Fan Advisory Board

• Season Ticket holders: Jennifer Ball
• Away match attendees: Mark Silverstein
• International Members: Ryan Saulsbury
• Gold Members: Tim Richards
• Hospitality guests: Chris Wait
• Women’s Supporters Group: Claire Jane-Pope
• Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Group: Sue Maisey
• Disability Supporters Association: Bruce Muirhead
• Proud and Palace: Kate Murray
• Holmesdale Fanatics: Daniel Grant

Present

Sharon Lacey	CPFC	Chief Operating Officer
Julie Brown	CPFC	Chief People Officer
Aaron Duckmanton	CPFC	Chief Marketing Officer
Matt Franks	CPFC	Head of Marketing
Ben Collins	CPFC	Head of Security & Safety Officer
Paul McGowan	CPFC	Head of Ticketing
Nikki Gibbons	CPFC	Supporter Liaison and Disability Access Officer
Sarah O’Connell	CPFC	Executive Assistant
Chris Wait	FAB Hospitality	FAB Co Chair
Mark Silverstein	FAB Away Match Attendees	FAB Vice Chair
Claire Jane-Pope	FAB Women’s Supporters Group
Jen Ball	FAB Season Ticket Holders
Kate Murray	FAB Proud and Palace
Sue Maisey	FAB Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association
Tim Richards	FAB Gold Member
Bruce Muirhead	FAB Disabled Supporters Association
Daniel Grant	FAB Holmesdale Fanatics
Ryan Saulsbury	FAB International Members

Introduction

Success from last FAB meeting

• FAB survey was carried out results shared.
• Proud and Palace flag designed and produced and waved for the first time at the CPFC V Leicester City match.
• Phone chargers now available to Fans on a match day and information on this has been added to matchday notes.
• Club sent out communication on why the move to digital to help fans understand.
• Club been in touch with a tech charity called AbilityNet who help older person or people with difficulties with technology to help.
• Club have improved the communications and information around the Women’s team.
• Proud and Palace 10th anniversary celebrations were held at the CPFC V Tottenham match. Oliver Glasner and Laura Kaminski attended.
• Foundation marathon march was linked with international supporters to mirror the event.

Introduction

Welcomes/Introductions and apologies for absence. Apologies were received from Mike Summers, Chief Executive Palace for Life Foundation.

Matters arising from last meeting.

Club discussed actions from last meeting. Of the 36 actions, 20 had been completed and 16 are ongoing/in process.

Agenda Items

Results of FAB Survey

Club addressed the results of the recent FAB survey highlighting that there was some work to do on communicating how to contact the FAB representatives. It was also noted that the areas they wanted FAB to focus on were ticketing (included on this meeting’s agenda); new stadium developments where the Club hope to have some information to share soon; and diversity and inclusion, therefore the CPFC Chief People Officer and EDI (Equality Diversity and Inclusion) lead were in attendance. Sustainability and sponsorship were other areas to be focused on and the Club agreed they would look at how they can deliver on the areas highlighted.

Club believes these can all be addressed with those in attendance. Club and FAB agreed was difficult to get all points within agenda but the some of them cross over and can be addressed.

FAB asked about the competition draw for the shirt. Club responded that the draw will be done soon and the winner would be announced.

Club summarised that the overall results of the FAB Survey were positive. The Club believes there are some lessons learned on how the Club can elaborate and get more information out of the next survey. Club asked FAB for their thoughts on the survey.

FAB advised they would hold a separate meeting following the results of the FAB to look at and discuss in more detail. FAB suggested each FAB member prepare a short bio on each rep that Club can then send out to each representative’s group/fan base. The FAB agreed to do this.

Club highlighted the results on which FAB representative do you most align with was interesting as 26% responded ‘no one’. Club suggested some research on this.

FAB highlighted there is a lot of perception from the fan base that on one hand it is accepted that the members of the FAB are there for a genuine reason but that for the Club it is still perceived that it is a tickbox exercise and that there is no support from the board for the FAB. FAB advised that the supporter base want to start seeing results. Club responded this perception was a shame especially as there were three pages of actions read out at the beginning of the meeting showing at least 75% have been done. Club agreed to summarise this in the next meeting notes to clearly show successes and that its not just a box-ticking exercise.

Women’s Team

Club thanked Phil Huffer as the previous Women’s team rep and highlighted just how much work he had done for the Women’s team. Club went on to welcome the new Women’s team rep Clare Jane-Pope.

