

Match Tickets

In keeping with our aim to offer a wide range of ticket prices, tickets purchased on a match-by-match basis for Premier League fixtures were priced between £20 and £32 for adults and between just £12 and £32 for those aged under-16 or over-65. For many matches, our cheapest concessions (£12) were available in the West Stand Lower, East Stand Lower, North Stand, South Stand and both the South West and North West corners.

For each game, up to 10,000 tickets - 31% of the seats for home supporters - were available to non-season ticket holders, thus ensuring that individuals could attend games as and when they wished if they could not or did not want to purchase a season ticket.

Our Premier League home fixtures were graded either 'Premium' or 'Normal', with differing pricing structures in place for the two categories. Our full price range for Premium (P) and Normal (N) match tickets was as follows:

West Stand Upper - Adults: £32 (P); £28 (N)
West Stand Upper - U16s/Over-65s: £23 (P); £20 (N)
West Stand Lower - Adults: £27 (P); £23 (N)
West Stand Lower - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P); £12 (N)
East Stand Upper - Adults: £30 (P); £27 (N)
East Stand Upper - U16s/Over-65s £20 (P); £17 (N)
East Stand Lower - Adults: £27 (P); £23 (N)
East Stand Lower - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P); £12 (N)
North Stand - Adult: £23 (P); £20 (N)
North Stand - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P); £12 (N)
South Stand - Adult: £23 (P); £20 (N)
South Stand - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P); £12 (N)
North West Corner - Adult: £23 (P); £20 (N)
North West Corner - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P) £12 (N)
South West Corner - Adult: £23 (P); £20 (N)
South West Corner - U16s/Over-65s: £14 (P); £12 (N)

There were no restricted view seats in the stadium.

Away Fixtures

We often gave our longest serving season ticket holders the first option to purchase tickets for big away games. On occasions when demand was expected to outstrip supply, tickets were first made available only to Red Book holders (eg those supporters who have owned a season ticket since the summer of 1996). They were then made available to other season ticket holders (known as White Book holders) and then to the general public, subject to availability. However, on many occasions supply was such that tickets were made available to all supporters via general sale at the outset.

We were not drawn to play at home in either domestic cup competition this season. However, it is our policy to price cup tickets at levels that will encourage supporters to attend games that have traditionally been poorly attended in the past. For instance, for the AXA-sponsored FA Cup quarter-final with Everton in March 2002, tickets were priced from £16.50 for adults and from £10 for those aged under-16 or over-65. For all cup fixtures, tickets are made available to season ticket holders first before general sale.

For Premier League games, we made up to 3,000 tickets available to visiting Clubs for their supporters. Visiting supporters always paid the same price as home supporters in comparable accommodation - between £20 and £23 for adults and between £12 and £14 for under-16s and over-65s. As with home supporters, visiting fans aged under-16 or over-65 could therefore qualify for a price concession of between 39% and 40%.

One first team match was postponed due to bad weather. Our home game against Newcastle United was originally due to be played on Saturday February 1 and was rescheduled for Wednesday March 5 2003. All tickets purchased for the original date remained valid for the rearranged date, while for supporters who could not attend on the rearranged date, refunds were given on all match tickets up until 24 hours before the kick-off.

Encouraging Families

We pride ourselves on the friendly, family-style atmosphere of the Riverside Stadium. For first-team matches during the 2002/03 season, families were encouraged to purchase tickets for the East Stand Lower or the West Stand Lower. Club mascot Roary the Lion and other entertainers concentrated much of their pre-match and half-time efforts on these areas to add to the spectacle for families and particularly children.

We also encouraged young supporters to attend games through Family Fun Nights which were held around a number of our reserve team games at the Riverside Stadium. Launched in 1999, Family Fun Nights are aimed at opening up the Club to more family groups and particularly children. Admission to Family Fun Nights was free to season ticket holders and members of our young fans' Club, the Boro Junior Lions, and just £1 for all others. Organised by the Club's Community section, the Family Fun Nights included pre-match and half-time entertainment, including football coaching, penalty shoot-outs and prize competitions on the pitch, and free give-aways such as posters, football cards, chocolate bars and other goodies.

Disabled Supporters

We continued to maintain our close, long-term working relationship with the Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters Association (MDSA). The MDSA was consulted by the Club about the disabled facilities before the Riverside Stadium was opened in 1995 and we have continued our close contact ever since, ensuring we remain aware of the ongoing requirements of our disabled supporters.

Tickets for disabled supporters and their helpers were sold on a 'two for the price of one' basis. Therefore, the majority of season tickets were priced at a combined £382 for the disabled supporter and their helper with some priced just £313. For match tickets, prices were between £20 and £27 for the disabled supporter and their helper. Ticket Office staff member Simon MacDonald acted as the Club's Disabled Liaison Officer for the sale of all tickets within the disabled enclosure for both home and away supporters. When purchasing tickets, wheelchair users were able to utilise the low-level counters within the main Ticket Office, which also has a 'loop' microphone system for those with hearing difficulties. The Riverside Stadium had 60 wheelchair places at a raised level, whilst front row seats, of which there were 300, could also be utilised. A further 15 seats, together with space for 15 helpers, were available to visiting supporters. All positions for visiting disabled supporters were close to the rest of the visiting supporters. A number of the wheelchair places were sold on a Season Ticket basis, whilst others were sold on a match-by-match basis (20 available matchday). As with all seats within the stadium, the disabled enclosure was covered. Arrangements were made to ensure that stewards designated within the disabled enclosure had experience of dealing with the disabled supporters and many of them had received previous training. Supporters within the disabled enclosure were able to utilise the waiter-style service, which allowed them to order refreshments from the bars or kiosks without having to enter the busy concourses.

