THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE ANNUAL CHARTER REPORTS SEASON 2001/02

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1 The F.A. Premier League 11 Connaught Place London W2 2ET Telephone Fax THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE ANNUAL CHARTER REPORTS SEASON 2001/02 THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE ANNUAL CHARTER REPORTS SEASON 2001/02 The FA Premier League 2002 Designed and produced by Claremont Press. Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information given in this publication is accurate and whilst the FA Premier League would be grateful to learn of any errors, we regret we cannot accept any responsibility for loss thereby caused.

2 THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE ANNUAL CHARTER REPORTS SEASON 2001/2002 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PAGE THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE CUSTOMER CHARTER & REPORT 1 CLUB CUSTOMER CHARTERS & REPORTS 17 ARSENAL 19 ASTON VILLA 35 BLACKBURN ROVERS 49 BOLTON WANDERERS 67 CHARLTON ATHLETIC 81 CHELSEA 91 DERBY COUNTY 101 EVERTON 117 FULHAM 129 IPSWICH TOWN 151 LEEDS UNITED 167 LEICESTER CITY 193 LIVERPOOL 209 MANCHESTER UNITED 223 MIDDLESBROUGH 243 NEWCASTLE UNITED 265 SOUTHAMPTON 277 SUNDERLAND 291 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 311 WEST HAM UNITED 323 APPENDIX I SECTION J,THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE RULEBOOK 333 APPENDIX II THE INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL COMMISSION TERMS OF REFERENCE 337

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4 INTRODUCTION This document contains the second set of reports on the work of the F.A. Premier League and its member Clubs in relation to their Customer Charters and the Football Task Force reports on Facilities for Disabled Supporters, Eliminating Racism and Investment in the Community. The reports include information about ticketing policies, merchandising, consultation and funding initiatives. We believe this document shows that the F.A. Premier League and its Clubs are serious about excellence both on and off the pitch. We remain the only sporting league in the world to publish a comprehensive assessment of our off pitch activities, a process that we feel promotes best practice and encourages improvements for supporters and customers throughout the game. The first set of reports, which was published a year ago, was generally well received by our stakeholders including the newly formed Independent Football Commission (IFC). All recognised their significance as a starting point from which we can work together to improve the supporter and customer experience of Premier League football. Although the IFC will not report formally until 2003 we have tried where possible to take on board some of the informal feedback we have already received. The layout of this set of reports has changed as a result; each Club s Charter is followed by their report against that document. We hope this will make the reporting process clearer and easier to assess. Following feedback from supporter groups, the IFC and our Clubs, the reporting of complaints has also changed. Premiership Clubs have reported on their policy and procedures while the League has focused on unresolved Club complaints or Club complaints where we have facilitated a response. Both the F.A. Premier League and many of its Clubs have improved their monitoring of response times over the last year and some Clubs now have electronic systems in place to aid this. Several other Clubs and the League itself are introducing such technology for 2002/03 and we anticipate more accurate reporting of response times in a year's time. The IFC and the supporters groups wanted to see more user-friendly documents and several Clubs anticipated this need by producing Charters in glossy leaflet form or printed in programmes or Club magazines. We have and will continue to share this best practice in order to encourage more fan friendly presentation of both Charters and Charter reports in the future. The main request from other stakeholders focused on the reporting of our partnership working. Organisations such as The Prince s Trust and the Football Foundation felt a more detailed account of our joint projects should be included in future documents and we have worked with them to achieve this. Our Customer Charter work provides a framework through which we, and our Clubs, will better balance commercial interests and consumer need. We look forward to working with you to make real improvements to your Premier League experience year on year. Richard Scudamore Chief Executive The F.A. Premier League

