MIDDLESBROUGH FOOTBALL CLUB

Annual Charter Report 2005/6

Welcome to Middlesbrough Football Club's Supporter Report. We value the support of our fans and are committed to continually improving our service to them. the annual Supporter Report is our way of explaining the Club's policies, what you can expect from us and how we will continue to do our best to provide the highest possible level of service to our supporters.

Customer Services

When customers contact MFC with feedback or complaints, they are directed either to the manager of a specific department or to the Media & Communications Department, who can be contacted either by calling 01325 729916 (or 0870 421 1986 on home matchdays), emailing, media.dept@mfc.co.uk or in writing at Media & Communications Department, Middlesbrough FC, Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, TS3 6RS. It is our policy to respond in writing or, where appropriate, by telephone. We aimed to respond to all emails and letters within a maximum of seven working days, with an initial letter of acknowledgement sent out by return when an immediate reply was not possible. A member of the Media & Communications Department was available for customer service queries between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday each week (apart from Bank Holidays) and from five-and-a-half hours before kick-off on weekend home matchdays.

Details of frequent complaints are discussed at weekly and monthly Heads of Department meetings and action is taken where it is felt appropriate.

The Media and Communications Department recorded and monitored all supporters' letters and emails. Our aim is to answer all mail within seven working days. During the 2005-06 season, 75% of letters and emails received a response within the targeted timescale. We hit our target more than 90% of the time during the rest of the season, but the extremely busy period around the UEFA Cup final saw this average drop off a little.

We publicise the Middlesbrough Football Club Customer Charter as widely as possible via our own in-house media and the external media. It has a permanent place within the 'Fans' section on our official website at www.mfc.co.uk. Highlights of our Charter Report are also published within our award-winning matchday programme, redsquare, and on our official website. Additional copies of both the Customer Charter and Charter Report are available by contacting the Club's Media & Communications Department on 01325 729916 or email media.dept@mfc.co.uk.

Recently, six members of our Retail staff have commenced an NVQ course in Retail and Business Administration, which included customer care as a module. Also, sixll-time and six part-time ticket office staff received customer care training. In-house and on-the-job training is carried out for all new staff on an ongoing basis.

Supporter Consultation

We have a policy of consulting supporters wherever we can before making decisions on major issues that affect them.

For the eighth successive season, Boro fans were consulted on the design of our new change strip. We conducted a poll via our official website (mfc.co.uk), giving our supporters opportunity to choose their favourite from six different strip designs. Over 2,000 supporters took part in the poll, during which the less popular shirt choices were progressively eliminated. Eighty per cent voted for a white design as Boro's change strip for the 2006-07 season. this strip was launched in July 2006.

As part of our policy of involving our supporters wherever we can, for a fifth year running we ran a competition to find models who unveiled and modeled the choice of strips for the fans to vote on. For a 12-month period, the eight winning entrants are also acting as our official models for all new MFC retail items.

To ensure an open dialogue with Boro fans, MFC officials attended a wide range of supporters meetings including:

Middlesbrough Official Supporters' Club

A total of seven first-team players, plus assistant manager Steve Round, Head of Commercial Graham Fordy and Media & Communications Manager Dave Allan attended Q&A sessions on different nights at the Riverside Stadium. Each meeting was attended by 25-100 supporters.

MFC's Head of Commercial and the Media & Communications Manager held regular liaison meetings with members of the Supporters Club committee.

Middlesbrough Supporters South

Our Head of Commercial took part in a Q&A session in central London with over 100 southern-based fans, as part of the MSS annual fans' party. 

As a result of our liaison meetings with supporters' clubs and commitment to encouraging feedback from fans, the following developments have taken place within the last 12 months:

·The development of a new online ticket booking service, allowing supporters to book tickets for our home games via the club's official website at mfc.co.uk.

·The continuation of our Cup Ticket Payment Scheme, allowing season ticket holders to automatically pay for home cup tickets without need of applying in person or by post

·The Ayresome Park gates being erected outside the Riverside Stadium ahead of the 20th anniversary of the club's liquidation in 1986 when the gates were padlocked shut.

·To mark the 10th anniversary of the club's move to the Riverside Stadium, the launch of the Boro Brick Road, with supporters able to put their names and messages on bricks on the boulevard outside the stadium reception. A total of 4,000 bricks have been laid so far.

·Kiosks and bars within the stadium concourses being named after past and present Boro heroes.

·New electronic message boards erected in the North and South Stands to give supporters up-to-date match information and relay messages and greetings.