Visually impaired supporters were allowed to purchase tickets for any area of the stadium allocated for home supporters. As with other supporters with disabilities, a 'two for the price of one' policy was in place for tickets for the visually impaired and their helpers. For the safety of all supporters, but of obvious relevance to the visually impaired, there were white markings on all steps around the stadium's stands.

As recommended by the Football Task Force, 80 car parking spaces were available close to the stadium for the use of disabled supporters. A further five spaces were available for visiting supporters with disabilities.

Club staff, including the Disabled Liaison Officer and members of the Operations Department and Ticket Office, maintained regular contact with the MDSA Chairman, Paddy Cronnesberry, to ensure the needs of disabled supporters were being catered for.

Also in line with Football Task Force recommendations, an email address, disability@mfc.co.uk, is available exclusively to supporters with disabilities who have queries on any Middlesbrough FC issues. An information brochure of often-asked questions was provided to all visiting Clubs to enable them to advise their disabled supporters about facilities at the Riverside Stadium.

To ensure the Club remains aware of its responsibilities, the Disabled Liaison Officer and Commercial Manager have attended seminars regarding the Disability Discrimination Act.

A concession equivalent to under-16/over-65 was available to ambulant disabled supporters

Loyalty and Membership

As a loyalty reward to the Club's longest serving season ticket holders, known as Red Book holders, the Club gave priority booking for big away games when demand for tickets was expected to out-strip supply. On such occasions, Red Book holders were given priority booking over other season ticket holders (known as White Book holders), who in turn were given priority booking over non-season ticket holders. All season ticket holders receive a patron number prefixed with a letter indicating how long they have been a season ticket holder. Should Middlesbrough FC (MFC) qualify for a high profile cup tie such as a semi-final or final, tickets may be sold giving priority to those who have held season tickets the longest, using the letters prefixing patron numbers for guidance.

During 2002/03, all season ticket holders (both Red Book and White Book holders) also received the following loyalty benefits:

*A saving of up to £85 over the course of the season, compared to supporters who purchased each ticket on a match by match basis

*The same seat guaranteed for each Premier League home fixture

*The same seat guaranteed for the majority of home cup ties should they wish

*Five copies of the Club's official magazine, Riverside Roar (valued at £3 each), mailed to their homes

*A copy of the 'MFC Official Handbook 2002-03', a 256-page hardback book, providing detailed information about Middlesbrough FC. (valued at £15)

*Free admission to Family Fun Nights at the Riverside Stadium

*Opportunity to take advantage of exclusive price promotions on merchandise at our MFC Retail stores, with up to 50% off most lines

*For the first time, a 20% discount on our usual prices for celebration parties, wedding receptions and Sunday lunches at the Riverside Stadium

*Discount offers on our guided tours of the Riverside Stadium and the Club's Rockliffe Park training ground

*A £5 discount on annual subscription to the Club's Matchday Programme

*For our fixture against Manchester United on December 26 2002, rather than make tickets available on general sale, we gave our season ticket holders opportunity to purchase an additional four match tickets for their family and friends. This offer proved hugely popular, with 3,500 season ticket holders purchasing 10,000 match tickets. This additional benefit for season ticket holders was in line with our policy of rewarding season ticket holders for their loyalty.

*To further encourage the involvement of young supporters, the Club also ran Boro Junior Lions for young Middlesbrough supporters. For a seasonal membership to this Club, members received a variety of exclusive gifts together with birthday and Christmas cards from Club mascot Roary and the Football Club. Members also received free entry to Family Fun Nights and 20% off merchandise within the MFC Retail stores.o

CONSULTATION

We have a policy of consulting supporters before making decisions on major issues which affect them. Further, we are committed to informing them about the details of and reasons for our policies which may affect them. Our consultation process is carried out both through small gatherings of supporters and, where it is felt necessary, via polls or surveys involving many thousands of supporters. There were several examples of these different consultation processes during 2002/03.

For eight successive years, we have hosted FA Premier League Supporters Panel meetings at the Riverside Stadium. Last season, for the first time, we held two such meetings. The first of these took place at the Riverside Stadium on October 5 2002 before our home fixture with Bolton. A group of 15 Middlesbrough supporters representing a cross-section of the Club's support was invited to attend the meeting by the Club. They included representatives of Middlesbrough Supporters Club, Middlesbrough Supporters South, MFC Sedgefield Supporters Club and Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters Association. Chaired by a facilitator from the Premier League, the meeting focused on the problems associated with the restrictions on standing at football games and the tendency of some supporters to stand throughout games. All supporters attending were given opportunity to air their views on the subject.