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6 THE FA PREMIER LEAGUE CHARTER & ANNUAL CHARTER REPORT

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8 The FA Premier League Charter 2001/02 THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE CHARTER PURPOSE The F.A. Premier League s purpose is to: Develop and promote the world s leading domestic league football competition, providing a platform from which our Clubs can achieve success in European or World competitions Provide leadership with regard to external changes that may affect the future direction of the game Develop the talents of young players who will achieve success both in our Clubs and in the England International team Strengthen the long-term future of our Clubs and the League by securing commercial agreements for broadcasting and media rights and for sponsorship and licensing that maximise revenue, reconcile Club interests and balance consumer needs Provide an administration and support service for our Clubs that will help them to achieve excellence in all areas, and assist in their efforts to act responsibly and positively in dealing with their customers In carrying out these tasks we will utilise our power and influence responsibly to improve the game in this country and abroad through partnerships with the FA, UEFA and other bodies. COMMITMENT The F.A. Premier League is committed to: Enabling all young people, regardless of sex, race, religion or disability to have access to a new generation of football facilities Using the popularity of football to improve educational and training standards for young people We recognise the huge influence football can have on people s lives.we take our commitments in this area seriously and will continue to form meaningful partnerships with organisations that deliver positive outcomes for young people. We currently support: The Football Foundation Football in the Community The Prince s Trust: Football Kick It Out Premiership Reading Challenge We also utilise the fines paid by Clubs to the F.A. Premier League for breaches of our rules to assist particularly deserving causes both in England and worldwide. 1

9 The FA Premier League Charter 2001/02 We are dedicated to offering equal opportunities. It is our policy that there should be no discrimination, harassment or less favourable treatment or victimisation of any employee, job applicant, customer or provider of services either directly or indirectly on any grounds. CUSTOMER SERVICE Our customers are our member Clubs, supporters of the Clubs and sponsors. We aim to deal with all contacts from customers within 14 days. If this is not possible an acknowledgement will be sent with an indication of when the customer can expect a full response. Any customer who is not satisfied by the way either the F.A. Premier League or a Club has dealt with a comment or request, can contact us on , by fax to or by to contact-us@fapl.co.uk. We consult with a number of stakeholders on a regular basis, including:the Football Association, The Football League, Government, British Tourist Authority, National Association of Disabled Supporters, Supporters Direct, Football Supporters Association, National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs, and Disabled Supporters Forum. We are committed to promoting best practice with member Clubs and monitoring their progress in the following areas:- Ticketing and accessibility Consultation and information Investing in the community Merchandise Customer services We ensure public accountability through a system of annual reporting and monitoring which ensures that our Clubs are continually improving and developing in this area. 2

10 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 THE F.A. PREMIER LEAGUE ANNUAL CHARTER REPORT 2001/02 This report sets out the work carried out by the Premier League in relation its own Charter and to the agreed Recommendations of the Football Task Force of In our Charter we state clearly our belief that football can have a positive impact on people's lives. Participation in the game leads to a more active and healthy lifestyle and the popularity of the game can be harnessed to motivate greater educational attainment levels. We are committed to delivering both increased participation and improved educational standards and as a result, have formed meaningful partnerships with organisations that can help us to meet these two objectives. INCREASING PARTICIPATION We concentrate on projects that enable all young people, regardless of sex, race, religion or disability to have access to a new generation of football facilities. We deliver this commitment through partnership, working with three key organisations:the Football Foundation, Barclaycard "Free Kicks" and Football in the Community. The Football Foundation The Football Foundation was launched in July 2000 by the F.A. Premier League, The Football Association and the Government to deliver a multi-million pound investment to the grass roots of the game. It receives 5% of the income from our broadcasting deal (a total of million for season 2001/02) for investment in both grass roots facilities and community and education projects. Between July 2001 and July 2002 our funding, along with that of The Football Association, Government and Sport England enabled over 19 million to be used to target grass roots projects aimed at increasing participation. Some examples of schemes we supported are: Feniton - 178,104 allows the construction of 3 new pitches and a modern sports complex incorporating 4 changing rooms, a kitchen and social area, all with disabled access. The Playing Fields Association hope to develop the game in the village of Feniton and surrounding areas, particularly amongst under represented groups. Dearne Valley College, South Yorkshire - 287,250 allow the construction of a new floodlit all-weather pitch, using the latest in artificial surfaces complete with modern all inclusive changing facilities. The College hope to boost participation rates amongst young people and adults. Wigton Moor Junior Football Club 306,000 to provide a new clubhouse, incorporating 4 changing rooms, 2 officials' changing facilities, a club room plus disabled facilities throughout. In addition, the team will be able to improve the drainage of all their existing pitches and construct 3 new mini soccer pitches and a grass training area at the Recreation Ground, Alwoodley. 219 boys and girls aged 7 to 17 are currently active members and they now hope to be able to meet the increased demand for the game in their area. A further 13.5 million of Football Foundation funding went into stadia and safety improvements at Football League and national league Clubs. 3

