Meeting of the CITY TILL WE DIE Hull City action group
Wednesday 9th October 2013.
Groups represented
Amber Nectar, City Independent, City ‘ulltras, not606 Fans Forum, Tigerlink, Tiger Chat, Tigers Co-operative
Attendees
C.Ball, F.Beill, M.Beill, C.Cooper, A.Dalton, K.Ellis, M.Gretton, R.Harmer, P.Johnson, A.Medcalf, P.Mills, K.Ogram, M.Scott, R.Skelton & I.Waterson.
Sub-Groups
Audio/Visual Media – A.Dalton, M.Gretton & P.Mills
Membership - P.Mills, P.Johnson, C.Ball, R.Harmer, M.Scott &C.Cooper
Social Media – A.Beill, I.Berriman, J.Greenwood, A.Medcalf, K.Ogram & M.Scott
Written Press – I.Berriman, P.Johnson, L.Motherby, K.Ogram, M.Scott, R.Skelton & I.Waterson
1.Welcome
P.Johnson opened the meeting. P.Mills suggested a cap of 15 mins per topic. All agreed to take a majority vote on any action not agreed after 15 mins of discussion.
2.Review of the minutes / action points
The minutes of the 28th September meeting were accepted as a true record.
Action points from the previous meeting:
1.A donate link on the website is urgently needed. – This has been done.
2.Order another 3000 badges. – This has been done.
3.Order “1904” leaflets for Aston Villa and get a quote for something slightly bigger on card. – This has been done.
4.L.Motherby will draft a Press Release and “press gang” will assist and approve. – This has been done.
5.The first email is to be sent out to the mailing list and added to the website once published. – This has been done.
6.Ask J.Lynch to send a one off email to all who signed the online petition inviting people to sign up for the mailing list for future updates. – This has been actioned and is ready to be sent.
7.Media interaction to be added to the main website as well as the social media groups. – This has been done.
8.L.Motherby and R.Skelton to collate an FAQ of comments faced so far. – This has been drafted. R.Skelton to send to entire group for approval.
9.C.Cooper was tasked with pricing up a giant flag. – This has been done.
10.The group are to ensure that any licence required to sell merchandise on the approach to the ground is obtained. – This has been investigated. A nationwide pedlar’s license costs £12.50 and is required by each individual. A “peddling” sub-group is to be created.
11.K.Ellis tasked with drafting an early day motion that will be sent to Alan Keen at the All Party Football Group. – This has been drafted and submitted to the group for approval.
A.Medcalf has created an action register to collate all actions from the meetings and those agreed by email between meetings. A.Medcalf to send everyone directions on how to access and maintain the register.
P.Johnson handed a copy of the Facebook stats around the group as provided by I.Berriman. There were 374 new “likes” on the page in the 7 days up to Monday 7th October. Facebook posts reached 20,863 individuals in those 7 days, 193 comments were left and posts were “liked” 1,146 times.
3.Review Saturday (Aston Villa)
Prior to the Aston Villa game 9,000 “1904 City Till We Die” cards were handed out around the ground and fans were asked to join in a chant of “City Till I Die” 19:04 minutes into the game. A further 3,000 “No To Hull Tigers” badges were also distributed.
M.Beill said it wasn’t quite as good as last time (West Ham).
F.Beill found there was a bit more resistance to the leaflets.
M.Scott thought it was fine if you told people it was a new leaflet – they then took one.
K.Ellis felt people were a little more resistant because they now know what we are about but said it wasn’t a significant amount.
M.Gretton suggested it could be a bit of “leaflet fatigue” and we should avoid it for a while.
M.Scott noted that there were more leaflets on the floor than before but still not many. He felt it had been a successful two weeks but it was time to move on from leafleting.
I.Waterson felt it had been effective but would lose its effectiveness if continued. It has been a terrific way to get our message across.
P.Mills asked if everyone agreed that it was time to move on from leaflets. All were in favour.
P.Mills felt the badges were a success again.
K.Ellis added that people were still coming looking for the badge.
Everyone ran out of badges again.
It was discussed at length whether another run of the badge was necessary.
P.Mills asked if people thought the “City till I die” chant was successful.