A second meeting, our annual FA Premier League Supporters Panel, was held at the Riverside Stadium on March 1 2003. The meeting had a similar format to the previous meeting and was again hosted by a representative of the FA Premier League. A group of 17 Middlesbrough supporters, again representing a cross-section of the Club's support, was invited to attend the meeting. They again included representatives of the various supporters Club, together with several individuals who had expressed views to the Club on the matters discussed over the previous 12 months. This year those attending were asked for their views on such topics as:

*The effect that changes in kick-off times due to TV demands have on supporters and their ability to attend games

*The decision-making process behind purchasing season tickets

*Season ticket prices

*Season ticket benefits

*A full report on the meeting was produced, which was circulated around the Club. Feedback given by the Supporters Panel influenced the Club in several ways. The views of the panel that it would be fair for season ticket prices to rise slightly was similar to the Club's view and there was only a small increase to season tickets for the 2003/04 season. Feedback from panel members also suggested that the main influence on their decision whether or not to purchase a season ticket was often based on receiving a considerable saving when compared to purchasing tickets on a match by match basis, but they were not clear on whether this had always been the case. The Club consequently ensured that not only was there a saving worth up to five games but that this was made very clear at the time of the Club's 2003/04 season ticket launch.

Senior Club officials attended various supporter meetings including the main Middlesbrough Supporters Club, Middlesbrough Supporters South and the Sedgefield-based Supporters Club. At the meetings, the officials took part in open question and answer sessions, responding to a wide range of Club issues. These included:

*The Chairman attended a meeting of almost 200 members of Middlesbrough Supporters Club, where he answered questions on season ticket prices, falling attendances, the Club's transfer policy and finances, and his thoughts on the Club's future

*The Chief Executive attended a meeting of around 100 members of the Sedgefield Supporters Club, where he discussed similar topics to the meeting mentioned above

*The Media & Communications Manager took part in Q&A sessions with Middlesbrough Supporters Club and the Sedgefield branch, answering questions on the Club's communications with fans, media policy, matchday atmosphere and website development

*In January 2003, the Team Manager took part in a Q&A session with over 300 members of Middlesbrough Supporters South at a meeting in London. He answered questions on the Club's transfer policy, team, tactics and ambitions

*The Second Team Coach attended a meeting of Sedgefield Supporters Club, discussing similar topics to those listed above

Via the Club's official website, the Commercial Manager and Media & Communications Manager invited questions from supporters. They provided detailed answers on many of the subjects they had discussed at supporters meetings, together with other topics as diverse as stadium development, concourse food quality, ticket concessions, sponsors and smoking policy. The supporters' questions and the answers from the Club were published on the Club's official website for all supporters to read.

For a fifth successive year, the Club's supporters were consulted on the design of the new change strip. A competition was initially run among the Club's supporters to find six models who unveiled a choice of strips. The Club's Media & Communications Department then conducted a poll among supporters giving them the opportunity to choose their favourite from six different strip designs. The poll was promoted on the Club's official website, in the Matchday Programme, on the Club's official television station Boro TV and in the local media. Voting took place via the Club's official website and via voting cards available from the MFC retail stores, ticket office and stadium reception. A total of 5,672 supporters took part in the poll, with 47% choosing the winning design, which is now the Club's new change strip.

We encouraged new ideas from supporters. One idea suggested by several fans who wrote to the Club was to give season ticket holders a priority allowing them to purchase the Club's new strip before it went on general sale. This idea was taken up and included as one of the season ticket benefits for the 2003/04 season.

Through the Club's official website, Riverside Roar magazine, Matchday Programme, Riverside TV (the stadium's matchday television show), Boro TV (the Club's official cable television station), matchday PA announcements and the local media we actively encouraged supporters to provide feedback on the Club, our activities and staff, either by post, email or telephone.

Information

In 2002/03, we maintained our policy of communicating with our fans on an array of topics via a variety of communication tools. Whether it was team news or issues directly affecting all supporters, we tried to make information easily accessible to supporters. Examples of communication tools utilised by MFC during 2002/03:

Club information was provided to supporters through the following media:

*Riverside Roar, the official MFC magazine. Over the course of the season, five issues of this 48-page publication were mailed to the homes of each season ticket holder as part of their season ticket package

*The MFC Matchday Programme, a 60-page publication available to purchase in and around the stadium at each of our first team home fixtures

*The Club's official website at www.mfc.co.uk. A weekly newsletter, relating to the official website, sent to 60,000 subscribers

*Boro TV, the official television station of Middlesbrough FC, run in conjunction with NTL and available in homes throughout the Teesside and Darlington areas

*Riverside TV, our matchday television programme, screened on TV sets throughout the stadium concourses and restaurants for four hours at each first team home fixture

*Public Address announcements around the Riverside Stadium at home fixtures

*Press statements and press releases to the local and national media, particularly the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette and two local radio stations, Century fm and BBC Radio Cleveland, both of which enjoy official relationships with the Club

*Ticket news appeared in advertisement format on the back page of the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette each Thursdayn

WORKING IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Middlesbrough FC takes a very active role at the heart of the Teesside community. As a 'flagship' for Teesside, the Club has a position of responsibility and seeks to put something tangible back into the community that supports it so well. This season we continued to invest our time and energy into a wide range of community initiatives, some of which are outlined below.

Middlesbrough Football Community Project

Middlesbrough Football Community Project aims to enrich the lives of local people by providing access to first class educational and recreational activities. With two purpose-built centres, the project is designed to encourage the whole family to get involved in a wide range of structured programmes available. These are initiated and developed by a talented and enthusiastic team of qualified young people linked to Middlesbrough FC.

