Structured Dialogue Meeting – Tuesday 17th November 2020 at 7pm

In attendance: Steve Rowland (SLO) James Ashton (Tangerine Seasiders) Phil Corbett (Yorkshire Seasiders) Paul Grimshaw (MSG) Tony Hodgson (BST) Scott Koudellas (Tangerine Knights) Fiona Martin (BSA) Karen McGuiness (BASIL) John Rigby (Leyland & Chorley Seasiders) Brett Gerrity (BFC – Director) Ben Mansford (BFC – CEO) Linton Brown (BFC – Chief Commercial Officer) Nick Horne (BFC – Club Secretary)

A selection of questions were also provided to the SLO via AVFTT - Peter Gaughan, Jim Green, Alan Dickinson and Robbie Whittaker.

Why do we appear to get rid of all the experienced players? (John Rigby, Leyland & Chorley Seasiders)

BM – During the Summer Transfer Window we retained a core of experienced players in Chris Maxwell, Ollie Turton, , Sullay Kaikai, Gary Madine and James Husband to name a few. Last year’s squad finished the season in 13th position and was not good enough to get us promoted from League 1. Some of our better performers were the loan players – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Connor Ronan & Taylor Moore. The squad needed to be overhauled to get some higher quality, younger players in to play the type of high intensity, attractive attacking football that we all want to see. We wanted to get the balance right such that we have a squad good enough to get us promoted but which we could also develop and improve over a longer time frame. The players recruited have the potential to grow with the Club should we get into the Championship. We offered Jay Spearing a playing contract and a pathway into coaching. Jay wanted regular first-team football and had a desire to play every minute. Jay subsequently accepted an offer from Tranmere Rovers. Armand Gnanduillet wanted to move in the Summer of 2019 and an agreed deal with Charlton on the last day of that window didn’t happen because of a problem with the paperwork at the Charlton end. Armand was offered a good, new contract. Charlton came back in January but weren’t able to complete a deal due to being under a transfer embargo. We then tried to engage again with Armand about a new contract, but he had decided he wanted to play in The Championship. We wish Armand all the best in Turkey. The rest of the players we let go are playing at a lower standard than League 1.

Why did we not sign Heneghan? (John Rigby, Leyland & Chorley Seasiders)

BM – Ben was offered a permanent contract in January which he turned down largely down to a desire to play in The Championship.

Despite a relatively good start to the season, some fans have been questioning , can you clarify if he is still fully backed by the club? (Tangerine Seasiders)

BG – Yes, Neil is backed 110% by the board. Neil is a fantastic human being with great integrity, an excellent professional, his attention to detail and preparation is second to none. Neil is exactly the man to take Blackpool FC forward. We are building for the long term and Neil is our man. We were disappointed at the reaction shown by a small percentage of supporters following the early results, but a handful of disappointing results did not and would not put Neil under pressure of losing his job.

We believe that we were unlucky earlier in the season. Matt Scrafton wrote an excellent article in the Gazette about the XG data that is a widely used and respected predictive statistic measure, and that data had us 7th in the table after 10 games so our position in the table should have been better than where it was. The table does not lie but the data shows the fine margins.

We are delighted that has joined the team. Some supporters have credited the upturn in our performances and results with Colin’s arrival, however this is disrespectful to Neil, Mike and Steve Banks as it does not take into account the huge amount of work they have already put in on the training ground. The board’s intention was always to recruit an assistant with experience of playing and managing in League Football. Neil Critchley played a leading role in the recruitment of Colin Calderwood and is pleased to be working with him.

This was a position that was always going to be filled following the departure of . It was not as has been suggested a knee jerk reaction by the board to a couple of defeats. We are delighted that Colin has joined us, he adds experience and another voice, that can only help.

I would wish to clarify that when recruiting Neil the board was not “turned down left, right and centre” by managers as has been suggested. The board conducted a meticulous process and Neil was the stand-out candidate. Neil shares our vision of the kind of football we want to play and has the capability to develop younger players.