11 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 Barclaycard Free Kicks Kit Scheme On 15 November 2001, Barclaycard launched their grass roots football programme Barclaycard Free Kicks, that underpins their F.A. Premier League sponsorship. Over the next three years, 4m will be invested in grass roots football in three different areas with the aims of: Opening up football to people from disadvantaged areas Helping people with disabilities to play the game Supporting educational schemes using the power of football (see Education and Training below) Firstly, through a partnership with the Football Foundation, the Free Kicks kit scheme will invest more than 1.5 million, during the sponsorship, to help teams of young people in socially excluded areas play football. The money will be used to provide teams with everything from free kit to water bottles. Over 1,000 football teams from disadvantaged areas will benefit from the donation of a Free Kicks football kit. Through the Football Foundation s nationwide networks, teams in deprived areas who currently do not have access to kit, are being identified and invited to apply. The scheme is working within the parameters of the Government s Indices of Deprivation 2000, a Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions initiative, to ensure those areas in most need of help are targeted as a priority. Since the launch of the scheme in November 2001 over 400 football kits have been awarded to teams in England and Wales. Barclaycard "Free Kicks" Club Scheme Each F.A. Premier League Club will receive 25,000 each season, for three years to implement projects to further develop their educational programmes and help people with disabilities to play the game. As a result, since the launch of the scheme in November 2001, 18,000 disabled children have gained access to coaching sessions run by F.A. Premier League Clubs. Football in the Community The F.A. Premier League is a partner in the nationally based Football in the Community scheme, along with the PFA, the Football League and the FA. Football in the Community projects were first established at professional football Clubs in The aims and objectives of the scheme are to: encourage more people (especially children) to play and watch football promote closer links between professional football Clubs and the local community encourage more people to become interested in and support their local Club maximize community facilities and their community usage at football Clubs where appropriate, Club projects are encouraged to provide temporary and/or gainful employment and training for unemployed people. Each Club Charter Report indicates the work that is going on locally. Here we are documenting the involvement of the Premier League nationally. During the 2001/02 season The F.A. Premier League donated 500,000 to Football in the Community (FITC) to enable them to deliver 4