Middlesbrough Football Club is the major partner in the Project. Other key partners include the five local Primary Care Trusts, Stockton Riverside College, Sportsmatch, Excellence in Cities, Learn2Work, Health Action Zone, Barclaycard and Coca-Cola. This season Middlesbrough FC provided Middlesbrough Football Community Project with funding in the region of £200,000, whilst the permanent use of the Riverside facilities including three classrooms, represented thousands of pounds more in terms of support 'in kind'.

Across its wide range of activities, this season the project received 103,284 bookings, compared to 101,736 in 2001/02.

There are three areas of activity for the Community Project - the Willie Maddren Centre, Middlesbrough Football Community Centre and its 'outreach' activities - all of which are outlined in more detail below.

The Project employs a full-time Director of the Community Project, who is in charge of a team of full and part-time staff. Employed at the Willie Maddren Centre are a Centre Manager, Health Promoter, Assistant Health Promoter, three Project Workers and an Office Administrator. Employed at the Football Community Centre are a Development Manager, Operations Manager, Duty Officers, two Area Activities Coordination Officers, Administration Manager, Activities Manager, Coaching Development Officer, a qualified coaching team, sports assistants and three Receptionists.

Willie Maddren Centre

Based within the East Stand of the Riverside Stadium, the Willie Maddren Centre boasts three large, purpose-built and fully equipped classrooms including a state-of-the-art computer suite. Named in honour of the late Willie Maddren, a former Middlesbrough player and manager, the Centre opened in 1997.

Activity at the Willie Maddren Centre focuses on a tailor-made, two-day 'education through football' course which has benefited many thousands of schoolchildren in its first five years. In the knowledge that the football stadium is an ideal location to inspire pupils, staff teach a range of National Curriculum subjects with a football theme, with first team players and Club staff playing an active role in each course. All courses are planned in collaboration with the teaching staff of the visiting schools with each course being evaluated with the aim of continuing improvement in quality.

The key areas of the course are:

*Literacy, numeracy and information technology, with pupils encouraged to express their ideas through role-play, team games and problem-solving exercises

*Good citizenship and addressing issues such as racism and sexism

*Working in partnership with the local Primary Care Trusts, placing great emphasis on the need for young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, stressing the importance of a balanced diet using Middlesbrough footballers as role models

*Alcohol awareness and the dangers of smoking and drugs

*Football coaching sessions under the guidance of coaches with Football Association qualifications

*Guided tour of the Riverside Stadium

During 2002/03, these courses were delivered to 3,345 children from 75 schools throughout the North East of England - a figure very similar to the previous year - and included almost every school in the Teesside catchment area. The children were evaluated at the start of the course and re-evaluated at the end. These evaluations showed that the health knowledge of children increased by approximately 20% during the course. Knowledge learned during the two-day course was then backed up during a 10-week follow-up programme in which MFC teaching staff visited the children at their schools.

The course continued to be hugely popular with children and teachers, with the effect that sessions are booked up a year in advance. Many schools now book the MFC experience into their curriculum.

During the 2002/03 football season, the Willie Maddren Centre hosted a further 2,500 children (an increase of 400 on 2001/02) of all age ranges on a variety of different educational courses. These included tailored courses on fun and fitness and citizenship. The centre also catered for adults, running training and skills programmes for the unemployed and those with special needs.

Some 600 pupils benefited from a concentrated weekly programme of in-school support to 13 primary schools in the Grangetown, South Bank, Eston and Normanby areas. Each school in the area received an hour of curriculum time per week for 30 weeks for every Year 6 class. This initiative delivered a series of health initiatives based around the National Curriculum and other initiatives designed to assist the transition process to secondary school.

This year an additional initiative, comprising six one-hour sessions, was delivered to Year 7 pupils in the three secondary schools into which the primary schools feed. The programme delivers additional health education to the same cohort, but one year later.

After school Clubs were delivered in-school to the 13 primary schools in the Education Action Zone area. The programme consists of a series of after-school sessions tailored to the individual school's requirements.

Middlesbrough Football Community Centre

Based in the Eston area of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough Football Community Centre represents the Club's vision to enrich the lives of people within our community which, in turn, will create a positive profile of the area.

The Centre, which is supported by a partnership of Middlesbrough FC and Redcar & Cleveland Council, opened in January 2000. The Centre celebrated its third anniversary during the 2002/03 season when it also welcomed its 300,000th visitor.

The building includes a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor football complex, enhanced by a sports injury clinic and two fully equipped classrooms. The centre employs two full-time and up to 30 part-time coaches

The 2002/03 season saw a continued increase, particularly in family members using the facilities on a regular basis.

The variety of projects taking place at the centre this year included:

*A comprehensive Girls' Football Development programme, both at the centre and in local schools. The programme was launched in May 2002

*The Football Association's Girls' Centre of Excellence, also launched in May 2002

*The Soccability programme for the disabled, designed to encourage those with disabilities to take up football and participate at a level that meets their full potential. This programme was also launched in 2002. In June 2003, local MP Ashok Kumar won cross-party support for an Early Day Motion praising the Club's Soccability programme.

*A partnership with Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust, utilising the sports injury facilities as an outreach centre for the treatment of patients requiring physiotherapy

During 2002/03, local people utilised the Centre to participate in a wide range of activities including football coaching (for school groups and individuals, including girls and goalkeeper coaching), five-a-side football leagues, sports injury treatment, birthday parties and educational courses including computer literacy.