We are building a platform for the long-term development and sustainability of the club. This is a project and was never a quick fix option. Simon and the board are very happy with the work that Neil, Mike and their team have done and the way things are going.

With such a hectic transfer window, what saw us bring in just under 20 players to the club. Do you feel comfortable with our new team or are there still changes to be made? (Tangerine Seasiders)

BM – We have put together an excellent squad with cover in most areas. We have 21 senior players named in our EFL squad list, deliberately leaving ourselves an open space and the option to use the emergency loan market if Maxi was to get seriously injured. The manager will always be looking to strengthen the squad and will be supported where necessary. In recent weeks we have been hit by a lot of injuries and some suspensions but the depth in our squad has meant that this has not been a major issue for us from the recent results. We deliberately put together a big squad partly because of the compacted season due to Covid so that we could rotate and rest players but also because of the long lay-off that players had which has clearly impacted some lads fitness and ability to put a solid pre-season in. These conditions not only mean that it takes longer to get players match fit but also makes them more susceptible to injuries if we do not prepare them properly. Thankfully we have a strong sport science department now, who have been able to work with the likes of Kenny Dougall, to assist us in this area. We hope that our deep squad will reap dividends as the season progresses and suspect that some other clubs will be more likely to suffer now we head into a Saturday/Tuesday programme until January.

Will season ticket holders get a refund if unable to stream games? (John Rigby, Leyland & Chorley Seasiders)

LB – iFollow is a service provided by the EFL. If a supporter has an individual streaming issue they should take it up with the EFL/iFollow. It was originally designed by the EFL to allow a small number of overseas fans to stream games. Due to the current situation, this service has allowed clubs to keep gain some of the revenues from away supporters and has probably kept some clubs in business. The service has less than 1% issues from all users, most of which tend to be user error. If there is real structural problem and persistent issues then we can speak to them and see what, if any, improvements can be made.

PC – A few fans don’t have the ability to stream games or have online facilities. BM – it would be difficult to bring in this type of exception but we will discuss it. Let the SLO know who the individuals are and they can be discussed.

Is there any update on the training ground, in terms of future location and a likely start and completion date of its development? (Phil Corbett, Yorkshire Seasiders)

BM – The club is continuing to evaluate our preferred, detailed sites. This still promotes challenges and we are running a process to check any sites that we haven’t missed. This will be a very significant investment for the club, Covid has caused delay but this is not a decision that should be rushed and we want to get it right. For now, and credit to Simon Sadler, the new facilities at Squires Gate mean the first team has the best training ground operation that it has ever had so the basic needs of the players and coaching staff are covered. Notwithstanding this we are wholly committed to delivering a top class integrated training facility that will suit the needs of the club from the academy through to the first team.

TH – Any plans to have it open to the public? BM – It largely depends on where it is. For example, green belt land can have restrictions. The site must be able to fulfil the need for it to grow along with the Club over time. The vision of Simon and the Club is it should bring the whole Club together from the academy up. Community use has to be considered.

With the rearrangement of the Ipswich game, we now have had a free weekend. Obviously, we know how the game panned out, but do you still think it was the right thing to do? (Phil Corbett, Yorkshire Seasiders)

BG – The outcome of the Ipswich game clearly means that with the benefit of hindsight this was a poor decision. The positive from this decision is the fact that this short break gives players a chance to recharge and for some of them some more time to recover from injury ahead of a busy schedule.

If clubs are asked to pilot games with fans in attendance again, would you want to be involved, and how do you think the Swindon game went from the club's perspective? (Phil Corbett, Yorkshire Seasiders)

BM – The Swindon game was a success both on and off the pitch and hopefully an indication to supporters as to how far the Club has come. The effort that went into BFC staging the game was huge given that the club was informed by the EFL on Wednesday that there was an option to have 1000 fans into the ground in 3 days' time - the allocation of the fans, seating arrangements, the stewarding arrangements, etc. The 1000 fans allowed access to the ground were a huge boost to the team adding a great atmosphere that has been much missed The club of course would wish to be involved in any future event if fans were allowed in and if it was the same number permitted of 1000 the next 1000 in order of purchase or renewal of season tickets would be allowed to attend.

