I tend to buy food and drink well before kick off as the queues are too long at HT. 

I do miss having the portaloos by the bank bar this season, would be handy to have a couple there. 

I can't make it Monday night as I am at Forest-Palace but I emailed Ollie (who is organising it) a long list of comments, which were along the following subjects:

Programme - if Epsom & Ewell and Merstham with crowds in the low 100s can do a printed programme, we really should be able to. The amount of adverts it used to have the costs should have been pretty much paid for by sponsors anyway. But if it has to be digital at least make it in a printable format.

Shares issues - for the hundreds of thousands raised there should really be something physical to show for it - the roof on the west end would be the obvious one. And brand it as having been paid for by the shareholders. Then people might be more willing to get behind the (much repeated) appeals in the future. I really do hope the shares money isn't just disappearing in general day to day running costs, esp player wages

Cashless Meadowbank - 1 outlet should take cash IMO, for many it is more convenient. We shouldn't be excluding anyone, this is non league and non league should be taking cash

Club shop - should be somewhere in the town really, there were rumours of it happening but...nothing. Also, the online merch on offer is excellent but people aren't going to pay a fiver postage to get a nice mug. Some items need to be in the stadium shed shop each week (until they are sold, then get other items in the stadium shop.)

Fan survey - did this in the summer, heard nothing since. Would be nice to get some feedback.

New seated stand - might be alone in my thinking but if we got it on the cheap anyway then pay the grand that SFA want for it to be erected, we're still quids in. It's like buying a car then refusing to use it because of the cost of petrol and insurance. Possibly consider putting it in the away end, then the whole Stonegate Stand can be for home fans only - getting fed up with away fans who cant get a seat in the TWO rows they now have then moving across to the home blocks and nicking season ticket holders seats amongst home fans

£60 for replica shirts is too high for a non league club, that is the price at (Premier League) Palace for example. Non league should be the affordable alternative. It doesn't even come with an embroidered badge for that price either.

Food and drink - something needed on the north side of the ground, or the NW corner. Maybe a unit on wheels like the Horsham horsebox?

Season ticket cards - s/t holders really should get a plastic card for what they pay. Not very professional having fans make their own cards so you get numerous different designs, then others (esp old people) having a folded up piece of paper in their handbag or wallet

Those are the things I said to Ollie

I am also aware that smokers/vapers would like to be allowed to smoke somewhere other than behind the Stonegate Stand (eg behind the Bank) - it is a trek for many, esp at half time with the tunnel pulled out, and having to get past crowds who are heading towards the food, drink and toilets

Also are the yellow hatched areas properly kept clear by stewards? Or are stewards not really enforcing keeping them clear?

Reading back the above it sounds like a right old list of moans and groans, but in my view skimping on things like season ticket cards and programmes are a sign the club knows the price of everything but the value of nothing!

For balance - the vast, vast majority of things at the club I am very happy with. Away coaches are superb value, all the video updates Marc does really sets us apart as a club. The website is good. We are getting attendance figures announced again. The online merch range is now very good. The staff and volunteers are a cheery lot.

I get the impression everyone at the club works incredibly hard. It feels like the club are striving to do things as closely as possible to how they would be done at a pro club - that is admirable and not always necessary - people don't expect all the bells and whistles at a local club that typically gets 1400 at home games. 

It is noticeable that the club didn't drop the admission prices when we went down. I haven't personally commented on that because I am on a multi year season ticket deal so am largely unaffected. But I do wonder if it will have an impact on local 'floating' fans? I personally try to get to a midweek game each week, so when Palace/Dorking/England aren't playing I tend to look locally at Merstham, Crawley, Sutton, Farnham or Aldershot. Price IS a factor for me, I have no particular loyalty to any one of those. I suspect the price of admission at DW is an issue for some - they could pay £18 last season and see many former league clubs. Now we expect the same but can only offer Slough, Maidstone or Tonbridge. Some reflection of that, even if only putting the price down on the child tickets, would have been a good idea IMO. When I go to Crawley with my son it's good value. At DW it would be £9 for my teenage son, he is £7 at Crawley, and that is League One football.

I enjoyed reading that to be honest David, some good points in there.

Some kind of club shop would be a very good idea. There’s some wonderful stuff on the site but the postage is quite hefty. I also ordered a winter coat the other month and it took nearly 2 weeks to arrive.

Regarding match day prices, I was surprised it wasn’t slightly dropped. As a non ST holder I pay £27 for myself and my 9yr old boy. Hasn’t obviously put me off but I’ve heard people mention it in passing.

