United’s last home game against Salford City saw 2,000 fans attend on the day as we became the first club ‘post-lockdown part two’ to welcome supporters into their stadium, albeit under much stricter Covid-19 safety measures.
As part of the match review process CUOSC launched a survey to see how the matchday experience had been received by the most important people in all of this – the fans – and the feedback provided from that has proved to be extremely useful, particularly as we face back-to-back home fixtures against Stevenage and Mansfield in the coming days.
CUOSC secretary Alastair Woodcock said: “We are happy to help the club with fan feedback on this important matter.
“Supporters have indicated to us that they have been impressed with the club’s response to the virus so far.
“If there are any areas to improve on with regard to the match day experience, then we can pick these up from surveys like this.”
Chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “Reviewing the experiences after each game is important in building trust and confidence as we seek to get approvals for more fans to be able to attend games in future.
“It means we can learn and modify arrangements, which is crucial. We are grateful to CUOSC for working on this and to the fans for taking the time to participate.
“I am pleased it will be repeated again so we can track how things change, or how they are perceived to have changed.
“The more fans who take part in these surveys, the more reliable the information and the better decisions that can be made.
“It is all aimed at holding safe matches with the maximum amount of fans attending – which, when it comes down to it, is what we all want to see going forward.”
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Q1: Did you hear PA messages about Covid procedures?
Yes: 57 (79.2%)
No: 15 (20.8%)
Club comment: Tannoy messages will be increased in frequency, particularly at full time.
Q2: Are you aware of the Spectator Code of Conduct?
Yes: 69 (95.8%)
No: 3 (4.2%)
Club comment: Good to see, we will continue to remind fans of its importance.
Q3: Were you aware of the additional temporary toilets on the West side of the ground?
Yes: 39 (54.2%)
No: 33 (45.8%)
Club comment: Awareness low, probably reflecting low usage, but we will continue to remind supporters that these additional facilities are in place.
Q4: Did you feel fans were wearing face coverings as they were required to?
Yes: 63 (87.5%)
No: 9 (12.5%)
Club comment: The need to wear coverings at all times is important, hence this week’s change of club policy.
Q5: Did you feel fans were adequately socially distanced BEFORE the game?
Yes: 65 (91.5%)
No: 6 (8.5%)
Club comment: The fall off at key stages during the game, at half time and at full time was perceived by fans and also noticed by the club. Again, this resulted in this week’s change of policies with regard to face coverings and available ticketing.
Q6: Did you feel fans were adequately socially distanced DURING the game?
Yes: 58 (80.6%)
No: 14 (19.4%)
Club comment: See above, at times of excitement during the game it was perceived that fans tended to bunch together. More frequent tannoy announcements as a reminder, and we need the help of the fans to maintain correct social distancing measures and ensure they remain in place at all times.
Q7: Did you feel fans were adequately socially distanced AFTER the game?
Yes: 45 (63.4%)
No: 26 (36.6%)
Club comment: More frequent tannoy messages at full time as a reminder to fans, and we ask that everybody abides by the instructions made by our stewards and safety staff, and by the fans around them, if extra social distancing measures are requested.
Q8: Did you move around the ground at half time as much as normal?
Yes: 13 (18%)
No: 59 (82%)
Club comment: The message about unnecessary movement has been acknowledged by the fans. This is great to see.
Q9: Did you see communications from the club before the game giving you information?
Yes: 72 (100%)
No: 0 (0%)
Club comment: Great to see.
Q10: Did you think the signage around the ground re: COVID info was adequate?
Yes: 64 (90.1%)
No: 8 (9.9%)
Club comment: We will continually review the positioning and impact of the signage.