It was announced that a new group of Women’s team supporters had started just over a week ago with over 60 members to date, one of the main concerns of this group being the change to meeting the Women’s team after the match. The information of what is happening and why the players are not coming over to meet the fan base is not being clearly explained and the change in accessibility has not been accepted well. Club agreed to communicate this more clearly and confirmed the decision on how many players are available for autographs has come from the League.

FAB asked about the PA and whether it could be announced over the PA at Sutton when they are in their huddles. FAB said the PA is a medium not used to its advantage. Club agreed this could be looked at.

FAB raised that the big flag arranged by the Club to be put up at Sutton has not been put up. Club were not aware it was not being displayed and agreed to look into this.

FAB asked about clashes with Premier League and asked if Club could develop some sort of policy when there are clashes. Club responded they do not want the clashes either.

PA Selhurst Park

FAB asked about the PA system volume at Selhurst and reported comments from supporters where the PA was too loud in the Holmesdale stand as well as poor choice of music. This then opened up a wider discussion about pre-match music becoming tamer and softer each week. Club reminded that they have been looking at a new PA system and are currently going through the final tender process. Club discussed the difficulties of getting the PA adjusted to the right volume but agreed that more work would be done on this. Club also agreed to look at the choice of music based on the FAB feedback and agreed it should create an atmosphere.

Introduction to Matt Franks and his department

Matt Franks, Head of Marketing, presented a run through of the marketing department. Matt advised it is a team of 20 with the ultimate goal and challenge to ensure that any supporter of the Club, no matter how they engage with us or how often, have the best possible experience.

Club then welcomed questions of which the following were asked:

Q&A With Matt Franks, Head of Marketing

Q1. FAB asked re Palace TV+ and how the engagement had been since having to pay for it.

A1. Club responded that the sales for this had been really strong and explained it’s an opportunity to watch live streams of Academy football and press conferences. Club remarked that the challenge is how to ensure this continues to grow and remain engaging. Club advised there had been three years of increased revenue year on year. Club updated that a new video lead has joined the team that produces original exclusive high-level content, for example the recent ‘my photo album’ feature and has the goal of creating 5/6 a year untold stories.

Q2. FAB asked if Club have a focus group of different age groups of fans.

A2. Club answered that there are no focus groups but they do a lot of analysis of what is working and not working. Club stated it’s important that they appeal to all audiences and supporters. In short, they have not got focus groups, but Club feel it is one they are covering but are welcome to ideas.

Q3. FAB asked if anything had been thought about being done with ex-players who have so many stories and so much interest.

A3. Club responded they want to do more with former players. Club advised there had been some talks over a regular podcast with former players. Confirmed looking at this, want to do more and a Palace podcast is not off the table.

Q4. FAB asked if there is a drive towards more user generated content (UGC) and an opportunity to get fans more involved with some of the content produced. FAB expressed the content Club do is great, particularly the fun stuff.

A4. Club responded that this was done for 100 Years of Selhurst with fans submitting stories. Club agreed that it would look at increasing number of UGC but this would need to be well thought out for longevity and continuity.

Q6. FAB asked about good news stories being published from the fans.

A6. Club agreed fully supportive of this and confirmed it’s the ethos of the Club and these are the stories the Club want to be telling. Club advised to look out for DS Eagles in the festive period.

FAB commented that there has been a real step up on the content for women’s team as the season has gone on and feels the content that has gone out has been amazing. Club thanked for the positive feedback and commented that the new staff have had a real impact on the quality and content on what has been going out recently. FAB feedback that the team photo with everyone in really highlighted that the Club is one club.

Q7. FAB asked if there is a clear marketing strategy for Women’s matches and for The Selhurst Centenary.

A7. Club said yes there is for the Women’s team with ultimate objective to grow the Women’s match team profile and attendees through a number of different ways and speaking with a lot of different audiences.

Q8. FAB asked about the CPFC signs at Thornton Heath station which were very old and had an out of date badge.

A8. Club explained why this was not a quick fix but assured this was something they also wanted to change and that its high on the list.

Ticketing

FAB amended the Club's ticketing agenda to their own points as follows:

Digital Cards and Transfer of Tickets

FAB asked about digital cards and the Club explained that they look at individual activity and when rejecting applications for physical cards, in 9 out of 10 cases it’s because the applicants have used digital previously.

FAB explained known cases where supporters have struggled to operate and use the technology. Club agreed to reach out to anyone struggling with a 1:1 on how to use the ticketing site to transfer tickets etc. Club highlighted that they have a number of supporters collecting reprints and then immediately handing them over to others meaning these tickets are not always falling in the right hands.