12 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 expanded projects in partnership with football Clubs across the country. Our commitment ensures that community schemes can operate at Clubs in the Football League as well as at our own Clubs. In all, more than 1 million youngsters took part in holiday courses, football sessions linked to the PE curriculum in primary, junior and special schools, competitions and match day activities. UK Asian five a side Football Challenges at Wembley Goals Sunday 14 July 2002 As part of our commitment to encourage participation in the game by ethnic minorities, we supported (financially and in kind) the inaugural UK Asian 5-a-side Football Challenge Cup. This landmark event took place on Sunday 14 July 2002 and brought together the UK s best Asian football talent in one arena. It was open to all Asians aged 10 upwards and attracted players from 45 junior teams and 45 adult teams. We are currently working with the organisers to ensure the future sustainability of this event. Further details of our work with ethnic minorities is covered under "Kick It Out" below. EDUCATION AND TRAINING As our Charter makes clear, we are committed to using the popularity of football to improve educational and training standards for young people. We work with a range of organisations to deliver specific projects including: Club Study Support Centres, Department for Education and Skills, Barclaycard "Free Kicks", The Football Foundation, The Prince's Trust: Football initiative, BTEC, Football in the Community, Kick It Out and the National Literacy Trust. Study Support Centres and Playing for Success Playing for Success (PfS) is a national education initiative that is a result of a unique partnership between the F.A. Premier League and the Department for Education and Skills. The scheme, which focuses upon addressing the needs of under-achieving young people, mainly in years six to nine, places a strong emphasis on improving pupils' attitudes and motivation to learn. Structured after-school, weekend and holiday tuition is provided with a strong focus on literacy, numeracy, and independent learning skills. Each Centre is based on Club premises and staffed by an experienced teacher and supported by University and College students or others, acting as mentors and classroom assistants. Pupils achievements are celebrated at the end of each term where prizes and certificates are awarded to the young people for their efforts and achievements. Players and other officials from the Club also attend. 18 of the 20 Premier League (2001/02 season) Clubs have signed up to PfS and have opened their Centres. In 2001/02 a total of 8132 pupils benefited Premier League Club PfS Study Support Centres. The key findings of the third and most recent national evaluation of Playing for Success were: Despite sessions being held after school, most pupils attended over 80 per cent of the course 5

13 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 The DfES currently measures reading comprehension and numeracy in months. On average, primary pupils improved their numeracy scores by the equivalent of about 21 months and secondary pupils by about eight months during the 10-week course. Primary pupils reading comprehension scores improved significantly, by the equivalent of about 15 months. Pupils ICT skills improved significantly during their time at the Centres Attitude questionnaires revealed that Key Stage 3 pupils made significant progress in their independent study skills and their self-image. Over 90 per cent of pupils considered their Playing for Success Centre to be fun, interesting and a good idea for me. All 3 evaluations have found significant improvements in literacy, numeracy, ICT skills and motivation to learn amongst children attending the Centres. A fourth evaluation is currently underway. Centres are increasingly opening during the school day, working with new schools and initiating new schemes, for example via learndirect and the New Deal. This enables them to meet the needs of the local community with continued support from the Football Club and Local Education Authority (LEA). In addition, outreach programmes have been set up to work with schools groups that are unable to attend sessions during the daytime. Increasingly Centres are working in partnership with many organisations, both locally and nationally. Some Centres are building on international links with schools in other countries through the British Council. The Football Foundation The Foundation uses 12.5% of its annual budget to support community and education projects. Between July 2001 and July 2002 over 5 million was used on locally based schemes that promote social welfare and education of people of all ages and abilities. Some examples of projects we supported are: Kidderminster Harriers Football in the Community Scheme 72,396 grant to work in association with the Worcestershire Health Authority, County Council, LEA and the British Heart Foundation, Kidderminster Harriers FITC to establish a healthy living programme in schools, using the power of football as a motivational tool. The three year project will target 80 primary schools situated in rural regions and areas of deprivation, involving up to 6000 local children. Coaches from the Harriers will visit schools and provide football coaching sessions; passing on the benefits of regular exercise, health living and good diet. Tranmere Rovers Community Scheme the Kick It/Kick Off scheme has proved a huge success in raising drug awareness to over 200 local school children. This grant of 81,794 will allow the programme to run for a further three years and will help to provide football coaching facilities and health lifestyle sessions to school children. These will be delivered by Tranmere Rovers coaches and the local police and will focus on health and fitness, substance misuse, crime, truancy, racism, and violence whilst also providing sports careers advice. The club will also provide girls only football activities, organising coaching sessions for girls in the Birkenhead area. It will be offered to over 450 girls in the area, establishing mini soccer leagues and tournaments for primary and secondary schools. 6

