Phoenix/Fever communications updates

Hey team,

So as you know (or perhaps you don't) I meet regularly with the club to keep them informed of Yellow Fever goings on but also so they can keep us in the loop on things from their side.

These discussions are largely administrative but do cover a lot of topics - from approvals of banners, security/ stadium protocols, to all sorts of stuff. This is about fostering a good working relationship between the two groups and working together.

We certainly raise concerns when this is needed (e.g. ticketing in YF bays at home away games) and work to improve how those things are managed (And I like to think that one in particular got much better!) but it's not our opportunity to slag off on-field things. We as fans have more than enough chance to do that and a one-on-one meeting isn't the right forum for it and doesn't further the relationship.

Feedback from you guys over the last few years is you'd like to hear more about what the club are saying and we want to do that. Obviously it's not always that simple with some discussions had in confidence but we want to make as much info available out of those catch-ups as possible. So this is the plan:

• This thread will be locked except for my updates to you to keep this clean and clear.
• Any questions you have or clarifications can be asked via pm, twitter (@nz_dave) or email (dave@yellowfever.co.nz) – if there is something significant I’ll edit or update back in here.
• Anything you want passed on to the club you can do the same - I'll endeavour to raise everything that is appropriate but as above this isn't necessarily the right forum for all discussions.
• Following a meeting I'll draft up what I’ll be sharing and the club will see it and give their ok. This isn't for censoring purposes or anything like that but simply to ensure I'm accurately reflecting what was raised.
• Some stuff won't be shared here nor reflected in my notes as they remain confidential (usually from the media rather than fans but we all know they check the forums) or are personal/individual matters (e.g. a fan ban should we ever have one)

So after all that preamble here is the first update for the coming season:

1. Memberships - these are pretty much finalised and you can expect to see them in August. Pricing and offerings remain similar but expect minor tweaks. I highlighted that there was strong support for the new NSW membership offered and the club plan to continue and perhaps expand such tiers (and the fan forums held in Sydney were also viewed as successful). I raised supply issues over caps/scarfs as part of the member packs early in the season and also the change in scarf type.
2. Preseason Games - these are in the works. The first one has been confirmed for the 25th (as you will have seen elsewhere). They will make sure to announce these with as much notice as possible so people can attend etc but schedule remain a work in progress so couldn't confirm any more than that one at this stage. They expect a game to take place in Auckland during preseason but can't confirm details yet.
3. Post match at Bethel's - we discussed how at points in the past this had worked really well and was an envy of fans across the league, in particular with Siggy in charge, but had dropped off of late - especially following a loss. I highlighted that if it was an event the club planned to still push as the official after match that here needed to be at least some acknowledgement of fans having shown up whether that be the speech and prizes in the past or something more simple. That fans showing up but not players/staff was a poor look. They took this on board and planned to work a better solution for the coming season - they agree it has slipped back from the high quality event it was before and will work on it. They highlighted however that fans grumpy about losses etc getting in players/staff faces was not a good look either and was a factor in how these would need to be managed. But the club highlighted it is looking at revisiting the whole Bethel’s post-game engagement – location may change, number of post-game events may change, but they’ve taken on that feedback.
4. Match day programmes - raised the fact these had decreased in frequency and then simply vanished - including the YF content that used to feature. Club aren't sure if they will come back, there is a significant cost involved etc and so a balance needs to be struck. Digital offering may be explored.
5. Home/away matches - I expressed the fact that Wellington remains our home and as always we don't like seeing too many games removed from wellington. Club highlighted the commercial reasons for such agreements as they have previously as we are all well versed in by now. I further expressed that travel agreements were a big factor for fans both home and away and clear dates and location helped with booking trips and if more games were to move we'd want to be notified as early as possible (similarly away fans booking to come to Wellington should be aware if a game is moved elsewhere). I also discussed the Fiji preseason travel deal and how such arrangements would be sought after if managed correctly - that particular deal was announced on the day with little warning and most seats were snapped up by non members simply booking a holiday to Fiji and not attending any games as a result - a situation that needs to be avoided through planning. The club stated that the situation of last year (i.e. 4 home/away) games was not satisfactory for them either, and that the club is looking to minimize to 2-3 per season.
6. Tifo - Processes for upcoming season and approvals chains etc were discussed.
7. Podcast - Processes for upcoming season and appearances/interviews were discussed