FAB explained that they are still receiving complaints. Club responded that there are 14000 using digital tickets without a problem and approximately 3500 matchday tickets going digitally with no complaints. Club stated that the complaints come from when supporters get told they cannot have a physical season ticket card. Club confirmed that there were 2000 applications for cards before the deadline (1st July 2024), 1600 cards were given out, therefore the club were only saying ‘no’ to 400. Club explained that they proceeded with another 600 applications after the deadline which took longer to process as have to process individually and as a result another 400 cards were given out. Club stated there are around 2000 people in total who have been issued with season ticket cards for this season. Club confirmed it is a small minority complaining. FAB mentioned a case where the supporter's phone got wet/damaged and was then unable to upload digital season ticket onto new phone. Club responded that something must have gone wrong as they deal with a lot of supporters who have transferred to new phones. The Club requested that any supporter having this problem get in touch with the box office.

The Club confirmed that, as highlighted in previous meetings with FAB, their intention remains to reduce the number of non-digital tickets issued to supporters over time. At the same time, the Club wants to ensure that it helps supporters with the transition and input from FAB was helpful to show where assistance might be required.

FAB informed Club that they had been made aware of issues relating to the Fulham match where a supporter was having difficulty using the website to resell tickets. Club responded that there were 700 successful resales and a further 200 tickets still available for resale on the day of the match which suggest the system is working fine. FAB raised an issue where a supporter stated they received an error message stating ‘Ticket Not Allowed to Be Posted’. Club advised this was down to Friends and Family not being linked correctly and advised they would publish communication updates and FAQs to help supporters with the resale process, and also reach out to the affected supporter. The Club confirmed that work had been done on the emails sent as part of the ticket transfer process and the FAB confirmed that this seemed to be working better now.

Review Of Loyalty Point System

Club explained that Loyalty Points system is being reviewed for next summer and asked the FAB to speak to their groups to see what they value. The Club acknowledged that they had already received some suggestions from the FAB which will be considered as part of the review.

Ticket Allocation Access For Away Matches

Discussions were held around how supporters get access to tickets to away matches. FAB explained there are lots of times when supporters cannot get a ticket for away matches and that lots of fans would love a fairer chance to get away tickets. Club agreed this was a valid point and explained that Loyalty Points were first introduced as a way of allocating away tickets. Club agreed it had been a frustration for a while and may introduce a ballot for a percentage of away tickets next summer. Club asked FAB to help gather from their groups on how they would feel about a ballot for tickets.

Number Of Visiting Supporters Who Get Access To Seats In Home Areas Of Selhurst Park

FAB asked why ticketing websites were selling tickets in Palace parts of the ground to anyone who is prepared to pay – neither the Club nor Ticketmaster should be doing this and if individuals are doing it then it should be one strike and out. Club responded from a matchday point of view, the club eject anyone seen in an away shirt or anyone that’s reported to, or spotted by a steward or via the matchday text alert number. The tickets are checked and 9 times out of 10, they come from a known Member or Season Ticket Holder. A warning will be issued if the first time; others are banned, and every match there are 200-300 tout tickets cancelled. Club confirmed it’s a difficult situation and are constantly trying to combat it. Club confirmed that any away supporter found in the home end is ejected immediately.

FAB asked whether the matchday text alert number is widely published. Club responded that it’s in toilets, concourses, LED boards, online, on the website, social media that goes out, and it gets used regularly. Every single text goes straight through to the operations team in the control room and is responded to and actioned.

FAB asked about the stewards letting away supporters into home ends. Club reported that Clubs staff are trained and briefed on this and actively look.

FAB asked how many tickets are available to how many Members when buying window opens. Club responded that there are 2500 tickets available. FAB asked if the number of tickets a member can buy should be limited. Club responded that this is in place.  FAB gave an example of a complaint where supporter could only buy one ticket because of different membership tiers. Club responded that the new stand would help with this giving the availability of more seats. Club confirmed for the rest of the season the policy of 1 ticket per member will remain however, considerations as what can be introduced next season are underway.

Box Offices Queues and Waiting Times

Club explained the actions taken on a match day to help prevent this. Staff walk through queues to find out supporters’ situations. Reprint stations were open by entrance 9 with 4 windows, and a reprint station was open by entrance 4 with 5 windows open. It was agreed that the reprint options could be highlighted better.