·Flat-screen televisions erected in the stadium concourses to improve pre-match comfort, entertainment and information for supporters.

·Legends banners erected outside the stadium and within the concourses to brighten up the stadium in further celebration of its tenth year as Boro's home.

SUPPORTER INFORMATION

We are committed to keeping supporters informed on our activities and policy changes. We therefore use a wide range of communications media to reach the maximum number of supporters possible. We publicised news from the club via

The MFC matchday programme, our award-winning 64-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 emailed newsletter, relating to the official website, sent to 60,000 subscribers

Electronic message boards prominently positioned within the Riverside Stadium

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

A five-minute bulletin-style slot on Century fm 45 minutes before kick-off of each first-team home fixture

Ticket news in advertisement format on the back page of the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette each thursday

Key ticket and retailing news in commercial format on Century fm

Ticketing 2005-06

At MFC, we strive to make attending games affordable to all by offering a wide range of ticket prices.

For 2005-06, season ticket prices ranged as follows:

Adults: £390-£550
Under 16s: £245-£550
Over 65s: £245-£550

In addition, in the Riverside Stadium's North West and South West corners, we offered special discounted prices for supporters aged Under 9 and Aged 16-21.

These were as follows:

Under 9: £150
Aged 16-21: £245

These discounted prices for those aged between 16 and 21 again proved hugely popular, as they were available regardless of whether supporters were in full-time education, unemployed or in full-time employment.

The club's 24,000 season ticket holders benefited from one of our season ticket discounts during 2005-06, with prices vastly reduced compared to purchasing tickets on a match by match basis.

Part season tickets were also sold until April, giving supporters an opportunity to share the numerous additional benefits of holding a season ticket, including:

·The same seat guaranteed for every Barclays Premiership home fixture.

·Priority when purchasing tickets for cup ties and away fixtures when demand was high and availability restricted.

·20% discounts on Sunday lunches, parties and wedding receptions at the Riverside Stadium.

·Exclusive price promotions at our MFC Retail stores - with up to 50% off most lines.

·Priority in purchasing the new Boro home and away kits.

·Free admission to Boro's second team games at the Riverside Stadium.

Payment by Instalment: MFC offered all supporters the opportunity to pay for their season tickets by 10 monthly instalments.

Match Tickets: Throughout 2005-06, about 8,000 seats were available to non-season ticket holders, thus enabling supporters opportunity to attend games as and when they wished if they could not or did not want to purchase a season ticket.

MFC is committed to offering a wide range of match ticket prices, for our Premier League home games rated both 'Premium' and 'Normal' according to the opposition. Price concessions were available for supporters aged under 16 and over 65, with our cheapest concessions available in every area of the stadium apart from West and East upper stands for many of our games.

 

Adults

Over 65s

Under 16s

Normal game

£23-£31 

£15-£22

£15-£22

Premium game

£31-£40

£18-£25

£18-£25

Increasing Accessibility

Discount tickets for friends and family members of season ticket holders were offered for the Portsmouth home fixture on October 15 of £20 adults and £10 for those aged under 16 or over 65. this represented a £4 reduction on normal adult prices and £5 for concessions.

Further discounts were offered for the home fixture with Fulham on November 20. For every full-priced adult ticket purchased for the South Stand, up to three tickets for under-16s could be purchased for just £5 each. To support the offer, the club made the match a Family Fun Day, with a series of pre-match prize draws made while MFC 'goody bags' were given out to young supporters.

Cup Matches

It is MFC's policy to price tickets for our home cup ties at levels that will encourage supporters to attend games that have traditionally been poorly attended. As a result, under-16 and over-65 season ticket holders could purchase tickets for the home Carling Cup tie with Crystal Palace on November 30 for just £5.

In addition, £10 MFC Retail vouchers for use at club stores were given to every season ticket holder who purchased an adult ticket for the UEFA Cup home tie with Litex Lovech on December 15.

Throughout our run to the UEFA Cup Final, we ensured tickets for our home ties were priced at a considerable discount compared to match tickets for our Premier League fixtures. For instance, tickets for our UEFA Cup semi-final with Steaua Bucharest were priced £24 adults and £15 under-16s and over-65s.

For our FA Cup quarter-final replay with Charlton Athletic, tickets for all areas of the Riverside were priced at just £5 for under-16s, £10 for over-65s and £20 for adults.

Away Fixtures

As a reward for their loyalty, we often gave our season ticket holders the first option to purchase tickets for big away games when there was the potential for demand to outstrip supply, particularly our UEFA Cup ties.