Scott Benton, MP for Blackpool South, attended the pilot game and has been very supportive in trying to get fans back into stadiums. He was able to stand in parliament last week and highlight what the Club has done at a Return of Fans debate.

The FSA (Football Supporters Association) are pushing for the Government to begin the promised fan-led review of various aspects of the governance of English football. Where does the club stand on this? (Robbie Whittaker, BST)

BG – We are not fully up to speed with this issue and would welcome the opportunity to learn more about it and discuss it with Robbie/BST.

TH – We wouldn’t want other clubs to go through what we went through & would welcome discussions with the club in how we can support it. BG – We are already running the Club with integrity and treating fans with respect, but we welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.

Outcome: SR/BST to provide some dates to arrange a meeting with the Board.

We now have four players who are still in the Youth team that have been awarded professional contracts. I would like to ask the Board what future are in place to develop these young players once they have graduated from u/18 football? (Alan Dickinson)

BG – The development of our youth teams is very important to the Board. We are setting ourselves up as a club that nurtures and develops young players. That is clear from the hiring of Neil and the return of Ciaran Donnelly. We were delighted to see Rob Apter make his debut on Wednesday night and its was a proud moment for him, his family and BFC. It is always good to see one of our Youth Team players progress into the First Team. There is a genuine intent and belief that under the guidance of Ciaran Donnelly that talented players at Blackpool’s academy can follow a clear pathway into the first team. We want Blackpool to be recognised as a club that can offer a career path to a young player working with a manager regarded by many as one of the best, if not the best, youth coaches. There is a desire to nurture local talent, we want youth to progress and make them our local heroes of the future. We do not want to see talented youth players leave the club at 18, it’s the board’s plan that they progress into the first team.

The Club advertised a vacancy on 15.09.2020 for the position of: "Head of Academy Coaching". This is a position currently held by John Murphy according to the staff directory on the Official Site. Has an appointment been made and, if so, what is John's role now? (Alan Dickinson)

BM – Ciaran Donnelly is a Blackpool lad, his club is Blackpool. We had 92 applicants for the Academy Director role and Ciaran shone. He knows the Club, is really passionate and has a previous understanding of what the strengths of some of the current staff are. Early on he held a conversation with John Murphy, who has been a terrific servant of the club as both a player and youth . John’s passion is coaching and his role now with the Under 18s allows him to focus fully on that. We ran a further very thorough process for the Head of Coaching role, which now sees Matty Blinkhorn return having been the outstanding candidate.

How long will it be before the U18s can return to playing their home matches in Blackpool? (Alan Dickinson)

BM – Technically they are back! Ciaran Donnelly put this to the top of the priorities on his return and has negotiated a base at Stanley Park. The Under 18s will train there on a daily basis using the artificial pitches. We have appointed a new Head Groundsman and once in place he will start work into the ‘Oval Pitch’ at Stanley Park to allow the Under 18s to play fixtures there. This will then hopefully form a base for the youth team until a new training facility is developed for the whole club.

BG – Ciaran is already doing a phenomenal job with the young players. Post Covid it would be good to see supporters down at Stanley Park supporting our young players.

It seems inexplicable to me that NC should be the highest ranked 'football brain' at the Club and as experienced Ben is as a football lawyer, agent and CEO why haven't the board appointed someone, either a part-time Director of Football, or someone in an advisory capacity to be a halfway house between the inexperienced NC and the board as whole? He would oversee the long term plan ensuring signings are balanced between the here and now and for the longer term, longer than perhaps a manager would last- essentially protecting the interests of the club, as well as providing much needed insight and experience the board the owner will need. (Peter Gaughan)

BG – Simon would wish to make it clear that when he bought the Club in June 2019 it was in a mess, we were in a shocking state. There were no accounts, very little record keeping, no online shop, numerous pieces of litigation. There wasn’t a football brain in the context of this question. With the greatest respect to Ben Hatton and Michael Bolingbroke, they were administrators who didn’t have the knowledge about the game that Simon wanted and the Club needed.