During the 2002/03 season, the Centre was chosen to host the national launch of the FA Premier League Annual Charter Reports.

The Centre is a showcase for what a partnership approach can achieve, with Stockton Riverside College, Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust, Coca-Cola, Barclaycard, Sportsmatch, local authorities, the local education authority and many local schools working in partnership on a variety of projects.

Football in tbe Community Outreach Activities

Middlesbrough Football Community Centre has developed a highly successful "outreach" element, providing top quality football coaching to boys and girls of all abilities between the ages of five and 14. The "outreach" programme offers a wide range of football coaching for schools and organised groups including after-school, Saturday morning and holiday course coaching at various venues throughout the Teesside area.

This season we continued to deliver high quality football coaching and associated activities to members of the local community. The coaching sessions were delivered to a range of local groups and individuals across the Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland areas. The majority of the programmes were delivered to individuals of school age.

The key attraction of the programme to individuals is that training sessions are delivered by Middlesbrough FC coaching staff and therefore attendees feel an affinity with the Club. In some programmes, such as the holiday courses, attendees receive prizes such as footballs, signed shirts, stadium tours or match tickets.

The scheme offers a wide range of football coaching for schools and organised groups, after-school coaching and holiday courses throughout the Teesside area.

Football First

Lauched in November 2001, the Football First project places football at the heart of the learning programme, working in partnership with Stockton Riverside College and Middlesbrough Football Club, in some of the most deprived wards in the country (as defined in the top 200 index of deprived wards - index of local deprivation). The project targets young male learners (although not discriminating against other groups), primarily in the 18-25 age bracket and particularly those who are unwaged and seeking employment.

While this group is one of the most difficult to engage in education and training, many enjoy sport. Football is an essential and integral element of the Football First learning programme and recruitment, retention and rewards are all driven by it. It forms an essential, underpinning component in the learning programmes.

Football First aims to re-engage adults with the learning process, helping them gain qualifications, improve basic skills in literacy and numeracy, utilise ICT skills, underpin employability skills, improve health and fitness, and stimulate the learners to give back to the local community.

Guest speakers at courses this season included Premier League referee Jeff Winter, former Middlesbrough star and now local employer Jamie Pollock, Boro TV and Century fm presenter Alastair Brownlee and Boro TV cameraman Micky Carberry. All participants also received a tour of the Riverside Stadium, a visit to the Club's training ground and a ticket for a Premier League match. There was also a 'Student of the Month' award for a prize of two match tickets, a chance to meet the Middlesbrough players and receive a fully signed football presented by manager Steve McClaren before kick-off.

The project is based at Middlesbrough Football Community Centre and resources include a 20-berth PC training room, four full-sized Astroturf pitches and numerous grass pitches. The project employs a full-time Project Manager, 4 part-time tutors and an administration assistant. Participants take a six-week course, one-and-a-half days per week. In 2002/03, 108 learners took part in Football First courses, 89 of whom completed the courses, an overall retention rate of 8.2.4%. Of those, 12 learners progressed into employment and 57 moved into further education.

The MFC Enterprise Academy

In 2002, details of the new MFC Enterprise Academy were released. The three-year project, which is currently at a developmental stage, will be run by Middlesbrough Football Club in conjunction with Middlesbrough and Stockton borough councils.

Based at the Willie Maddren Centre, the Enterprise Academy is designed to introduce 11 to 19-year-olds throughout the region to business and enterprise. As part of the Tees Valley Regeneration Programme, it will attract up to £1.9m in government funding. Pilot programmes, initially concentrating on Middlesbrough and Stockton, started in January 2003, with 56 students from four schools successfully tackling the 10-week course. This cohort, along with all those subsequently registered, will receive an OCR Certificate in Business & Enterprise.

Up to July 2003, 176 pupils from 12 different schools had taken part in the accredited course, with a further 350 young people involved in other activities through the Enterprise Academy. These additional activities included workshops, assemblies and visits to the Riverside Stadium in support of national curriculum activities such as business studies.

Sessions on the 10-week course provide participants with specialist business and enterprise knowledge, improve their self-confidence and communication skills and help give them a better idea of what they might want to do as a career. Although so far concentrating on the Middlesbrough and Stockton areas, it is planned to roll out the scheme throughout the Tees Valley in April 2004.

Partners in the MFC Enterprise Academy include the Prince's Trust, the Learning & Skills Council, Business Link, Learn 2 Work, West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust and Working Links.

Funding from the Single Programme has now been secured to April 2005, with the current staff team of seven set to rise yet further as new initiatives are launched.

Study Support Centre

The MFC Study Support Centre, based within the Willie Maddren Centre at the Riverside Stadium, is a partnership between Middlesbrough FC and the Government. It is where primary and secondary school pupils, mainly at Key Stages 2 and 3 (aged 10 to 14), can learn after school and in the holidays. Research on both homework and study support in particular has shown that good quality study support opportunities provide an excellent means of raising standards and improving motivation levels.

The MFC Study Support Centre is primarily an after-school provision (Playing for Success) where young people can learn through the powerful medium of football, in a comfortable and stimulating environment.

This year, a network of six further eMac computers has been added to the state-of-the-art classroom facilities. A highly successful movie-making project encouraging boys to write was showcased at the national Playing for Success conference and was recognised as an example of good practice.

