Supporter Committee: Meeting One Notes

Watford FC is pleased to provide a summary of the matters discussed at the first Supporter Committee meeting.

These redacted notes from the March 31 gathering have also been circulated among attendees, who are welcome to expand on what they heard when chatting with fellow supporters. All we’ve asked of them is that details which are commercially sensitive or otherwise confidential are not shared – with a Memorandum Of Understanding provided to set out expectations of all parties present.

To join the discussion and have your chance to provide feedback and ask questions, please email supporters@watfordfc.com. Everyone is welcome. There is no criteria other than you are prepared to engage in reasonable and considered debate and accept that some of what is said at any particular meeting cannot be placed into the public domain for reasons of confidentiality or commercial sensitivity.

Academy - What more can be done to bring players into the first-team?

• An area where shortcomings readily acknowledged. The Academy leadership team (Richard Johnson & Jimmy Gilligan) are now meeting directly with the club’s Owner & Board, having a far greater voice and influence as to which players are genuine contenders and should be part of first-team squads in future seasons.

• On a related note, the pathway message is key to success. Players need to believe they can actually play if they stay here. If the pathway isn’t clear enough, then players understandably take financial reward elsewhere, with no better guarantee of senior involvement.

• Renewed focus is key; if you’re a Watford supporter or live locally, then making Watford the only place you’d want to come and play is paramount; the emotional connection and the clear pathway to the first-team.

It seems as though this season is a repeat of mistakes from the last relegation season, including changing of managers?

• Acceptance of the need to have stability with a Head Coach. Some previous decisions are, with the benefit of hindsight, a matter of regret.

• Other explanation was provided around a change of focus in the investment in support staff behind the Head Coach while continuing to strive to employ best-in-class medical and sports science practitioners.

• Analysis of the playing squad and recruitment decisions was also provided, with the acceptance there are no guarantees or certainties when some decisions are taken.

• Remembering who we are as Watford – what the club stands for and how it can be expected to operate with the aim of long-term stability while being as competitive and ambitious as possible – is important with regards to managing expectations and acknowledging learnings from the past.

What are the consequences of potential relegation?

• The possibility will always exist for clubs outside those at the very elite level of the division. No one wants it but planning has to account for the possibility of it happening.

• In terms of what the club stands for in the town, its work with the local community and the hospital and its support for the activities of its Community Trust then nothing changes and we seek to develop further in all those areas.

• On the field, players will only depart should it suit the club.

• The Owner & Board’s desire is driven towards the success of the club; to win things, ultimately, and to create memories and moments for supporters to cherish.

How badly did relegation and Covid affect club finances?

• Resilience shown during relegation in a difficult year with the effect of Covid also at large. Paying players Premier League salaries for 14 months with little or no income a serious challenge.

• Turnover drops massively when outside the Premier League; losses able to be offset by sale of two loan players which accounted for 50 per cent of the profit realised on the player trading account.

• Decisions taken in a risk/reward strategy about which players to retain to help secure an immediate Premier League return.

• Debt and its management is part of modern football, similar to mortgages in domestic arrangements. The long-term plan is to be debt-free. Everyone works with leverage, and risk management is at the core of the club’s financial culture. Although not an item written down in accounts, the market value of the playing squad is high and this provides comfort to financial institutions.

• Outside investment would always be considered, in order to help add value in all areas and grow the club.

Is there a genuine desire to leave Vicarage Road in the longer-term?

• Preference is to stay and develop the stadium further, with a second tier of the SEJ Stand the primary aim and a matter of when not if. Because the site is extremely challenging due to being locked in on all sides, it means alternative options which makes sense in terms of land and economics should always be at least considered – although no firm proposals have ever been officially put forward.

Is there any way we can get away from gaming firms and crypto currencies being our main sponsors?

• No other options at the moment make better commercial sense, although argument accepted about the morality issue attached to their presence and that’s one to be regularly revisited.

‘Inside The Hive’ hasn’t connected with supporters like ‘Hive Live’ did, so can we move to more fan-led interactions with players?

• Absolutely accepted. ‘Hive Live’ a one-off during the Championship season with Covid restrictions meant very few constraints were applied to clubs around to whom they could broadcast matches.

• Commitment to discussing how fan broadcasts and publications can get better access to put across the human side of professional footballers to engender better connection with supporter base.

Why is the club offering unpaid internships?

• Internships offered are strictly to under-graduates as industry placements to form part of university degree courses. All expenses covered. Both parties benefit from such arrangements.

• Not unusual within this and other professional sports. Invaluable experience for students, whose roles are in addition to paid workforce not substitutional. Some ex-interns return to club in paid roles after graduating, evidence of how important industry experience can prove.

Other Matters Discussed

• Family Stand location challenges
• Stadium facilities
• Hornets Ambassadors
• Women’s Football
• Watford FC’s Community Trust