14 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 Martin Shaw King Trust, Lambeth 161,141 to help establish a football programme assessing and responding to community football needs in Lambeth. By developing and professionalising the infrastructure of community football groups and ensuring these organisations work more effectively, the Trust hope to establish a greater equality and representation from the grass roots level to the top of the game. Colchester United Football in the Community Scheme 141,000 enables the Club to provide a fulltime social programme, offering footballing activities and coaching opportunities for young people, a disabled football programme and educational opportunities in the Club house. A key feature of the project is to provide street football impromptu games aimed at drawing young people off the street who would otherwise have nothing to do. Literacy Campaign North East Footballers will be supporting a new educational campaign urging north easterners to enjoy reading. 24,500 to support a scheme organised by the Easington and Seaham Education Action Zone, urging children and adults to pick up a book and start reading. The Read the Game initiative will include a poster campaign, using positive role models to motivate children to read for pleasure and also to encourage partnerships between football clubs and local educational establishments. Notts County Football in the Community 262,134 to fund a programme delivering an individually designed educational and practical projects in a stimulating and safe environment for children aged who have been excluded from school. Stanley House Youth Academy - 126,200 to provide a football development programme to address the problems of social exclusion among young people in the Toxteth/Granby area of Liverpool. Barclaycard "Free Kicks" Club Scheme As a result of the 25,000 given to each F.A. Premier League Club since the Scheme s inception in November 2001, an additional 58,000 children have been able to take part in Clubs education programmes. The Prince s Trust: Football The Premier League is a key partner in The Prince s Trust Football initiative, a nationwide programme that to date has helped almost 4,000 young people. At a national level the Football Initiative is managed by a working group on which the Premier League is represented by our Head of Corporate and Community Affairs, Kathryn Robinson. 12-week structured courses incorporate activities that help 16 to 25 year olds develop the skills, confidence and motivation to find work while gaining nationally recognised qualifications. Courses are open to young people who are employed, unemployed or those on the New Deal. 75% of Prince s Trust volunteers who were previously unemployed go on to find employment, enter further education or undertake more training. 90% of employers report an improvement in the skills and attitudes of employed participants on their return to work. This unique initiative is now into its fifth year and the Premier League has committed 500,000 per year over the next three years to the expansion of the programme. This funding enables the scheme to operate in football Clubs throughout England, not just those with Premier League membership. 7

15 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 In addition to this national funding, the involvement of individual Premier League Clubs assists with recruitment, encourages young people in their progress and strengthens links with the local community. Clubs have continued to lend their support by offering: Venues for presentations or as a team base Match tickets Work Placements Player involvement Motivational talks Articles in match day programmes The use of the Club logo on promotional material Details of each Club s involvement in the initiative can be found in their own Charter report within this document. Football in the Community (FITC) In addition to the grassroots participation work described above, our funding of the national FITC scheme has led to several Clubs expanding their work into educational and training activities. Adult courses and work based training for unemployed people were also provided at many Clubs, and a re-focusing of work with socially excluded people led to a number of innovative schemes aimed at increasing self-esteem and encouraging participation in team activities. BTEC Sport The Premier League has been at the centre of the development of the new BTEC Sport. All resource materials and assignments have been produced on behalf of the Premier League, by a team led by Loughborough College. The resources are available through which will soon be transferred to the Premier League main website, for distribution. The Premier League has been asked to contribute to the discussions with regard to the new Modern Apprenticeship in Professional Sport and it is envisaged that the BTEC Sport will provide the Technical Certification at the centre of the new qualification. Premiership Reading Challenge Further development of this initiative has been planned during the last year. Working with the National Literacy Trust we are creating a new Premiership Reading Challenge which will build on the initial scheme run in conjunction with Walsall Libraries and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. The project aims to use the power of the Premier League Clubs to actively promote reading and hence improve literacy standards. The Reading Challenge will initially operate through a network of libraries, local to each Club, and will involve children and adults reading books recommended by a Reading Champion at each Club. It is due to be piloted in January The overall objectives of the scheme are to: 8

