The Mags Are Alright - NUFC Young Supporters Workshop

Grace Laidler was at the latest fan engagement event this week at St James', aimed at young supporters. Here's what went down.

On Tuesday night this week, Newcastle United hosted a Young Supporters Workshop, inviting a number of 18 to 25 year-old fans to voice their opinions about the football club. The event, the first of its kind in the Premier League, saw around 80 people sat in small groups in the Bob Moncur suite at St. James’ Park. They were accompanied by members of the club’s supporter services team, grateful to be away from their growing pile of Wembley enquiries.

This is a familiar set-up for anyone who has attended one of these fan workshops before. One improvement from the last time I went to one of these was that they offered free drinks vouchers (I initially got a lemonade, but there were some vouchers left so I indulged myself with a pint).

Another improvement was that, before the event officially started, Callum Wilson made a surprise appearance. He participated in a short Q&A session with a member of supporters services, covering his career, his current fitness and highlights from his time at Newcastle. He came across as likeable and directly addressed the room when advising us as young people to have self-belief in whatever we pursue.

After Callum left, two representatives from key supporter groups were introduced – both coincidentally called Thomas. The first, Thomas Concannon, is the network manager for the Premier League, from the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA). He is an active member in Wor Flags and has a season ticket in the Strawberry Corner. The second, Thomas Symonds, is the Young Person/Under 25 fan representative for the club’s Fan Advisory Board. He has started a WhatsApp group for under 25 year-old fans to discuss their views on the club. Both men invited the supporters to feed back anything they wanted to pass on to their respective supporter groups.

When the main part of the workshop commenced, the tables discussed three key topics: the challenges faced by young supporters, their personal matchday experiences and their support for Newcastle United Women. Every table was allocated 15 minutes to discuss each subject, then the services team chose three tables to answer one each. This saved more time, as previous workshops tended to ask every table to give feedback on every topic, but it would’ve been more representative of the fanbase to hear what everyone thought, as opposed to a handful.

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In terms of the challenges that young supporters face, the table that fed back gave four answers. They believed that it feels impossible for young fans to build up their away points, as they do not have as much experience as their older peers, and the spot checks meant they couldn’t borrow tickets as easily.

They criticised the ballot system, arguing that there should be an algorithm that stops certain fans winning multiple tickets in a row when some barely win any. There was a feeling of despondency when it came to the value of a membership, and a suggestion for considering postcodes when allocating tickets. When discussing the cost of these tickets, the table theorised that the concession age should be raised from 21 to 25 and that there should be a price freeze for three to five years.

They believed that there should be more clarity from the club when it comes to communications about a possible new stadium. Their position was ‘don’t move, unless it is necessary’ and if we do move, there shouldn’t be an increase in corporate seating.

Moving onto another table, the room heard their thoughts on their matchday experiences and how it could be improved. They praised Wor Flags first and foremost, but also the clock showing the additional minutes instead of stopping at 90, the variety of choices on the concourse food menu, the accessible entrances, the half-time live acts, and the placement of the turnstiles underneath the stands to generate atmosphere. Oh, and they loved winning.

The improvements they suggested were to have live acts perform on a weekly basis, higher nets on shooting drills, turning the music down because it drowns out the fans’ singing, playing more upbeat walkout songs, lowering the price of the food, improving the seating, showing videos of the players in the tunnel and stats on the big screen, and announcing the line-up over the loud speaker earlier.

Finally, it was my table who gave feedback on our support of Newcastle United Women. Two fellow fans are current season ticket holders for the team, praising the food options available and the ability to drink in the stands. In order to attract more supporters, we suggested that travel to Kingston Park should be included within a Magpie Mover pass, as the extra journey from Newcastle to the stadium is a deterrent to many fans. We considered the possibility of hosting more games at St. James’ Park, but the high proportion of families attending creates a flatter atmosphere that also puts fans off.

The last point that was read out was actually mine, which was that Newcastle United Women deserve their own ground. It doesn’t have to be a huge one, but they deserve to not be an add-on to a men’s team that don’t even play the same sport. The advertisements in the toilets should read out their fixtures and there should be a dedicated club shop to just their team. It’s a long way off yet, but the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea Women reach high attendance figures at their Women’s Super League games. If you want to build a new stadium, that’s the one you should build.

Overall, it was a pleasant evening that went very quickly. I’m not so sure the efficiency was a good thing, but it was a positive experience listening to similarly-aged fans to myself. I don’t know how much the club will genuinely take into consideration after this event, as I always tend to go into these workshops with a cynical view. But tonight, it provided an outlet for my voice to be heard; I just wish I’d heard everybody else’s too.

Grace Laidler @gracewillhuntin