I.Waterson thought it was the loudest chant of the game.
M.Scott felt it was a success.
P.Mills thought it would be a slow burner. A.Medcalf added that it has the chance to grow at away games.
K.Ogram didn’t think it was very loud from the South Stand.
K.Ellis felt we got good support from the Aston Villa fans and suggested we contact Everton fan groups ahead of the next game to ask for their support.
P.Mills suggested we contact the opposition before each game to spread the message.
P.Johnson and C.Ball agreed to take on the task of contacting fans’ groups. M.Scott and social media group are to spread the word through Twitter. M.Scott felt we needed a stock message to send.
P.Mills addresses the media interest in the campaign.
M.Scott felt there is growing media interest.
P.Mills was pleased that many of our voices have been heard on radio and TV shows in such a short space of time.
The group would like to recognise and thank N.Johnson and I.Berriman for the work they did on designing and arranging distribution of the press release.
C.Cooper pointed out that two youngsters were asked not to distribute leaflets by KC Stadium stewards on Saturday. They pointed out that they were on public land.
No-one else had any issues with ground staff or police.
The group assessed the overall reaction to Saturday. The feeling is that the reaction was overwhelmingly supportive of the campaign.
Local radio station WHCR recorded “voxpops” of numerous supporters as they approached the ground. With their permission, these are to be added to the CTWD website and linked along with the minutes.
4.Meeting with Dr. Allam
K.Ogram said that the last email received said the meeting was to be arranged by A.Lord at Hull City AFC. No date has been set.
It was agreed that a meeting focussed specifically on preparation should be arranged once a date is confirmed.
C.Cooper has made further contact with Dr. M.Clark at the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) to discuss this development.
The FSF remain supportive. C.Cooper suggested we add a link to the FSF on the main section of the CTWD website.
C.Cooper also asked that A.Jacks at the FSF be copied on all future press releases. R.Skelton is to pass the information on to I.Berriman.
M.Scott suggested we invite A.Jacks to a future meeting. This was agreed.
5.Next Steps
•Creation of a Membership Scheme
K.Ellis suggested an inaugural open meeting to start registering members of the group.
M.Scott agreed it was a good idea but felt it shouldn’t be rushed. M.Scott suggested aiming for mid-November to give us time to draft a constitution and agree associated requirements and privileges.
C.Cooper felt this was an important next step.
F.Beill suggested it happen before a home game as in his experience that is when meetings are best attended.
K.Ogram suggested forming a sub-group to take on the task.
P.Mills, P.Johnson, C.Ball, R.Harmer, M.Scott and C.Cooper volunteered to form a membership sub-group calling on I.Thomson for legal help.
•Community Asset Register
M.Scott explained how Ipswich Town fans had registered Portman Road as a community asset.
C.Cooper has experience of this through work with Supporters Direct. He felt this was a good idea for lower league clubs but suggested it’s not well received at the top level because it can stop clubs developing the stadium.
K.Ellis has looked into whether this covers anything further than the ground.
C.Cooper suggested we look into asking if it can be extended to cover badges and names. C.Cooper to look into this with the FSF.
•Merchandising
C.Cooper has a quote of £520 for the giant flag (25’ x 12.5’) minus any discount he can negotiate. The flag will have an amber background with the badge in the middle and “CITY” above and “TILL WE DIE” below with lots of room for fans to sign it.
Treasurer A.Dalton confirmed that funds are available to cover the cost.
It was agreed that C.Cooper should place the order.
M.Scott listed merchandising suggestions that have been sent in via the Twitter account. Ideas that were discussed but are not to be progressed included balloons, player sponsorship, key rings, hats & gloves, an exclusive car number plate (to be auctioned), Christmas cards and a stall at Hull Fair.
M.Scott passed on an idea from the Twitter account to purchase Car window stickers. A majority were in favour of his idea. A quote is to be obtained.
Another idea from the Twitter account is to hire a billboard. A.Dalton has looked into this but it costs around £800. A.Dalton suggested a motorcycle trailer instead that could be parked where allowed or driven around.
The suggestion from the Twitter account of a one-off fanzine was suggested.