16 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 increase use and awareness of public libraries, particularly by groups who currently under use the network promote reading and creative writing especially as a "family" activities increase access to books give free books to children leave a legacy of books to individual libraries promote informal adult education opportunities Premier Learning The Premier League is in the process of developing an interactive cross-curricular resource for use by 7-11 year olds, called Premier Learning. The resource aims to enhance the National Curriculum by using the power of football to enthral the learner and to provide real life examples for subject application. It combines appropriate educational content with an exciting and fun learning style, which is facilitated through an interactive medium. Premier Learning has been developed by a team of educational specialists and practitioners for use in schools, study support centres and homes. It will be available across all subject areas and includes comprehensive teacher's notes which link to the National Curriculum. Premier Learning will be available, in stages, through the Premier League website, in the autumn of Kick It Out! Kick It Out! (KIO) is football s anti-racism campaign, and the Premier League works closely with the campaign to combat racism and encourage and celebrate ethnic diversity in football. Funding of 70,000 is provided to KIO each season. In October 2001, the Premier League supported Kick It Out s first national anti-racism week of action in football involving professional football clubs, supporters, black and Asian community organisations, schools and libraries. The week saw over 200 activities taking place across the country, details of which are contained in the Club reports. A similar week of action is being planned for October In addition to the week of action, we have been developing a Racial Equality Standard for Professional Football clubs in conjunction with Kick It Out, the Football League and the Football Association. The Standard will provide a template for Clubs and the football authorities to work to, and will enable us to further develop our anti-racism work across the Clubs. We have also worked with KIO on the development of a distinct anti-racism module which will form part of the general training taken by all stewards the Football Stewarding Qualification (FSQ). The module will be incorporated into the FSQ in season 2002/03. In another new initiative, KIO organised an education conference. "Football, Citizenship and Antiracism" was held on 28 May 2002 at Old Trafford, with a mandate to offer ideas, examples of good practice and opportunities to use football in an educational environment. 250 delegates attended, amongst them Football in the Community officers, youth workers and teachers. SUPPORT FOR CHARITIES The F.A. Premier League gives over 21 million to charitable organisations each year. As a result of the scale of our commitment during 2002 the Premier League was awarded PerCent Club 9

17 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 status by "Business in the Community". The Percent Club consists of nearly 300 companies who are committed to making an investment in the communities in which they operate. The PerCent Club Index is the most widely recognised benchmark of a company's commitment to community investment. Its ranking of companies who have achieved PerCent Club status will be published in November. Football Aid This season we again supported the Football Aid project, a unique charity venture which offers supporters the opportunity to pay to play on the turf of their favourite team. Fundraising matches took place at 18 Premier League Clubs this season and again, these are detailed in the Club reports later in this document. Almost all of the games took place during April and May, with thousands of fans bidding on the website for the chance to take part. Thousands also took part in competitions for the chance to play in the supporters teams. The specially arranged games took place towards the end of the season and many well-known football figures lent their support by captaining the fans teams. During the season these events raised 112,929 for Field of Dreams, 51,359 for the F.A. Premier League s nominated charity (The Prince s Trust), and 70,464 for charities nominated by the Clubs themselves. A total of 234,752 was raised. Charities Aid Foundation All monies received by the F.A. Premier League by way of Club fines are ring fenced for use towards 'good causes'. These fines usually result from minor infringements of our Rules around issues such as youth or reserve teams playing unauthorised players, late kick offs or the wearing of incorrect kits. The funds are transferred into a Charities Aid Foundation account, which ensures that such monies are only available for payment to registered charities. We receive numerous external requests for financial assistance from charitable organisations and we also invite Premier League staff to nominate causes that they may wish us to support. The good causes fund' is used for making donations to such bodies. In the last three years, over 125,000 has been raised for charitable purposes in this way. During the 2001/02 season donations totalling 30,715 were distributed to 69 charitable organisations, including schools, hospitals, hospices and youth football clubs. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES This season saw the introduction of a new post at the Premier League. Nancy Sibson took up the position of Head of Personnel, which included responsibility for the implementation of our Equal Opportunities Policy. A comprehensive Staff Handbook is presented to all staff on joining the Premier League. An Equality Seminar was held on Thursday 1 November Lord Herman Ouseley, formerly Executive Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, facilitated the session, which was attended by all Premier League staff. The seminar included training around equality in staff recruitment, disability and the impact of bullying and discrimination. 10