I know that in August 2019 Simon was worried about the direction the Club was moving in, there was a lot of infighting and we set out to look for the right person to take the Club in a new direction. In Ben Mansford, Simon found exactly what he needed. Someone who had been a successful CEO at three other clubs and who bought into his vision as to how to develop the Club. Someone with a legal background who could process all of the legacy legal matters, someone who had been an agent and could handle players’ agents. Ben has fantastic knowledge and contacts to allow things to happen.

Shortly before Ben’s arrival, Linton Brown was appointed (Chief Commercial Officer) and has completely turned around the commercial activity of the Club. The Club wouldn’t be in the position it is now without Ben and Linton, their work has been phenomenal.

The board then brought in the experience of Tommy Johnson to lead our efforts in building an excellent recruitment team that has clearly been very active.

Our next step, following a meticulous recruitment process, was to hire Neil Critchley who was the stand-out candidate. We always knew that Neil would benefit from Football League playing and management experience so we brought in Colin Calderwood. Ben has drawn upon his experience and network to pull all of this together.

A further piece of this puzzle would be to appoint a person who was effectively the bridge between the playing and coaching team and The Board in a similar manner to that described in the question above. There is an on-going process, but with Neil, Colin and Ciaran we will take our time to make sure that we get the right man as it’s an important decision. We cannot over emphasise enough that whilst we have short-term goals we are building here for the long-term.

Furthermore, on the subject of Ben, Simon strongly believes that he has made an excellent appointment. Ben’s work ethic is outstanding, he works 12-14 hour days, rarely taking a day off. The Board has a 2-4 hour weekly Zoom meeting and will frequently have impromptu catch-ups. I speak to Simon most days, Ben speaks to Simon nearly every day, sometimes several times a day, they are passionate about improving the football club. The reality is that we are all in this together. We support and back each other and the manager 100%. Ben executes the strategy that we, The Board, agree on and he does a fantastic job in doing so. Simon is very happy with all that Ben is doing and how he represents our club.

BM – I’ll answer the football part of the question by saying that we are looking for someone who can pull all the football pieces together with recruitment, sports science, the academy, etc. A lot of building blocks have been put in place through Simon’s investment into the Club.

Will the club consider reducing the postage cost for club merchandise bought online? I have had to pay around a fiver for merchandise bought online. I wanted to buy a facemask and I was asked to pay £5 for it to have it delivered!! (Chris Riedel)

LB – We are looking at this. In comparison with other Clubs we are reasonable but have unfortunately inherited a deal which has been difficult to adjust, but we are looking at it. BM – as a club due to the previous circumstances, we unfortunately don’t have a good credit rating which at times prevents us from getting the best rates. Bit by bit those costs are coming down which in time we aim to pass onto supporters.

Are there any plans for further work at (fans / season ticket members bar at the top/ rear of South Stand? (Tangerine Seasiders)

LB – Hopefully supporters will have seen over the recent weeks that we have been looking to improve the stadium in all areas. Covid has affected things slightly however projects are still ongoing. The roof is not as rusty as what it used to be following recent works, we even have the new tangerine vents! We will continue to keep improving all areas of the stadium for our supporters.