I.Waterson wasn’t convinced that a fanzine is still an effective medium for our message.
K.Ellis suggested an E-Magazine instead. Something that could be e-mailed or downloaded through the CTWD website.
P.Mills suggested the one-off fanzine could be funded by advertisements.
R.Skelton thought this was a lot of work on top of the time we are already committing.
C.Cooper asked why we shouldn’t just make more of the CTWD website by adding the sort of content we’d have in a magazine to the site.
P.Mills suggested we sell advertising space on the CTWD website as a way to raise additional funds for the campaign.
R.Skelton thought we should focus on fans. The fans have supported us through donations. We should focus on working for them through our activities and CTWD website.
The discussion returned to the badges. A majority voted in favour of producing another 3,000 badges with the same design. A.Dalton will order them.
P.Mills suggested a special edition of the Hull City Fans Forum where we address fans’ concerns live. This is to be recorded on Friday 18th October.
M.Scott will poll our Twitter followers for questions they feel should be answered.
R.Skelton asked for an update on the scarves.
C.Cooper said that there are a small number of scarves available immediately for collection.
We had an offer of assistance in setting up a web shop from S.Farrow. K.Ogram will ask if he can progress this.
R.Skelton will take on responsibility for processing and posting all scarf orders. I.Berriman offered a batch of envelopes to the group. R.Skelton will liaise with C.Cooper to have the scarves delivered and with I.Berriman to arrange the envelopes.
A.Medcalf will ask J.Greenwood to link to the web shop, once set up, from the CTWD website.
•Profile Raising
I.Waterson suggested we need an ex-Tiger as a figurehead.
A.Dalton is working on getting a high-profile ex-Tiger involved in the campaign.
It was suggested that we ask other ex-Tigers, who have previously expressed their dislike for the name change on Twitter, if we can have a formal quote in writing or a short interview to use for the campaign.
A.Dalton will ask J.Richardson if he could take on this task via Twitter. P.Mills will liaise with J.Richardson to arrange interviews if agreed.
•Group activity
The group discussed whether communication outside of meetings by email is acceptable. It was felt that now things have calmed down a little, it is easily manageable.
K.Ogram asked that people try to reply to the original email instead of editing the subject and splitting the thread too often.
M.Scott asked if the sub-groups could be minuted.
6.Finances
A.Dalton has a dedicated bank account for group funds.
A.Dalton will set up a new PayPal account linked to the group bank account.
A.Dalton received a donation of £60 collected by K.Ellis.
A.Dalton reimbursed K.Ogram for the money spent on sending badges around the world.
Accounting for the giant flag and the new run of badges, group funds are just short of £200.
A “donations drive” during the international break through Amber Nectar, CTWD website and Twitter was suggested.
7.Date of next meeting
Wednesday 23rd October (Provisional)
8.AOB
C.Cooper has had requests from younger members that CTWD use Snapchat for updates. Social Media group will look into this.
C.Cooper has had a call from the company producing the Wristbands to ask if they are going ahead. This was agreed. M.Scott felt an 80/20 split between adult/youth sizes was appropriate. This was also agreed.
R.Skelton passed on an idea that we host a fan wall on the CTWD website for fan comments. It was felt that this may need too much moderation.
M.Scott reported the key numbers from the Twitter stats.
•Retweets from the @NoToHullTigers account reached approx 99,300 accounts in the last 7 days (497,000 since account started).
•Mentions from other users of the @NoToHullTigers account reached approx 152,000 accounts in the last 7 days (500,000 since account started).
•Mentions of the hashtag #NoToHullTigers reached approx 782,000 accounts in the last 7 days (1,380,000 since account started).
These are to be copied to J.Greenwood for the CTWD website.
K.Ellis suggested these impressive numbers should form part of the next press release.
A.Medcalf handed around some viral graphics designed by A.Beill that the group thought were very good. Social media group are to tweet them on Friday.
R.Skelton suggested a viral graphic showing our “Pro-Allam, against name change” stance would be appropriate. A.Medcalf to discuss with A.Beill.
M.Beill explained to the group that uniform support has not been sought from the Tigers Co-operative due to lack of response so they cannot financially support the group.
