PTFC TRUST UPDATE – January 2019

Wednesday 23rd January, 2019 at 4:27pm

Dear Fellow Supporters,

The supporter trustees at the PTFC Trust committed to providing you with regular updates from our engagement with the Club Board. We met with the Board following their recent meeting and below is some information we hope will be of interest.

Online Ticketing

Acknowledging supporters’ ongoing difficulties, Gerry Britton (GB) spoke to a ticketing/ online proposal having been received from Eventum. A meeting had already taken place with Ticketmaster Sport and Gerry was still awaiting final details from Eventbrite. Current providers, Interstadia, have agreed to carry out upgrading work on the website by end of January. This will give a period to evaluate all options, with a preferred provider to be confirmed in February. Timeline for implementation would see the new set up in place for April, prior to the end of the season, to enable 2019/20 season ticket sales to be included. Given this has been a regular pain point for supporters, we are delighted to see some movement on this which should make the online ticketing process much smoother.

Manager’s Report

The manager said he’s been pleased with the positive impact of the new players brought in during the January window. It has been a positive in terms of remaining unbeaten in 2019. The challenge now is to convert draws into wins. The manager held individual meetings with all players and there has been a positive response to this.

GC related the positive contribution of Graham McRoberts (from Media & Comms team), in the preparation of information available for the coaching staff pre-match. The Club now has a system to provide information, both in relation to current players and future targets. GC is of the view that the benefit of this will really be seen next season.

GC has instigated a reporting process by Club coaches in relation to individual player performance. It enables evidence-based decisions to be made within the football department, helping to give an objective view rather than simply a personal opinion. He also plans to introduce an interactive app that gives information around the wellbeing of the player that will assist staff and player to manage that. GC is pleased with the overall progress of the planning and process of training with all the backroom staff.

The acquisition of Alistair Roy and Lewis Mansell from Blackburn gives different types of strikers, capable of changing patterns of play within games. But the manager is still seeking a further two players, including an experienced striker, in this window.

GC has been pleased with the new physio set up and the impact from Colin McLelland. Apart from long term injuries, there have been no further soft tissue injuries, which indicates that Carlos Valenzuela’s work in injury prevention is having a positive impact. Physical outputs from players continues to improve across the board.

Commercial/Events

Dools’ induction into Hall of Fame – the Board have decided to induct Kris Doolan into the Hall of Fame – the first player still playing for the Club to receive that honour, in recognition of his 10 year service to Partick Thistle. The induction will take place in the Alan Rough Lounge on Sat, 16 March. Format will include; introduction from Robert Reid, Dools selecting his 10 best goals, team mates speaking to their experiences of Dools, trophy presentation from the Chairman and guest speaker, Chic Charnley. The event will cost £45 per head (£35 for season ticket holders). Not to be missed event so get it in your diary!
Itison – Match day packages were sold on Itison for the Stranraer and Queen of the South matches. This pilot was an attempt to attract additional income during the month of January, which we anticipated would be slow sellers. The package involves a drink in the Alan Rough Lounge on arrival, a pie at half time and a match day programme for £29. Of the 150 places available, over 120 were sold. (Itison take 25% on each place sold).
Sponsorship – Discussions have begun with Club’s main sponsor, Just Employment Law, for season 2019/20. Discussions are also being pursued with Energy Check over extending the current deal covering the naming rights for the Stadium.
Buy a Tile Scheme – The scheme has been well received by supporters during the month it has been up and running. 93 new tiles have been sold, 76 for the Jackie Husband and 17 for the John Lambie Stand. Just under 100 of the existing 596 brick holders, have been in touch to intimate where they would like their new tile positioned. Further tiles will be released on a regular basis throughout the season. An unveiling ceremony to be arranged, most likely, prior to the Ross County match on 23 February.
Pitch rental – On the back of successfully hosting a number of games at the request of the SFA, the Club has been asked to host two under 17 international matches during March and 4 Women’s under 19 internationals are also due to be played in July. These will bring additional revenue to the Club.
Total Teamware – The Club shop opening throughout December seems to have been relatively successful.
Nostalgia Cases – GB stated that the mobile phone cases being sold by Nostalgia were continuing to prove popular.

SFA/SPFL

As yet the Club has no confirmation of a schedule for the live Friday night games due to be shown on BBC. There is a meeting scheduled with BBC 29 January.