Does the club have any plans to build relationships with other clubs in terms of scouting / youth development? It’s quite common for large clubs to have a ‘feeder’ club in other countries. Have Blackpool any plans to corner a market in this manner? Perhaps build relationships with a club in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe to attract talent which would otherwise be missed or even North America or perhaps Hong Kong or elsewhere in Asia. Could be good for commercial prospects in the long term. (Ryan Jackson)

BM – Absolutely, we need to build relationships at all levels. We currently see Nathan Shaw at AFC Fylde, as our young players need to go on a journey and we need relationships. The signing of Daniel Gretarsson shows we’re not only looking in the UK. Commercially and on the football side we are looking for strong relationships, unfortunately the Covid situation hasn’t helped. Simon has a huge contact base in Hong Kong, it would be great to see more of Blackpool out there and explore those opportunities. It has been good to see the likes of Everton and Liverpool wanting to play us in pre-season, we are now trusted with players like and Daniel Ballard. These are a testament to Simon and the Club, so we watch this space as things evolve.

Will Blackpool be looking to push the women’s team onwards and upwards? AFC Fylde operate a women’s team at a much higher level than Blackpool - It would be good to see Blackpool dominating football on the Fylde coast at all levels and for all teams. (Ryan Jackson)

BM – We are in regular contact with Mac Barlow. She has been a huge part of the growth of women’s football in Blackpool. We have this season supplied their match kits at all ages and provided access to further arrangements we have with Puma. We have to respect that they have their own committee and structure. We understand some of their larger costs, but there is a continued support from the Club and we will continue to discuss ways forward. There is a huge support from the Club to grow women’s and girl’s football in Blackpool.

Will the Club be looking to engage with Game manufacturers such as EA Sports, Sega (FIFA and Football Manager respectively) in order to ensure the club is advertised in the very best possible light to a global market. Over the years we have neglected this and failed to make the most of this potential market. Ensuring the club has up to date pictures, information and branding in the game helps create a more immersive experience and attracts fans from around the world. Stevenage did this very successfully using their Burger King and FIFA marketing campaign. (Ryan Jackson

LB – Yes, we have been engaging and exploring this area. Hopefully in the next few months there will be some exciting opportunities to roll out and announce.

Why has the club sold season tickets up the likely 4000 maximum attendance for a socially distanced match day rather than kept some capacity back for those who couldn’t commit to a season ticket? Understand need for revenue but surely not good to be effectively excluding people very possibly on grounds of money or health . . . (Jim Green)

LB – Simon & the Board are extremely grateful to everyone who bought season tickets particularly this year given the uncertainty. Simon will still have to fund something between £4-6m this season, which is of course a lot higher than what he would have budgeted for when he bought the Club. We will seek to accommodate fans without season tickets as soon as we can. BG – Simon was blown away with the level of support from fans buying season tickets blindly. It should be known that on the back of the support shown to him he went out to invest in more players. If supporters were prepared to back the club, he was prepared to back the team & Neil.

With Covid having such a massive affect on football in general, if clubs don't get any form of rescue package in the near future, how long can BFC operate for before it's no longer practical? With a handful of club owners in the EFL speaking out about the possibility of clubs folding due to lack of revenue. What measures are the board taking to limit the financial effect of Covid 19? (Tangerine Seasiders)

BM – As previously said, it will likely cost Simon closer to £6m this season. Simon will continue to support the Club which give us a good chance to cope. The financial burden is a lot more than what he planned for due to Covid. Simon bought the Club to become the custodian to protect it for future generations, will continue to do so making the right long-term decisions along the way. We are very fortunate to have him. He will need and appreciate help that anyone at any level can give him and the club.

When Simon Sadler first came to the club back in June 2019, fans were told that the club will be disappointed if we don’t reach the championship within 3 seasons, is this still the case? (Connor Goodinson, Tangerine Seasiders)

BG – Yes, but Simon does not have a crystal ball or a magic wand!

The day after Simon made this comment, Terry McPhillips resigned leaving us without a manager with the start of the season only weeks away. We very pragmatically appointed given his League 1 promotion successes and that he was hungry to succeed given recent failures at Sunderland. The board agreed in Autumn to back the manager in the January window but things quickly unravelled and it became clear that Simon Grayson was not the man to rebuild and take the team forward. We decided to part company with Simon and to look for a very different kind of manager.