Library Link projects in conjunction with Middlesbrough Primary Link went from strength to strength. Working with Year 3 and 4 pupils, the scheme encouraged pupils to read more, while the Playing for Success teams supported schools in facilitating transition programmes for Year 6 pupils and ran team-building workshops for Year 8 pupils.

This year, 18 primary schools and 6 secondary schools from the Teesside area took part in Playing for Success courses at the MFC Study Support Centre, involving a total of almost 900 pupils. This compared to just over 600 pupils in 2001/02, a rise of almost 25%.

Highlights for the Study Support Centre during 2001/02 included the opening of a newly refurbished computer suite by Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren, a 'Boro Boys into Writing' initiative, with 'lads and dads' taking part in a two-day course to develop their literacy, ICT and artistic skills, a Library Link course in partnership with Middlesbrough Primary Link aimed at encouraging Year 3 children to read more, and a Healthy Eating course in partnership with Middlesbrough Borough Council's and MFC's Catering Department designed to promote healthy eating to children.

Special Initiatives

Teesside Hospice: The Club's official nominated charity is Teesside Hospice, in Middlesbrough. As such, we aim to help raise their profile and raise funds for the hospice. We provide Teesside Hospice with fund-raising items, arrange for Middlesbrough players to attend functions and help publicise their fund-raising events. This season we helped launch their 'Di the Duck' fund-raising campaign which raised £4,000 and the Club supplied a gigantic Easter egg which raised £800 in a raffle. We also gave the hospice permission to hold a bucket collection on the day of our Premier League home fixture with WBA on April 5 2003. We helped promote the collection which, thanks to the generosity of Middlesbrough supporters, raised £4,500 for the hospice. Other charitable work by the Club during 2002/03 included supporting the Teesside Hospice 'Sunflower Chain' challenge, which encouraged local schoolchildren to buy 10,000 sweets, boosting the fund-raising efforts of the hospice.

BBC Children in Need Concert: We were delighted to host one of only three pop concerts held nationally in support of the BBC Children in Need fund-raising campaign on November 15 2002. The Club played an integral part in helping to organise the concert, with Club facilities and staff time donated free of charge. The concert, which attracted 12,000 people, included performances by top bands Liberty X, the Sugababes and Busted. Although free to enter the concert raised thousands of pounds in donations for disadvantaged children.

Football Aid: For a third successive year, we supported the Football Aid fundraising campaign, offering our supporters to bid to take part in an 11-a-side game on the Riverside Stadium pitch on Sunday April 27. The event raised several thousand pounds for a variety of charities.

The Prince's Trust: We support The Prince's Trust, the national youth charity, which enables 14 to 30 year-olds to develop the skills and confidence they need to get their lives working. Through a nationwide network of programmes, The Prince's Trust provides training, educational support, personal development, business start up support, mentoring and advice.

The Club provides a range of vital practical and in-kind support for 12-week personal development courses which enable 16 to 25-year-olds to learn new skills, gain national qualifications and develop the confidence to help them through life and into work. The course includes a residential week, a community project, individual work placements and a variety of challenging team activities which benefit the local community.

In partnership with Stockton Riverside College, the Club has supported 16 young people. Of those who started the course, 75% were unemployed, whilst 6% were young ex-offenders.

Examples of support provided by the Club this year included:

*On-going staff support & involvement

*Assistance with the fundraising activity of teams through the provision of autographed merchandise when requested

*Providing Work Placements for young people with the Club's Conference & Banqueting Department

*Providing Stockton Team 31 with a project for its Team Challenge. Tyne Tees Television visited the project and along with a brief interviews with George Courtney, the Club's Director of Community Projects used the footage during the NE Footballer of the Year Awards, which were screened on Thursday May 8 2003

In addition, the Club has hosted a Rotary Watches 'Turn Your Life Around' Fundraising Auction at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday October 26 2002 following the Leeds United fixture. We helped to promote the auction and arranged for several players and our artist in residence Richard Piers Rayner to produce art work for several clocks that were auctioned. The auction raised over £5,000.

We also supported the North East Footballer of the Year Awards on Tuesday May 6 2003, with first team coaching staff & players attending a Gala Dinner & Presentation Ceremony to raise funds for The Prince's Trust in the NE Region.

The Prince's Trust Football Initiative has now helped over 5,000 young people nationwide and Middlesbrough Football Club are fully committed to supporting the work of The Prince's Trust next season.

Read the Game

Three of our players gave their time to support a children's literacy project, Read the Game, devised by Easington and Seaham Education Action Zone. Ugo Ehiogu, Gareth Southgate and Robbie Stockdale were the stars of a poster campaign supporting the scheme, designed to improve literacy in youngsters by using football as a stimulant. The posters displayed the players reading books alongside the message 'Whatever game you play, reading and writing always helps'.

Barnardo's National Football Quiz

We hosted and promoted a fundraising quiz for Barnardo's, with Club staff and former players taking part. Many supporters took part, helping to raise over £3,000.

Charitable Donations

Middlesbrough Football Club's charities policy is to primarily support good causes in and around the Teesside region. We lend our support to local causes by helping to raise their profile via community appearances by first team players and through the donation of signed items of MFC merchandise.

This season we donated £36,000 worth of MFC merchandise including shirts, footballs, books, videos, pennants and complimentary stadium tours to hundreds of causes from local branches of national charities to schools and needy individuals. These items were used by the organisations for fund-raising activities. We asked for all applications for donations to be put in writing for them to be considered.