18 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 CUSTOMER SERVICE We commit to dealing with all contacts from Clubs, supporters and other stakeholders within a maximum of 14 days. Where this is not possible their correspondence is acknowledged and we indicate when they can expect a full response. Information Requests, Complaints and Monitoring Information requests continue to dominate our customer contacts. These and all complaints about Premier League activity were logged and responses monitored. Each was acknowledged upon receipt and we provided a full response within 14 days in the vast majority of cases. A new software system is being implemented for use in Season 2002/03 which will enable us to track trends and give more accurate response rates in future. This season the Premier League received the following numbers of complaints and requests for information: Subject Area Contact Type Information Complaints Requests Football Administration Letter Referees Letter/Tel 6 43 Commercial (Sponsors & Broadcasting) Letter 4 12 Communications Letter 16 3 Press 1 - Letter - 1 Other (FA etc) Letter TOTAL: The categories given in the table above differ from last year s report. The new categories better enable us to track and monitor the feedback to each department within the Premier League. Last season a total of 74 complaints were received and the number of information requests were not recorded. We welcome this increase in contact with our customers and the opportunity to answer their queries or concerns. We can only move forward as a business by better understanding the needs of our stakeholders and we view all such contacts as an opportunity to improve our offering. Our process for dealing with complaints against individual Clubs continued as it had done in the previous season. Our policy was to facilitate a response from the Club on behalf of the complainant. This season we received 28 complaints against our Clubs. 27 were resolved and one is yet to be resolved. We forwarded correspondence to the Club in the first instance, and asked that they reply directly to the complainant and copy any correspondence to us. If the customer was not satisfied we would then ensure that a resolution was reached with the Club. The number of complaints against Clubs has dropped considerably, with 53 received in season 2000/01. We believe this is a result of a greater awareness on behalf of supporters that complaints about Club activity should initially be dealt with by the Club concerned and only if it fails to respond to the supporter s satisfaction should they take the matter up with the Premier League. 11

19 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS Throughout the year we carried out a comprehensive consultation process with supporters groups, football organisations, government, academics, commercial partners and other stakeholders. The National Fan Survey Early in 2002 we published the results of the National Fan Survey 2001, the largest survey of its kind worldwide. The report was the outcome of a self-complete postal questionnaire sent out to 56,020 randomly selected supporters. 22,090 supporters responded, making 39.4% of the sample. The survey was carried out by the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research at the University of Leicester and included questions on a variety of topics, including Club services and facilities, value for money, fan behaviour and player behaviour and travel to and from matches. The full results of the survey are available in a comprehensive 38-page report from the Premier League or via our website. This was the seventh annual survey and the exercise will be carried out again in the autumn of In late 2001 we carried out our own evaluation of the survey report and the process, and consulted with our Clubs on the future direction of the survey. Supporter Panels We continued to assist the consultation process between Clubs and supporters with our Supporter Panel project. A Supporter Panel is a small group of 10 to 12 fans who meet at the Club, to discuss topics chosen by the Premier League and/or the Club. The meeting is facilitated by an experienced panel leader who is independent of the Club. In general terms, the aims behind the Supporter Panel process are to consult with fans and provide a seasonal flow of information about fans' views on matters of interest to Premier League Clubs. Working Groups and Forums The Premier League contributes to a number of forums and working groups aimed at increasing communication between supporters and the football authorities. Meetings of the Disabled Supporters Organisations and the football authorities are held bimonthly. The meetings are organised by the Football Association and held at Premier League offices. This season the topics for discussion included definitions of disability and the need for a standard, the impact of supporters standing in seated areas, and the standardisation of ticketing policies. As a result we are extending the remit of our Disability Discrimination Act work (outlined below) to create a model policy document for Clubs covering ticketing policy for disabled supporters and match day access. The Disability Rights Commission will be reviewing this work and we anticipate distributing an approved document to Clubs early in the 2002/03 season. In addition, we are working alongside other members of the group on the production of a new guidance document for builders, architects and Clubs across the game, from grass roots to the Premier League. "Facilities for Disabled Supporters" will give guidance on existing information on improving stadia, and will also promote best practice. 12