We were looking for a younger, more modern manager who embraced data, prepared conscientiously and played the kind of football we wanted to watch. In Neil we found the right man for the long-term development of the club. There is very clearly a style of player that Blackpool has invested in which will pay dividends in the future.

It’s not a quick fix. We are building a team, so when we get promotion it can hopefully progress and compete. In the context of this question, yes promotion is the goal and we will do it as soon as we are capable. Progress on and off the pitch is what is important and that fans can see that the club is developing. So much has had to be put in place but with our manager of choice and the best players available to the football club having been recruited we are optimistic that we can achieve our goal to get out of this division.

In addition to the volunteers’ group, how can supporters (groups or individuals) support the clubs further in these difficult times? (BST)

BM – We encourage everyone to do their bit. We have staff that want to be at the club, people that have a link and desire to be at the club. Once our fans return they will hopefully see the difference. We just ask the fans to do all they can to support the club, whether it be buying a face mask, a shirt, supporting the academy, etc. Post Covid, we will look to do far more fan engagement activities and look in more detail at how we can do that.

BG – I’d like to pass on a sincere thanks from Simon to those supporters who have been volunteering. Volunteering is open to all individuals and groups of our supporters.

TH – The volunteers do a really great job. We have a highly motivated fan base which we may be able to tap into. If there was to be something like a community bar at the new training ground, fans could raise funds. There’s a lot of goodwill there. BG – We are blessed with a wonderful set of fans who have the club at heart. It’s not about individual groups, it’s about a club together, so let’s start a dialogue on that.

Are there any plans to develop either U-21 or U-23 teams? (BSA)

BM – When following the EPPP plan, the progression from a Category 3 academy to Category 2 sees the introduction of a development squad, so if we improve the academy status we would naturally have one. At his present time, we have 4 or 5 young players who need a competitive games programme to bridge the gap from the Under 18s to the First Team. This will come from relationships with other Clubs, such as Squires Gate, Bamber Bridge, AFC Fylde, and so on. An U21/U23/Development squad will come as we progress the academy. It’s essential that we find our young players a programme and a pathway. It’s something the Club hasn’t had in recent times and we will work hard to develop that.

Additional Questions/Points raised:

As we haven’t been selected for TV coverage in The FA Cup, will the tie be available to supporters? (Phil Corbett - Yorkshire Seasiders)

BM – it will be available on iFollow. Full details will be made available very shortly.

Regarding comments on Message Boards – it’s not a fair reflection of what the majority think. (Tony Hodgson - BST)

BG – Thanks. Maybe we have given them more credence because of the questions submitted tonight. We welcome all feedback as long as it’s fair. Football is a game of opinions, but some are beyond what anyone wants to read.

JA - Take no notice of comments that are unfair as the majority of people are behind the Club.

BG – We have a wonderful set of supporters, we all want the same thing, but it sometimes takes time.

We were due to celebrate 50 years of the supporters’ group, so can hopefully do it next year. John Rigby (Leyland & Chorley Seasiders)

It was agreed at the last meeting that we would hold a supporters’ group meeting prior to this meeting to align our questions better. (Scott Koudellas - Tangerine Knights)

SR – The next meeting will likely be in February. We will announce the date well in advance so it allows groups to meet. BG – The Board wishes to be transparent with supporters and we’ll give honest responses to questions raised.

Regarding iFollow, we couldn’t obtain it to use commercially. Is there anything that can be done at an appropriate rate to allow us to stream? (Paul Grimshaw - MSG)

LB – Unfortunately the streaming rights are held with the EFL. Sky pay a significant amount for broadcast revenues, and there is legislation to prevent 3pm viewings. In an ideal world we would allow it, however Neil Critchley and the team are missing the support of fans in the stadium, it’s a massive loss and hopefully they can return soon. PC – The support made a difference to the team against Swindon.

BG – Thanked everyone for submitting questions. BG & SR to set a date for the next meeting.