Those causes to have benefited from donations during 2002/03 included: Teesside Hospice, Butterwick Hospice, Zoe's Place, the Katie Trust, the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, Clarke Lister Appeal, Get Kids Going, Pam Aston Fight for Life, the Eastern Ravens Trust and many local junior football teams, residential homes, hospitals, scout and community groups. We also supported the local fund-raising efforts of such national charities as the Lifeboat Society, Shelter, Air Ambulance, Cystic Fibrosis Research, National Blood Donors Association, the Heart Foundation, BBC Children in Need, the Stroke Association, RSPCC, RSPCA, Roy Castle Appeal, Bobby Moore Fund and a number of cancer research groups

Roary's Children's Charity Fund, a charity run by the Club for local children's causes, purchased a number of items for local children and organisations.

We continued to support the 100% Club, a scheme run by Stockton Council and Social Services to encourage better attendance at schools in Stockton. One pupil who achieved 100% attendance at her school was invited on to the first team photo-call in August 2002 and was a mascot at one of Middlesbrough's home games during the 2002/03 season. Another pupil will receive similar rewards during 2003/04.

For the eighth successive year, the Club organised Roary's Christmas Toy Appeal for children spending the festive period in hospital. The Club and the supporters, together with several local companies, donated small toys and selection boxes to the appeal. The MFC first team squad then visited the children's wards at James Cook University Hospital and North Tees Hospital, together with Butterwick Children's Hospice, to donate the gifts to delighted children.

Players in the Community

Middlesbrough FC is well aware of the impact and influence it can have in the local community. Throughout the season, we continued to strive to use the profile of MFC, its management and players to support local causes. All members of the first team squad are expected to make community appearances. To ensure a fair distribution of the community workload between members of the playing staff, the Club's Community Liaison Officer runs a rota system. All requests for players are processed through the Community Liaison Officer who co-ordinates any appearances by the first team squad and team management.

This season, members of the first team squad made 107 individual appearances in the local community, an increase of 5% compared to 2001/02. We aim to achieve a similar increase in 2003/04. The vast majority of two-day courses at the Club's Willie Maddren Centre included a 20-minute Question and Answer session with a Middlesbrough player (except where fixtures or training schedules did not allow). Q&A sessions at the Centre are seen as an ideal method of encouraging and developing the skills of young players in the field of community work and many of the Club's Academy players visited the Centre during the season. Members of staff, including department heads, also gave up time to attend the Willie Maddren Centre and take part in Q&A sessions with children. Several players also attended the Club's Study Support Centre to talk to pupils. They talked to the pupils about "the role of a captain" and then helped them turn out their ideas as essays.

Other community appearances by players supported the Club's Football Community Centre and Football First project, together with National Anti-Racism Week of Action, Walk to School week, Teesside Hospice, Barnardo's fund-raising quiz, and ETOL community calendar launch. Players also attended the official switch-on of Stockton's Christmas lights.

During December 2002, the first team playing squad also visited the children's wards of James Cook University Hospital, North Tees Hospital and the Butterwick Hospice to give out presents to youngsters who would be spending the festive period in hospital. The gifts, including selection boxes and small toys, were donated by Middlesbrough supporters, local companies and the Club through Roary's Christmas Appeal, an annual appeal organised by the Club.

While the Football Task Force recommended that players should be asked to do community work as an alternative to a fine or other punishment, Middlesbrough FC prefers a more positive stance towards its community activity and actively encourages players to become involved by keeping them fully informed about the effect their time and efforts can have.

In addition, the Club's official mascot Roary the Lion made more than 100 appearances in the local community during 2002/03, supporting a wide array of causes, helping them to gain much needed publicity.

Kick It Out

We continued to work closely with Kick It Out in the fight against racism. In October 2002, we gave our strong support to football's National Anti-Racism Week of Action. The support was centred on our Premier League fixture at home to Leeds United on October 26 and included:

*In a highly-visible display of support, Middlesbrough players warmed up for the match wearing T-shirts sporting the anti-racism message "Racism is cowardice and all cowardice comes from fear"

*The players also wore the t-shirts whilst warming up for the game at Charlton on October 20, receiving live coverage on Sky Sports

*In the days leading up to the game, Middlesbrough players posed for publicity photographs in the anti-racism t-shirts. These photographs appeared on the Club's website, matchday programme (including the front cover), on Boro TV and in the local media

*The Club issued a press release setting out its stance against racism with quotes from defender Gareth Southgate. These quotes were also given considerable coverage on the Club website and in the matchday programme. We also displayed advertising boards with the message 'Let's Kick Racism out of Football' around the Riverside Stadium throughout the season

*450 members of the Club staff wore 'Kick it Out' pin badges or stickers prominently on the day of the match

*Hundreds of magazines, fanzines, stickers and badges were given out to fans attending the game

*Before the match, Club mascot Roary the Lion and ball boys in wearing anti-racism t-shirts and displayed a banner with the message 'Let's kick racism out of football'

*Children attending courses at the Club's Football Community Centre in Eston were given strong messages about the threat of racism whilst wearing 'Kick it Out' t-shirts throughout the course

Show Racism the Red Card

The football Club continued its support for the campaign to rid football of racism. On the day of the first team squad's pre-season photo-call in August 2002, we joined forces with the anti-racism organisation, Show Racism the Red Card, arranging for the players to pose with anti-racism banners. Posters of these photographs were distributed free throughout Teesside, including 5,000 given out to children attending Middlesbrough Football Community Centre and the Willie Maddren Centre.

