The Supporters Trust Board have over the last couple of months been looking at the way in which we communicate with our members. At the moment, our main source of communication has been via the website, the yahoo email loop and notices around the ground and in the local press as well as face to face contact on match days or at monthly meetings, but we acknowledge that we need to build and improve on these processes. Over the next few months we are planning to trial a system of improved communication, using an improved membership database system as a starting point.

The majority of our members now have access to email and the internet. In the summer, as the first stage of this process, we re-designed and improved our website. We have also set up a facebook page as well as a twitter account that feed our news updates from the website. Using these systems, you can set up a Twitter account or facebook account that will send text messages to your mobile phone giving you our news updates or send emails to you. If you need more information on how this can be set up contact paul@bfcst.org.uk or owen@bfcst.org.uk

The new membership database will also enable us to send improved monthly email newsletters. This would be on top of regular emails using the yahoogroups system, which we see as important to get information out.

We acknowledge that for some members do not have internet / email access so we are also looking at other systems. One system is where we can send text message updates out to all our members (or selected groups, if it is just say junior related) if there is something important that we need to communicate, for example if we have to cancel a meeting due to severe weather forecasts or advice of a meeting.

We are also investigating the feasibility of a dedicated telephone system, so that you can contact the trust using a local Barnsley number. As part of this, we can also set up a system where we can put recorded messages out advertising important notices, again advertising meetings seems an obvious example. Both these latter examples would benefit members without internet/email access.

For some of these new communication streams to work, it is important that we have up to date email addresses and mobile phone numbers. If you are concerned that we do not have the correct information, then please email your details to owen@bfcst.org.uk There will always be an option to opt out.

If we can clearly identify those members who do not have intenet / email access we can then send out paper communications to just these people, thus keeping postage costs to a minimum, we currently have over 500 members, and if we were to send out letters 3 or 4 times a year at 35p per letter soon eats into our funds and we would need to look at increasing our membership rates.

If you have any thoughts / comments on this please email the trust at info@bfcst.org.uk 

On behalf of
Barnsley FC Supporters Trust Board