FAB highlighted difficulties with International Members being able to reserve tickets and the understanding of how tickets are sold in the UK. Club responded that there is an option for International Members to reserve tickets prior to match going on sale. A number of tickets are reserved for International Members. FAB asked if International Members are aware of this process. Club responded yes, but recognised the process of updating the website re reservations could be speeded up. The FAB highlighted that International Members are also obtaining tickets via alternative means, for example taking out Gold Membership. The FAB also asked about adding another International Supporters group to the relevant webpage and the Club agreed to follow this up separately due to time constraints during the meeting.

FAB asked about the exclusive window for Seaon Ticket Holders for Women’s coming out at different time and have a lot of comments with people being at work, missing the window and asked if there is supposed to be a set date that this happens. Club responded there is no set date but it's prior to the week leading up to the match. Club agreed this could be looked at to give clarity and parameters.

FAB asked about young person's Season Ticket and that the jump from Concession to Adult is too high and asked if Club could look into this. Club agreed to raise and look into this.

Women's Safety

Club highlighted the ‘White Ribbon Campaign’ being run by Transport for London (TFL). Club is working with TFL on this which starts on the 25th November. The Club's dedicated match for this will be the CPFC v Newcastle match on the 30th November. Club discussed ideas for Fanzone on matchday and Club asked FAB if wanted to get involved and work with Club on this. The FAB confirmed that some of its members would be very happy to get involved.

EDI

Club will be doing a presentation on this at the next FAB meeting going through EDI strategy and pillars.

Sustainability

Drinking water fountains were discussed again, Club updated that it was committed to getting these in and it's being looked at together with the new stand development for next summer. Club also looking at introducing different waste streams for recycling etc. A sustainability sub-working group will be set up and separate meeting held between now and next FAB meeting.

Introduction

Welcomes/Introductions and apologies for absence. Apologies were received form Co-Chair Chris Wait and Mark Silverstein Co-Chaired in his absence.

Matters arising from last meeting.

Club discussed actions from last meeting. Of the 22 actions, 17 had been completed and 5 were in process with updates discussed as follows:

Club updated that a new Marketing Comms Executive for the Women’s team is now in role and will focus on growing attendance and improving all the Club do around the Women’s team.

Club discussed the development of the free membership launched in schools aiming to build another supporter group of young people and putting more focus on the Women’s team.

FAB fed back that Club could communicate better with regards to the move to digital ticketing. Club agreed they will continue to work to improve the communication and FAB confirmed they would be happy to work with the Club on such communication.

Club thanked the FAB for presenting ideas on how to improve loyalty points. Club advised that they are looking at reviewing what requirements and needs might be. This is being looked into and will be followed up later in the year.

Club updated that they have visited Sutton and are working with them to see ongoing improvements to the facilities. This includes the gantry, signage and fan zone area.

Proud and Palace event was discussed and potential dates to hold will be looked into. Club updated that x2 Proud and Palace flags have been designed and printed and will be ready for the Leicester City game.

Club updated that there are now phone chargers available in the information centre on match days. This information will be communicated in the match day notes.

Agenda Items

FAB Survey

FAB Survey was discussed. Club confirmed a big take up of 1200 answering the survey to date. It was agreed to keep the survey running until Monday 9th September to increase the number of responses, particularly from international members. A reminder will be added to the newsletter on Friday 6th of September with this deadline. Once the survey deadline has closed, Club will share the results and announce the winner of the shirt.

Club summarised results received to date stating that the overall responses were positive about the impact FAB can make. Club recognised that there are opportunities to communicate who the FAB are and how to get in contact with FAB.

Ticketing

FAB requested the Club send out communication on why the move to digital ticketing so fans understand it better. FAB highlighted a charity that aim to help those with IT/Tech difficulties and asked if it was worth looking into. Club agreed to look into this.

Club discussed the card issue and the reason for paper tickets being sent out for Norwich City game. Club agreed that communication could be clearer and confirmed that the intention remains to reduce the number of non-digital season tickets issued season by season. The Club will look at this case by case.

FAB expressed concerns regarding abuse witnessed in respect of, Club’s box office staff. Club confirmed that they will not tolerate anyone abusing a member of staff (in the box office or anywhere else) for any reason and that as a result of recent abusive incidents, security will be present in the box office for the foreseeable.

Women’s Team

FAB asked about loyalty points for Women’s team tickets as loyalty points are not currently in place. Club responded that the preference would be to offer a separate points system to the Men’s Team, and look at loyalty point system that offers discounts on various products for the Women’s Team supporters. Club confirmed they would welcome feedback on this and asked FAB to ask their groups about, what the fan base would like to achieve from loyalty points.

