SAFC are partnering with supporters’ group the Red and White Army (RAWA) to find out fans’ opinions on a variety of matters relevant to their matchday experience.
A special survey will cover a wide range of issues that come into play during a home fixture - from atmosphere and identity to beer and burgers. SAFC has co-ordinated with RAWA in framing the questions that need to be asked, and the club has committed to implementing as many of the findings as is practical.
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RAWA chairman Andrew Hird said "We're very impressed with the club's willingness to engage with supporters. Right from the off, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven have illustrated their determination to work alongside fans. As soon as they took over, they were quick to approach the Red and White Army to begin what we hope will be a healthy relationship.
“I hope the survey will mark the first of many initiatives we work on together that will allow supporters to have meaningful input into the running of our club. The matchday experience is such an important issue that it should be natural that it is fans that help shape that.
“We can only do that by working with the club in an honest and representative way and this survey is a great tool to do exactly that. It's about garnering ideas and inspiration from those that know their club best and finding the common ground with our new owners to make things happen for the benefit of all supporters."
Charlie Methven said "Stewart and I are football fans. We know very well what it means to pay to go to matches, as that is what we have been doing on weekends for most of our lives. That matchday experience can either be awful, decent or brilliant. Too often, British football clubs are insufficiently determined to make it brilliant and we think that is a waste.
“One of the joys of taking over at Sunderland AFC is being able to put into practice things that we have always believed in. Involving SAFC fans as a constituent part of the club, rather than as mere paying punters, is a strongly held belief of ours. Put simply, we are more likely to take the right decisions, if our fellow fans have been involved in actually making the decision.”
Once the results of the survey are collated by RAWA, Donald and Methven will sit down with the group’s leaders to work through each and every conclusion and see how many of them can be put in place as swiftly as possible. Methven added: “It goes without saying that the performance and result are very influential in how much we all enjoy a day at the football. It’s not the only aspect, though, and we cannot control it. What we can do is ensure that everything possible is done to make the rest of the day out as fun and authentic as possible. That is what this survey is all about, and we’d like to thank RAWA for partnering with us to deliver it.”
The Red and White Army Supporters survey is now open and you can have your say here!