Partick Thistle Women’s Football Club update

Thistle Weir Ladies will play the coming season as Partick Thistle Women FC for the first time. A new Club has been set up and will be run by a committee. Ross Quaile will be in charge of sponsorship income. Finances for the season have been allocated from the TWYA budget. It is great to see that, for the first time in the club’s history, there will a Women’s team using the full PTFC name!

Supporter Engagement

Junior Jags – 151 Junior Jags memberships have now been sold. A number of initiatives are planned and ongoing, including pre match Academy coaching sessions. There will also be a Junior Jags event in the New Year, in which all Junior Jags will play against the First Team, in a fun event at the Stadium.
Kids go free – There’s been a steady flow of under 16s to the matches so far this season. There will be a drive to increase under 16 season ticket holders, for tracking and evaluation purposes.

Hospitality Update

The newly appointed Hospitality Supervisor, Grant Gallacher, has had a positive impact on the Hospitality department, with increased bookings. A number of initiatives are underway, including new funeral packages now available and circulated to local funeral directors. Unfortunately, the Club’s previous catering provider, Encroute, went into administration recently, so this has led to trial periods for two different companies arranged over the coming weeks. A decision about the preferred supplier will be made thereafter.

TWYA

Feedback from all concerned with the recent Academy Awards event has been very positive. The girls and women’s programme are both now located together at Lochinch. This gives visual effect to the female pathway in operation. Ross Maitland has been appointed as the Head of Sports Science and Medicine, to replace Carlos, in light of his promotion to the first team squad. This provides welcome continuity, as Ross has been involved with the Academy for a number of years.

Individual development plans that have now been put in place for all the Academy players. This will enable individual coaches to specifically mentor a number of players and give them concise development feedback on an ongoing basis.

Chairman’s Update

Introduction of Former Players’ Association – It was proposed to initiate a former players’ club. This proposal would ensure that the Club engage with a number of former players, who still have a great affection for the club and are held in high esteem by the supporters. This group would meet together socially and regularly but would also engage with the Club to attend events and match day hospitality. A small committee is being formed and Club Director, Brian Donald, will lead on this initiative.
Establish Academy Club Board Liaison Official –The chairman gave us detail of a proposal to establish an Academy Club Board liaison official. This would aim to strengthen relations between the Academy and the football Club. It would establish a more visible presence at Academy functions and matches and facilitate relationships with prospective apprentices and their family. Director Ian Dodd will lead for the Club.

This was the end of the update provided by the Club Board which was followed by a discussion around various topics raised by the Supporters Trustees:

Training Facility – The Supporters Trustees asked for an update regarding the training facility after requests from supporters who were looking for an update. The club reported that Three Black Cats has advised there is potentially a planning delay at the council’s end and will update shortly. This will not change its commitment to the club and the training ground.

PTFC Trust/Jags Trust – Feedback from supporters indicated confusion regarding the respective roles of the PTFC Trust and the Jags Trust, both of whom have shareholdings in the club. The PTFC Trust has previously contacted the Jags Trust to discuss a closer relationship, this approach will be made again in the near future with an update to follow.

Board Membership – There has been feedback from supporters regarding the absence of a PTFC Supporter Trustee on the club Board. In common with the majority of Scottish clubs, there is no direct supporter representation on the Board. It was acknowledged that since the establishment of the PTFC Trust, there has been a much closer link to the Board. This has developed extensively over the last year and supporters, through the PTFC Trust, now arguably have the closest connection to the club board that there has ever been. Board members now meet formally with Supporter Trustees following monthly Board meetings. Extensive feedback is given on the work of the Board and Supporter Trustees are able to provide input from supporters directly to the Board. It was agreed that it is important that supporters know they have a route to the Board via the PTFC Trust and that the supporter trustees and the club will continue to encourage fans to engage with the club via this vehicle. The topic of a supporter trustee having a seat on the club board is likely to continue to be asked and it should be an agenda item that we will return to.

Co-Opted Trustees – Following the recent invitation for eligible supporters to nominate themselves to become a Co-Opted Trustee of the PTFC Trust, these applications were discussed with an announcement to be made in the coming weeks.

PTFC Trust Pop Up – The supporter’s trustees have been in the concourse of the Jackie Husband Stand at the past two home games, this will continue throughout the rest of the season with the location varying between JHS/JLS & the Aitken Suite. Please come say hello and have a chat with the trustees!

Trust Deed – This should be available to view on the PTFC Trust page of the website by the end of January.

A further update will follow next month. As always, please get in touch with us if you have any comments or questions via or via our Facebook/Twitter pages: @ptfctrust.

Andrew Byron

Vice-Chair, PTFC Trust