FAB asked what the take up was on the free membership launched in schools. Club responded that there was still some work to do to increase the take up. Current take up is approximately 1000, 250 of which, want to hear about the Women’s team. FAB and Club discussed ideas on how to improve take up including linking more with the foundation and discounted tickets, school partnerships programme, leaflet drops around Sutton, giveaways, trophy tour.

FAB requested the Women’s trophy in the fan zone at Sutton for fans/children to have photos taken. Club agreed this was a good idea.

FAB highlighted the lack of communication and information from the Club for Women’s matches. FAB highlighted that a number of the Women’s team matches had been announced by other clubs and not announced or advertised by the Club. FAB said that key information has been missed such as KO times as well as dates when the league was announced. The club agree that supporters shouldn’t find out information from opposition clubs but also noted the fact clubs should liaise and align on any announcements.

FAB highlighted the lack of communication that there had been no match reports, no trialist or team details of updates on injuries. The Club commented that behind closed doors friendlies are often not covered for a number of reasons. This is consistent with the coverage of men’s games. The Club understands frustrations about lack of match reports for matches that were publicly available. The Club reiterated its desire to improve communications across the board and assures the FAB that a lot of work has been done behind the scenes to ensure the quality is improved – some of which can be seen with communications over the past month.

FAB asked why there was a £3 booking fee for ST holders booking replacement tickets for the Chelsea game. Club confirmed that this was a human error and should not have happened. Club confirmed this error was quickly resolved and FAB agreed and thanked the Club for acting so quickly when this was identified.

Club agreed there is some work to do on communication and apologised for the lack of this over the summer explaining issues such as resourcing and staffing. Club advised that there is a lot of strategic conversations currently going on around the Women’s team and recognise that the Club need to get better on this. Club expressed their apologies to all.

FAB asked why no concessions for Women’s tickets for over 65s. Club responded that it is a very low cost, and they do not want to devalue the product. Club said they are open to suggestions re concession tickets.

FAB asked why the Women’s shirts were not available in good time for the start of the season. Club responded that this was ultimately due to securing sponsor later down the line.

Sustainability

FAB suggested x4 areas as follows:

1. Cup holder
2. Water fountain stations
3. Alternatives to toilet paper
4. Solar panel and power systems

Club responded that all very good suggestions and that the cup holder is being looked into by the retail catering team to trial in x1 area initially. Club like the water fountain idea and discussions continued to include the possibility of waterless urinals, flushing toilets with rainwater. Club explained that alternatives to paper hand towels was a no starter as Dyson dryers are already in place.

International Supporters

FAB expressed that some had been disappointed as there had been no gift with packs this year. Club confirmed a questionnaire had been sent to international fans and the majority responded that they would prefer membership without gift. Club advised they are open to feedback on what international members would like and would reconsider gift.

Club asked FAB to pass on information for any international supporter clubs so that gifts can be sent out to them.

New Stadium Developments

FAB asked for updates and whether there is anything FAB can do. Club confirmed new stadium development is in its early stages but is full steam ahead. Club advised re purposing where Fan Zone will go and asked FAB to bring proposal to next meeting.

FAB Contribution to Centenary

FAB reminded Club that they are happy to help going forward. Club gave an overview of how it was marked on the day as well as ongoing plans such as shooting 100-year limited edition t shirts into the crowds on match days, 100 giveaways over 100 days, Fan stories. FAB responded that they would like to include FAB stories as a feature and Club agreed would work with FAB on this. FAB advised that HF are working on an idea to hopefully be ready for Leicester City game.

Ticket Prices 2025 – 2026

FAB asked if could be involved in ticket pricing discussions. Club responded that when get to this point, Club would be happy to open dialogue with FAB.

A.O.B

FAB asked if a Centenary exhibition is possible and whether fans can contribute to this.

FAB asked what the status was of the wall of the names of the Academy Founder Members which was to feature in the Academy complex. Club confirmed that work on this was ongoing.

Foundation reminded of Marathon March 12th October starting at Selhurst at 7am. FAB responded that could look to mirror this event with international supporters.

FAB asked how Club felt the presence of FAB in the Fan Zone went and asked whether they can do this again. Club said they received good feedback and confirmed happy for FAB to be present in Fan Zone regularly.

Club discussed the blurred line between CPISA and FAB and provided suggestions for how each group could work together to be most effective. FAB agreed they would meet with CPISA. Club also agreed to include at least two agenda items for the next FAB meeting which the Club viewed as being of strategic importance.