I was in the fan zone Saturday and the bar staff were saying they had a new roof going on this week over the seating area

All good stuff David - could be a long meeting.

I sent Ollie an e-mail to ask if he could make available, at the meeting tomorrow, a printed summary of the feedback from the pre-season survey. I've been moaning for years about the lack of feedback to OUR feedback.

The Focus Group is the ideal forum to review the survey and make recommendations to the management committee.

@dorkingtyke Yes I put a lot of time and effort into my survey reply and not sure if any of it was reviewed at all . Would be great to know if anything was taken on board

As I understand it there will be a large 'sail' (fabric roof) over the Fanzone - the steel girders have already been fitted a couple of weeks ago. 

In a perfect world all of our fans could get a drink in the lounge pre match, at half time and also afterwards

Personally I gave up using the lounge at first team men's matches when we went up to the NL. Most (often all) tables had 'reserved' signs on them and as a result I felt not wanted in there. I appreciate if the club can get sponsors to pay well over the odds for a couple of drinks and a burger on a plate then they cannot turn it down.

I forgot to ask, but if anyone is going, what about the shareholders wall? Wasn't people names supposed to be on display in reception (certainly those over £1k?). And have people received their promised match hospitality? As a gold card holder I am supposed to get one of those a season but I am not sure I can be bothered even chasing it up - apparently last seasons was not very good - no post match food and drink because the boardroom was needed for someone else.

Thanks David.  Good points those. 
I will certainly follow up on the the offer to part- owners. As it stands, I am only the owner of a pretty expensive cap and scarf 😐

Thanks Baggy, don't qualify myself to be on that wall, but a lot of people put in over £1k and it's only right that the club honours the things it promised.

Being a Crawley fan, I only go to other clubs when dates don't clash, so my first game this season (apart from Rushall) will be Maidstone.

Wherever I go food/drink queues are an issue at HT, so I buy before the match or bring my own. 

I also go to Horsham, and like to see  teams I have not seen before, so it depends who is playing. However, I find Horsham much easier to park and £3 cheaper (although I get a concession at Dorking but NOT at Horsham, as I am in the 60-65 age bracket). Horsham sometimes therefore wins if I have seen neither team playing.

With all the reminders I'm getting it looks like Ollie is worried nobody will turn up!

Baggy would it be possible to mention ticket pricing. As a home and away supporter I find the pricing interesting.

I know David has touched on this regarding keeping a similar admission price to last season. I think it would be a good idea to drop prices if bought online by say £2 up to 24 hours before a home game. 

So online price would be say £16 instead of £18. Maybe this would give floating supporters a small incentive to come along on a Saturday or Tuesday.

Obviously the price would then rise to £18 on the day of the game.

A few clubs we have visited last season and this season have this incentive in place,  and even saving a couple of quid on games is worth while imho

Or maybe the club do a 3 game bundle at a small discounted price like they have in the past

Totally accept it is too late now, but I agree Steve - two or 3 match bundles for home games is a great idea, I got my wife a two match bundle at the start of the season and saved a few quid. 

Actually came on here for some clarity on what actually happened at the meeting last night - got some confused messages!!

One person who was there said that 'older fans' wanted no segregation at home games, and that other fans were fuming at the suggestion, and the likelihood that The Bank would be invaded by away fans. (if that is what was proposed then what a bonkers thing to suggest)

Another person there said it was nothing like that, it was a strange exercise where fans had to put questionnaire subjects in priority order according to the fans.

Would be glad of a clear description of events - as you may have noticed I was watching Palace fail to win a game for the 8th time this season lol.

Had another fan give a summary. Apparantly a Guisley/Dorking fan volunteered to host the meeting free of charge as a contribution to DW

He had done it before at Man U and Chelsea and kept reminding everyone of it. Apparently he had a cleft lip and was unfortunately a little difficult to understand 

Fans wanted to use to meeting to suggest things and raise complaints but they weren't allowed to as the meeting wasn't facilitated like that

There was a long list of about 20 topics eg security, f&b, ticketing etc

People were in groups and had to add to the list of topics but that was hard as everything was covered. They had to prioritise the topics in an order of 1-10

People got frustrated as they couldn't share the ideas and comments they had come along with, and a few got frustrated with others having different priorities

Kind of reminds me of meetings at work where the facilitator misses the point and makes it all about how they want it to work

I assume (not being there) that is a fair summation?