P.Johnson passed on an offer of smaller “official” group flags received via Facebook. It was felt that this is a good idea for the future but the group will concentrate on the giant flag for the moment.
I.Waterson suggested that we do more to get fans’ photos on the CTWD website and also create a Google maps link for fans around the world to update. A.Medcalf is to ask J.Greenwood to assist.
No further business.
Agreed action points
1.L.Motherby and R.Skelton to collate an FAQ of comments faced so far. – This has been drafted. R.Skelton to send to entire group for approval.
2.The group are to ensure that any licence required to sell merchandise on the approach to the ground is obtained. – This has been investigated. A nationwide pedlar’s license costs £12.50 and is required by each individual. A “peddling” sub-group is to be created.
3.A.Medcalf has created an action register to collate all actions from the meetings and those agreed by email between meetings. A.Medcalf to send everyone directions on how to access and maintain the register.
4.P.Johnson and C.Ball agreed to take on the task of contacting fans’ groups. M.Scott and social media group are to spread the word through Twitter. M.Scott felt we needed a stock message to send.
5.Local radio station WHCR recorded “voxpops” of numerous supporters as they approached the ground. With their permission, these are to be added to the CTWD website and linked along with the minutes.
6.It was agreed that a meeting focussed specifically on preparation should be arranged once a date is confirmed.
7.The FSF remain supportive. C.Cooper suggested we add a link to the FSF on the main section of the CTWD website.
8.C.Cooper also asked that A.Jacks at the FSF be copied on all future press releases. R.Skelton to pass the information on to I.Berriman.
9.M.Scott suggested we invite A.Jacks of the FSF to a future meeting. This was agreed.
10.P.Mills, P.Johnson, C.Ball, R.Harmer, M.Scott and C.Cooper volunteered to form a membership sub-group calling on I.Thomson for legal help.
11.C.Cooper suggested we look into asking if it can be extended to cover badges and names. C.Cooper to look into this with the FSF.
12.It was agreed that C.Cooper should place the order.
13.M.Scott passed on an idea from the Twitter account to purchase Car window stickers. A majority were in favour of his idea. A quote is to be obtained.
14. A.Dalton will ask J.Richardson if he could take on this task via Twitter. P.Mills will liaise with J.Richardson to arrange interviews if agreed.
15.The discussion returned to the badges. A majority voted in favour of producing another 3,000 badges with the same design. A.Dalton will order them.
16.P.Mills suggested a special edition of the Hull City Fans Forum where we address fans’ concerns live. This is to be recorded on Friday 18th October.
17.M.Scott will poll our Twitter followers for questions they feel should be answered.
18.We had an offer of assistance in setting up a web shop from S.Farrow. K.Ogram will ask if he can progress this.
19.R.Skelton will take on responsibility for processing and posting all scarf orders. I.Berriman offered a batch of envelopes to the group. R.Skelton will liaise with C.Cooper to have the scarves delivered and with I.Berriman to arrange the envelopes.
20.A.Medcalf will ask J.Greenwood to link to the web shop, once set up, from the CTWD website.
21.A.Dalton will set up a new PayPal account linked to the group bank account.
22.A “donations drive” during the international break through Amber Nectar, CTWD website and Twitter was suggested.
23.C.Cooper has had requests from younger members that CTWD use Snapchat for updates. Social Media group will look into this.
24.C.Cooper has had a call from the company producing the Wristbands to ask if they are going ahead. This was agreed. M.Scott felt an 80/20 split between adult/youth sizes was appropriate. This was also agreed.
25.M.Scott reported the key numbers from the Twitter stats. These are to be copied to J.Greenwood for the CTWD website.
26.K.Ellis suggested these impressive numbers should form part of the next press release.
27.A.Medcalf handed around some viral graphics designed by A.Beill that the group thought were very good. Social media group are to tweet them on Friday.
28.R.Skelton suggested a viral graphic showing our “Pro-Allam, against name change” stance would be appropriate. A.Medcalf to discuss with A.Beill.
29.I.Waterson suggested that we do more to get fans’ photos on the CTWD website and also create a Google maps link for fans around the world to update. A.Medcalf is to ask J.Greenwood to assist.