Introduction

Welcomes/Introductions and apologies for absence.

Matters arising from last meeting.

Club discussed actions from last meeting (of which there were 26) confirming all but 3 had been completed.

Contact email for FAB Reps required further discussions. FAB suggested setting up an outlook email account so that FAB can monitor and deal with ongoing FAB emails/issues. Club agreed to advertise this once FAB had set up and to direct anything from the CPFC FAB inbox.

Club updated FAB on the current work being done around identifying international supporters. Club advised that there are over 100 supporter clubs, and this is currently being looked at to see which are currently active.

Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct was discussed. It was agreed that FAB would go through these and prepare a written document to provide clarity on what can be shared. FAB will send this to the Club to approve.

Sponsorship

FAB asked the club how sponsors were chosen and what bearing these sponsors have on the identity of CPFC. FAB asked whether the club would be interested in feedback from FAB re sponsors. FAB made clear their hope that having moved away from a kit sponsor connected to the gambling industry the Club should not go back to a front of shirt gambling sponsor. Club advised working through and talking with sponsors and will announce soon the direction the Club is on. Club confirmed they would welcome FAB's insight on sponsors.

FAB asked whether women’s kits will be available in the shop. Club confirmed yes and that the aim is for it to be uniform across men’s and women’s teams. FAB asked if the women’s kit would be available to buy in the club shop even if it had a different sponsor to the men’s kit. The club confirmed that it would be available to buy and that it would include the WSL logo and WSL font for players’ names.

FAB queried why the kit design changes each season. Club explained the reasons behind this which were a combination of supporters liking a change of kit design every season and the commercial benefits of increased kit sales due to the change in design.

FAB queried a centenary shirt to which club confirmed this will feature in the 2024/5 season.

Women’s Team

FAB asked whether hospitality can be open for women’s games. Club confirmed that options for WSL next year are being looked into.

Club confirmed that Women’s games next year more than likely be played at both Selhurst and Sutton ground and will be determined once next season's fixtures are out.

Ticketing

Club discussed again the move to NFC and confirmed that there have been 18000 digital transfers, and the system seems to be working fine. Although there have been a couple of reports of technical issues with certain parts of the transfer process the club have resolved these and continue to work with ticket master to improve the process.

Club confirmed there are still 2000 supporters that remain on cards. FAB agreed to gain advice from their groups on how to go digital. Club stated that this season’s ticket transfer has been the smoothest renewal process Club have had.

Loyalty points were discussed. FAB have agreed to send ideas on how to improve the current loyalty point process to the Club. FAB asked if attending Women’s games will result in loyalty points. Club confirmed this is being looked into.

Palace Free Membership was highlighted by the Club. Club are working with foundation on this and to date 603 have signed up, 200 for the Women’s Team. Club will share information on this new membership with FAB.

FAB asked about ST renewal. Club responded there had been a 94% renewal rate this year and the quickest sell out to date. Club advised that 1000 on the waiting list did not get opportunity to buy ST. They will be top of the list next year.

FAB praised and thanked the Box Office staff.

Stadium and Other Safety Issues

FAB asked why one of the Arthur Wait gates was not open at the end of one of the games. Club responded that on this occasion this delay was due to security but other gates were available.

FAB raised concerns over dangerous driving around stadium after games. Club responded that they have no control over the particular area of road mentioned. Club advised that they have previously requested to extend the Traffic Management Operation and Club confirmed they will follow up with this request.

FAB raised concerns over the safety at Selhurst station and asked at to why more doors could not be open. Club responded that they are working with Selhurst station to see if more doors could be open however, a survey needs to be completed by Selhurst station to facilitate this.

Women’s Team

FAB wanted to send congratulations to Laura and everyone involved from the Women’s Supporters Group.

FAB asked if another add on could be made available to purchase Women’s ST so that it is all in one place. Club confirmed they would look into how this could be synchronised.

FAB highlighted that there had been no notice when Women’s Teams pitch had been water logged. Club agreed would look into this.

Club highlighted again that they wish to build attendance at Women’s Games and that this is where they hope the junior membership comes through. Club want to build and give more options.

FAB asked if the away end at Sutton could be kept for them. Club confirmed they would look into this request.

FAB highlighted that the facilities at Sutton are poor particularly the female toilets. Club confirmed they would look into this.