Our longest-serving season ticket holders were also given priority for the UEFA Cup final with Sevilla in Eindhoven, though it proved impossible to guarantee them all tickets due to the club receiving an allocation of just 9,500 tickets.

Visiting Supporters

For Premier League games, we made up to 3,000 tickets available to visiting supporters, who were always charged the same price as home supporters in comparable accommodation. Visiting supporters were seated in our South Stand, with tickets priced £24-£31 for adults and £15-£18 for those aged under 16 or over 65.

Ticketing 2006-07

We are again offering a wide range of Season Ticket prices for 2006-07. Tickets have been frozen at 2005-06 prices

Discounts and incentives for younger supporters have been extended.

·Discounted prices previously available only to under-9s in the South West and North West corners have been reduced by a further £30 and extended to cover all those aged under 11 throughout the entire stadium

·Discounts previously available only to under-16s have been extended to cover all season ticket holders aged under 18.

·Extended discounts mean, for example, a 2006-07 season ticket (purchased before June 17) for a 10-year-old in the West Stand Upper was just £120, compared to £380 in 2005-06. A 17-year-old in the West or East Lower stands would pay £245 in 2006-07, compared to £460 in 2005-06.

·For 2006-07, we also introduced a guaranteed ticket price of just £5 for all home cup-ties up to the quarter-final stage for season ticket holders aged under 18, as long they purchased tickets by a date set and promoted by MFC.

Details of season ticket prices for 2006-7:

West Stand Upper Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £550 £580
Under-11 £120 £140
Under-18 £380 £400
Over-65 £380 £400

West Stand Lower Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £460 £480
Under-11 £120 £140
Under-18 £245 £260
Over-65 £245 £260

East Stand Upper Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £500 £530
Under-11 £120 £140
Under-18 £345 £365
Over-65 £345 £365

East Stand Lower Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £460 £480
Under-11 £120 £140
Under-18 £245 £260
Over-65 £245 £260

North Stand Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £390 £410
Under-11 £120 £140
Under18 £245 £260
Over-65 £245 £260

South Stand Up to 17.6.06 After 17.6.06
Adult £390 £410
Under-11 £120 £140
Under18 £245 £260
Over-65 £245 £260

NW and SW Corner Up to 17.6.06 After to 17.6.06
Adult £390 £410
Under-11 £120 £140
Under-18 £245 £260
Ages 18-21 £300 £320
Over-65 £245 £260

Online ticketing

The club's enhanced ticket booking system, introduced midway through 2005-06, is being continued and developed. the service is available to all supporters for home league matches. In addition, season ticket holders are able to book their usual matchday seats for cup matches.

The 24-hours-a-day service is available through the club's official website at mfc.co.uk or by calling our ticket sales partners, Ticket Master, on 0845 070 1575.

Cup payment scheme

We are continuing our Cup Ticket Payment Scheme for 2006-07, providing season ticket holders with an easier way of purchasing tickets for MFC's home cup ties.

The scheme gives season ticket holders the chance to automatically book tickets for MFC's home cup ties either through a direct debit system or via credit/debit card. this scheme gives our most loyal fans chance to avoid ever having to queue or apply by post for tickets for home ties in the UEFA, FA or Carling Cup competitions. Whenever MFC is drawn at home in any of the cup competition, supporters who have signed up for the Cup Ticket Payment Scheme will have match tickets delivered to their door in advance of the game.

Eliminating Racism

Fortunately, incidents of racism are rare at Middlesbrough games, but we remain determined to ensure it is stamped out. We have a clear and strong anti-racism policy, designed both to prevent and deal with racism. Via our matchday programme, official website, stadium television and public address system, we made it clear to all home and away supporters that the players and staff of Middlesbrough abhorred racism and would not accept racist behaviour by those attending our fixtures.

Further, we actively encouraged supporters to contact us in complete confidence if they had information about racist language or behaviour being used at Middlesbrough games. they could do this by emailing our Media & Communications Manager at media.dept@mfc.co.uk or writing to him at: Middlesbrough FC, Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, TS3 6RS. Supporters also had the option of contacting the Kick it Out hotline, the number for which was carried in both our matchday programme and on our official website.

Kick It Out

We continued to work closely with the Kick It Out organisation in the fight against racism. In October 2005, we gave our strong support to football's National Week of Action Against Racism. the support was centred on our Premier League fixture at home to Portsmouth and included:

In a highly visible display of support, Middlesbrough players warmed up for the home match wearing T-shirts sporting the anti-racism message "Let's Kick Racism out of Football".

