Operations Director Kelly Derham provides her update for Saturday's programme. Here's her latest notes.
Good afternoon and welcome to today’s game with Port Vale.
We’ll be looking to make it three successive home wins today after good performances against Colchester and Cheltenham. There’s no doubt our home form has been crucial to keeping us in mid-table for much of the season but with players returning from injury and some new faces on board I know Gaby will be pushing for the strongest possible finish to the season.
Talking of Gaby, we will be hosting a Fans Forum with our Head Coach and his assistant on Monday, February 11 at 7pm. All supporters are welcome and I am sure you will find Gaby as open and honest as he has been since he came to the club in September. We look forward to welcoming you all to what is always a popular event.
I’d like to offer the congratulations of everyone at the club to Crawley Wasps Ladies FC on their success in the FA Women’s Cup. They have got a fantastic home tie against Arsenal to look forward to and when the draw was made we did contact Wasps to offer them use of the stadium for the game. We are committed to hosting Brighton’s tie against Manchester United on February 3 but we were flexible. Crawley Wasps have decided to stage the game at their normal home ground at Oakwood and we wish them all the best for the game. Incidentally, Brighton’s game has been brought forward to 12.30pm so people can watch both that match and the Wasps’ cup-tie as well.
All being well, we hope to re-open Devils Delights in the south-east corner today. It will sell a range of souvenirs, scarves and hats from our normal Club Shop range and you will also be able to order larger items of clothing to be collected after the game. We’re also planning a revamp of Devils’ Den, which has been open for nearly two years now, in the next few weeks as well as improving our branding and signage around the Family Area.
We’re also looking at providing more entertainment for families and young fans too, including half-time events on the pitch and opening the ball court so children can have their own pre-match kickabout. This might take a couple of weeks to implement but we should have something in place by the time we play Oldham on February 9.
It’s all part of our strategy to improve the spectator experience. We were very proud to receive the Football League’s family excellence award last year but we are aware that to win it again we have to improve what we offer on a matchday. If you have any experiences, good or bad, or ideas in this area please email me. We always welcome feedback, good and bad!
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for their good wishes after I was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Sussex by etc. magazine. While it’s great to be recognised, I wouldn’t be on the list if it wasn’t for the backroom team at the club who give me such great support and encouragement.
Thanks for your support today
Kelly