International Supporters

FAB raised the question as to how to give overseas groups better access to each other, not just focusing on America. Club responded that they are currently looking into who is active/not active to update list and will then be able to update key contacts across the world. Club confirmed they will publicise these groups.

New Stand

Club updated on the current situation being that enabling work has begun. Club talked through the enabling work and advised that the plan is to go out with an article soon as possible to update what is going on.

Sustainability

FAB identified 3 members to take this role on and help improve sustainability. FAB will send ideas to the Club who will then present these ideas at the Clubs next sustainability working group meeting.

Foundation advised they have an environmental working group and it was agreed that FAB, Club and Foundation would all link together on this.

Beer Festival

FAB gave their feedback from the beer festival. FAB raised £100 for the foundation charity. It was suggested a FAB banner could be produced for use on the stand at the beer festival next year and which could also be used if the FAB had a stand in the Fan Zone for certain matches next year. The Club agreed that this would be useful and would investigate getting a banner produced.

Palace for Life

FAB asked how they can get more exposure as a group. Club discussed ways this can be done and agreed to send more information on this.

A.O.B

Views on VAR decision was discussed as well as what the Club does to manage player injuries.

FAB asked if it would be possible to set up an armed forces liaison group. Club confirmed they would be supportive of this.

The possibility of hosting South London Proud and Palace event was discussed. Club and Foundation agreed to get behind this. Details to be discussed.

Proud and Palace raised the matter about the club approving the LGBTQ flag as a guard of honour. This is now being designed by Proud and Palace and will be on display when the players come out subject to Premier League approval.

Introduction

Welcomes. FAB confirmed that Chris Wait and Mark Silverstein had been appointed as FAB Co-Chair and Vice Chair respectively.

Agenda

The group discussed the process for compiling meeting agendas going forward.

CPFC issued a reminder that agenda points for these meetings need to be kept as ‘big ticket’ items; for example, the club’s plans to implement 100% digital ticketing.

Smaller items, which are not within the scope of the FAB role, will be redirected as appropriate.

Meeting Summary

CPFC will produce meeting summaries in conjunction with the FAB. This will be checked and agreed with FAB reps before being published on the FAB webpage.

Webpage Statement

The FAB requested that their mission statement be featured on the FAB webpage so fans can clearly understand the scope of the FAB's role. A request was made for the FAB page on the CPFC website to be more prominent and for it to be made available on the app.

CPFC assured FAB that these requests would be raised with relevant department to implement changes where possible.

FAB Emails

It was agreed that CPFC would initially monitor the FAB email inbox and forward any emails received. This process will be reviewed at the next meeting.

An automatic response will be set up to be sent thanking supporters for their email and advising that it will be passed to the FAB who will respond directly.

FAB Comms to Wider Fan Base

FAB suggested a newsletter on website with FAB email contact. CPFC commented that it was a good way of reaching the supporter base and agreed to support this where possible.

Fan Surveys

FAB would like a survey on a variety of topics to go out before the end of the season.

CPFC to action.

Rep Meeting Frequency

CPFC asked whether FAB had any thoughts on how frequently they would like to have these meetings. It was suggested that there were at least two a season with preference being every two to three months. April 3rd was proposed for the next meeting and FAB reps agreed between them that they were to have their own meeting beforehand.

Communications

A discussion about how CPFC can communicate better took place. CPFC advised it was open to suggestions.

The possibility of using slates on concourse TV screens to promote the FAB and communicate details of the fan representatives was discussed.

CPFC advised the club’s financial annual report will be out in the next few weeks on the website/in the public domain.

Liaison Representatives for All Fan Groups

It was decided that FAB reps were already performing the roles of liaison representatives within their respective supporter groups. It was agreed that the Club’s customer service email address should be used for any concerns that aren’t considered ‘big ticket’ items and therefore wouldn’t be discussed as part of the FAB forum.

Ticketing

CPFC advised that ticket distribution will become 100% digital over the coming seasons. Discussions were held around how the club can encourage supporters to be more comfortable with the move to digital ticketing and how the process of doing so could be made as smooth as possible.

FAB raised concerns regarding away digital tickets, ticket transfer and re-sale. CPFC confirmed that going digital resolves touting issues and tickets getting lost.

CPFC advised that the quickest and safest way sell your ticket if unable to attend is to use the club’s ticket resale platform. Transferring your ticket to a friend is straightforward and can be done online. Step-by-step instructions on how to use both options are available online. CPFC acknowledged that there were the occasional technical issues with these processes and CPFC were working with Ticketmaster to ensure the transfer/resale process was as smooth as possible.