In the days leading up to the game, Middlesbrough players posed for publicity photographs in the anti-racism T-shirts. these photographs appeared on our official website, in our matchday programme and in the local media.

We issued a press release setting out our stance against racism, which received coverage on our website, in the matchday programme and in the local media.

Before, during and after the match, details of the club's stance against racism appeared on television screens in the stadium concourses and restaurants, while further messages were announced on the stadium's public address system.

More than 700 of our stewards, turnstile operators, catering and administrative staff wore 'Kick It Out' badges throughout the day.

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

We also displayed advertising boards with the message 'Let's Kick Racism out of Football' around the Riverside Stadium throughout the season

As part of the week of action, our community support staff staged an anti-racism poetry competition for local schoolchildren with the winning entry posted around the stadium.

the Portsmouth game was attended by a group of Middlesbrough-based Asian mums, who attended a Family Fitness course at our Football Community Centre, through a project with Abingdon Sure Start. At half-time, they took part in a penalty competition on the pitch whilst wearing T-shirts sporting the message "Let's Kick Racism Out of Football".

the matchday redsquare magazine was themed to reflect anti-racism issues with the manager and players all endorsing the anti-racism message.

throughout the season, our education staff from the Middlesbrough Football Community Project worked with pupils from more than a dozen local schools on an anti-racism theme.

On the day of the first-team squad's pre-season photo-call in August 2005, for the ninth successive year 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 to schools and youth groups throughout Teesside.

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 May 2006. they were also included within the season ticket books sent out in August 2005.

We have developed a common strategy between stewards and the police for dealing with abusive behaviour of all kinds.

However, racism is an arrestable offence and, on conviction, persons can be fined or be subject to a football banning order. Stewards look and listen for racist behaviour and language and point out any offenders to the police. the Club received only one complaint of racism during 2005-06, which was passed on to the Police for further investigation.

Working in the Community

Middlesbrough FC takes a very active role at the heart of the Teesside community. As a 'flagship' for Teesside, MFC 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, which included:

·Middlesbrough Football Community Project, featuring the Willie Maddren Centre (at the Riverside Stadium), Middlesbrough Football Community Centre (at Eston) and 'outreach' activities, which were enjoyed by a combined total of over 100,000 people during 2005-06.

·The Willie Maddren Centre's main focus is on 'education through football' course which has benefited many thousands of schoolchildren over the last eight years.

·Community work at the Football Community Centre included girls' football development, Soccability for disabled people and Fit For Work to encourage unemployed adults to develop their health and fitness, computer and job skills.

·The MFC Study Support Centre to encourage local schoolchildren to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in their own spare time.

·Gareth Southgate was appointed honarary president of the Football Foundation Ambassadors' Scheme, heading up the initiative that utilises the power of role models to act as a positive force within the game and our communities.

·A total of 256 player community visits were made by Boro first team players in 2005-06, ranging from visits to schools to support the club's educational schemes to launching fundraising schemes for local charities and good causes.

Charity Support

Supporters at the home match with Arsenal displayed cards supporting the Oxfam Make Poverty History campaign.

The Riverside Stadium was the starting point for a highly-successful charity walk to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

Our nominated charity is Teesside Hospice and we gave our Charity Shield Money to Teesside Hospice and Butterwick Children's Hospice.

Some of the many charities we helped, in the way of publicity, donations of signed items or player appearances, included:-

Butterwick Hospice, Children in Need, Northfield School, Muscular Dystrophy, Tsunami Appeal, Cancer Research, Willie Maddren MND Fund, Breast Cancer, British Heart Foundation and Teesside Junior Football Alliance.

Riverside Stadium - a Smoke-Free Zone

Over the summer of 2005, in response to requests from supporters, Middlesbrough FC made the decision to ban smoking in all areas of the Riverside Stadium. the club became the first in the Premiership to become totally smoke-free

Whilst accepting that this policy would be unpopular with some of our supporters, it was felt that it was the right thing to do as a responsible organisation that has to give priority to the health and comfort of its supporters and staff. this decision was supported by Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust.

Supporting the environment

The club plans to become Europe's first Eco Stadium. It is in discussions with Renew Tees Valley and the Carbon Trust about the installation of a two-wegawatt wind turbine to power all energy needs at the stadium and also service other industrial users on surrounding sites. the project is expected to cost £1m and will result in the club using renewable power for all its energy needs. Good housekeeping has already cut energy costs by 12 per cent over the last two years.

The club is also keen to promote energy awareness within the local community, especially schools