On January 11 2003, we were proud to receive a special award from Show Racism the Red Card in recognition of our work against racism. The award was presented to Middlesbrough FC Chairman Steve Gibson on the pitch before our Premier League game with Southampton.

Dealing with Racist Behaviour

The Club's ground regulations recognise racist behaviour as a distinct offence. It is a condition for season ticket holders that they do not take part in racist or other forms of offensive behaviour. These regulations were posted on the walls at all entrances to the Riverside Stadium, whilst they were also mailed out with all season ticket renewal forms, in both May 2002 and May 2003.

To combat racist behaviour, the Club made announcements warning against such behaviour and actions the Club might take against such behaviour via the stadium PA system, Riverside TV (on the stadium concourses), Boro TV, the matchday programme and through the official website. We have developed a common strategy between stewards and the Police for dealing with abusive behaviour of all kinds. Stewards look and listen for abusive behaviour and language, whilst supporters are encouraged to report details of such incidents in confidence to the Club. On receiving a report of an individual or individuals using abusive behaviour, the person(s) in question will be monitored by a steward. If the behaviour is repeated then a warning is given that should such behaviour be repeated the offender will be ejected from the stadium and risk having their season ticket revoked without refund. In serious cases, details are also passed on to the Police to consider further action. The Club also utilises a steward supervisor as an 'undercover operator' to investiage complaints of racism and other anti-social behaviour. During the 2002/03 season the police made one arrest for racist behaviour at the Riverside.

MERCHANDISE

Middlesbrough Football Club changes both its home and away replica strips each season. The Club's home strip for the 2002/03 season was launched in August 2002 and remained the home strip until the end of 2002/03. A new home strip was launched in May 2003 and will remain the Club's home strip until May 2004. The away/change strip for 2002/03 was launched in September 2002 and remained the away/change strip until the summer of 2003. A new away/change strip was launched in August 2003. We publicised the launch of both new strips and stated within our Customer Charter that we would change both replica strips each season. Whilst aware of the recommendations of the Football Task Force for replica strips to be changed every two years, we regularly consult our supporters over this policy at meetings of the various supporters Clubs. These consultations have supported our belief that the majority of fans are in favour of the policy. Indeed, many supporters believe the launch of two new kits is a tradition that they would be disappointed to lose. In support of this belief, we did not receive one single letter of complaint about this issue during the 2002/03 season.

As recommended by the Football Task Force, swing tickets indicating the "use by" dates of both new strips are attached to all shirts in the MFC Retail stores. We informed our supporters about strip changes well in advance through the Club website, matchday programme, Boro TV, PA announcements, Riverside TV, Riverside Roar magazine and the local media.

Middlesbrough's replica strips of shirt, shorts and socks for both adults and children have been among the cheapest in the FA Premier League for several years. In 2003/04, prices of all new strips will remain the same for a third successive season.

STAFF CONDUCT

Equal Opportunities

Middlesbrough Football Club is an equal opportunities employer. As such, it is committed to providing equal treatment to all employees and applicants. It requires all employees, of whatever grade or authority, to abide by and adhere to this general principle. The Club management has primary responsibility for ensuring that this principle applies to recruitment, training, promotion, dismissal, transfer and all other benefits, terms and conditions of employment. All employees have a duty to apply this principle in practice by ensuring that they do not discriminate in the course of their employment against fellow employees, customers, suppliers or members of the public.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Reporting and Monitoring

When customers contacted us with feedback or complaints, they were directed either to the manager of whichever department their comments referred to or to the Media & Communications Department who responded in writing and/or, where appropriate, by telephone, having first consulted with the manager of the relevant department. We aimed to respond to all letters within a maximum of seven working days, with an initial letter of acknowledgement sent out by return when appropriate.

Each department was responsible for the recording of all customer comments. Details of complaints against our Charter were forwarded to the Media and Communications Manager on a quarterly basis for forwarding to the Premier League. Details of repeated complaints were discussed at weekly and monthly meetings of the various department heads and action was taken where it was felt appropriate.

The Media and Communications Department recorded and monitored all supporters' letters and emails. It was our aim to respond to letters and emails within seven working days. This season, 89% were responded to within our target time, an increase of 13% compared to the 2001/02 season. Where a full response was not possible within seven working days, a letter of acknowledgement was sent. On 25 occasions during 2002/03 neither a full response nor a letter of acknowledgement was sent within seven working days. We have a commitment to improve these figures during the 2003/04 season.

During 2002/03, we received four complaints about staff conduct. These were all initially referred to the relevant head of department, who discussed the nature of the complaint with the individuals in question before the complainant was sent a full response. Where appropriate, an apology was sent and the members of staff were reminded about the Club's policy regarding customer service.

In 2001, 50 members of the Club staff at all levels took a 12-week, two hours a week customer service course, culminating in an examination. Club staff achieved a 100% pass rate to achieve a Certificate in Customer Care from training company, Future Strategies. Over the past 12 months, 10 members of the Club's Retail and Administration staff have taken an NVQ course in Retail and Business Administration, which includes customer care as a module. In-house and on-the-job training is carried out for all new staff on an ongoing basis.