FAB queried why the club was making the move to completely digital ticketing. CPFC advised that there are a number of reasons including clamping down on ticket touts and the time/manpower it takes to get paper tickets packaged and sent out, freeing up Box Office staff to deal with other concerns/enquiries in a timely manner.

FAB stated that one concern raised by supporters in objection to digital ticketing is phones running out of charge resulting in them being unable to access their ticket. FAB identified phone charging stations as a potential solution. CPFC agreed to look into this further.

FAB highlighted that on physical cards there is nothing obvious printed to show the difference between ST and ST+; CPFC agreed to look into this.

Women’s Team

FAB expressed their thanks for the scarf and flags that were left on every away seat at the FA Cup fifth-round game. FAB stated that this was incredible, went down very well and that they were very grateful.

FAB asked if the Women’s Team Information could be displayed directly after the Men’s first-team on the website. FAB explained that it currently sits at the bottom of the drop-down list as follows: first-team, U21s, U18s, CPFCW which looks like an afterthought. CPFC agreed and promised to raise this with the relevant department to better promote CPFCW on the club website.

CPFC agreed to look into building the away clubs' stadiums on CPFC's ticketing site, to enable booking away tickets with CPFC directly for Palace Women’s league fixtures in 2024/25.

FAB advised that the current away ticket-buying process involves having to register with all other clubs in the league. In doing so those clubs then have all contact details and supporters are bombarded with their club comms.

FAB asked if the Women's players' names and numbers could be added to the player list in the shirt-printing area to make it easier for those who wanted a Women player's name and number on their shirt. This will also help to increase visibility of the women's team around the ground. CPFC confirmed they would look into this.

FAB reported a lack of information on social media. CPFC confirmed that this would naturally evolve.

International Supporters

FAB discussed how there used to be an international page on the website for international supporters' groups that were active and contacts for these groups so that supporters in certain areas could be viewed. CPFC agreed that some work could be done around identifying these supporters and reaching out to them. FAB mentioned that multiple cities have multiple meet-ups. FAB confirmed they were happy to facilitate if CPFC contacted everyone in USA and requested they email FAB international Rep and give details of pubs so can send flags etc.

Match Day Park and Ride

CPFC confirmed they have been looking into this since last meeting. A couple of local schools have been identified who are willing to rent their car parks to the club on match days. The next step is to identify transport options to and from parking facilities and the stadium, and planning routes, as well as viable pick up/drop off points around the stadium considering compulsory road closures. More information will be shared as soon as it is available.

New Stadium Developments

CPFC advised that it still plans to begin physical works this summer; there is still lots being done behind the scenes and enabling works, such as clearing existing office space and relocating full-time staff, are currently underway in preparation for a scheduled start date.

How To Handle Minor Issues/Niggles

CPFC confirmed minor issues could continue to be shared via the WhatsApp group, but advised that feedback regarding catering and maintenance issues should be directed to the club’s customer service team, customer.service@cpfc.co.uk , for investigation and resolution.

Proud and Palace

FAB asked for a greater presence at London/Croydon Pride events and asked to have more of a dialogue with the club on this. They also requested the LGBTQ+ progression flag be flown by the flag bearers when the players walk out onto the pitch. CPFC confirmed will look into this.

FAB asked about gender-neutral toilets. Club noted this request.

A.O.B

Issues were brought up between CPFC and HF. CPFC confirmed that banners have not be banned directly by the club, but that concerns had been raised by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the local authority about how they were secured in place. The SAG and Croydon Council specified that they would need to be secured in place by club representatives/external contractors with the appropriate qualifications for them to continue to be displayed.

CPFC confirmed the regulations regarding flags/banners and the need for them to be fire rated. CPFC have paid for and carried out fire-proofing of the existing flags/banners.

CPFC reiterated that pyros are illegal and detailed the dangers of marine flares. CPFC confirmed tighter measures will be in place to identify supporters carrying them on their person and, subsequently, confiscate them at the turnstiles.

It was agreed that better dialogue is needed between CPFC and HF which the club is eager to get underway.

FAB asked whether the club had any plans to hold a “Family Fun Day” to bring supporters together on a non-matchday and hopefully encourage new supporters to join the club. CPFC agreed that they were great events and said they would look into the possibility of reintroducing them, or something similar.

The newly formed Board met for the first time on the 24th of January. For the initial meeting, there was no set agenda and instead, the group used the time to introduce themselves to each other and become familiar with the process going forward.