20 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 We also attended meetings of the Football Supporters Organisations (FSOs)*, similarly organised by the FA and including representatives from across the football authorities. These meetings provided us with the opportunity to discuss Customer Charters and the reporting process, the content of our supporter panels and fixture re-arrangements. As a result of the latter point being raised, we convened bilateral meetings with the FSOs regarding the impact of fixture changes on travel plans. Further to this meeting we have altered the way in which our fixture list is presented to make it clearer to supporters the circumstances in which some fixtures may move. We are also engaged in a consultation process with the main train operators to discuss ways of improving the transport options available to supporters when fixtures are moved. We contributed to a Football Association organised meeting with the supporters organisations specifically on the issue of standing. The meeting was held on 24 June 2002 in Manchester with the football authorities and a number of supporters organisations. As a result, the football authorities fed the supporters' views to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Home Office and the Football Licensing Authority, and the supporters' organisations have since been invited to speak at a meeting of the Football Safety Officers' Association. Supporters Direct Consultative Committee The working relationship between the Premier League and Supporters Direct has continued fruitfully over the past year. Supporters Direct is the government-backed organisation with the brief to promote the establishment of Supporters' Trusts throughout professional football, formed in 2000 as a result of the recommendations of the Football Task Force. Although the Trust movement began at smaller clubs, often as a result of financial crises, it has proved equally attractive to fans of clubs at all levels. The number of Trusts has grown in two years from 6 to 62, of which 32 have a shareholding in the club and 23 have Boardroom representation. There are Trusts established at 5 Premier League club:aston Villa, Manchester United,Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, and West Ham United. Working Parties are also active at Arsenal and Leeds United to form Trusts there as a result of democratic decisions at public meetings. Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) As a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers working party on racism, we contacted Clubs to ask for their cooperation in helping police to conduct an anti racism initiative at all football grounds over the weekends of 6th and 13th April We also sought feedback from Clubs at the end of the season in order to assess the impact of the project. We await ACPO s review of this initiative. PROMOTING BEST PRACTICE AND MONITORING PROGRESS Our key method of promoting best practice amongst our Clubs was through our quarterly Customer Charter contacts meetings. Each Club has an executive responsible for Charter work and these representatives meet at Premier League headquarters to discuss issues relating to the Charter process, Charter Reporting and the implementation of the agreed Recommendations of * The National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs and the Football Supporters Association merged on 1 August 2002 and will operate under the title of The Football Supporters Federation. 13

21 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 Football Task Force. During the last year these meetings have produced the following new areas of work. Ticketing and Accessibility Our priority this year was to provide our Clubs with a detailed business plan covering the implications of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). This document would ensure that Clubs understood the legal implications of the DDA and create a detailed model to enable them to develop into truly accessible businesses. We engaged the services of two consultants who worked on the business planning pilot project with Aston Villa. Seminars were held in Leeds on Wednesday 13 February and in London on Thursday 14 February 2002, at which the consultants presented the resulting template to the Clubs. A further Question and Answer Session was held at Aston Villa on Tuesday 9 July providing Clubs with the opportunity to clarify any outstanding points from the document. The F.A. Premier League worked in partnership with Leeds United and the RNIB to look at ways of creating accessible matchday information for the visually impaired. In a pilot project, 1,000 large print programmes and 15 Braille copies of the programme were produced for the Leeds United v Aston Villa match in November. The outcomes of the project were presented to our Clubs at the Charter Contact meeting in January As last year we worked with the Clubs to benchmark concessions policy across all twenty Clubs. None were considered to be in breach of either the letter or the spirit of the rulebook and none were asked for movement. Next season we will be extending the scope of this benchmarking to examine the use of 'teen' concessions and, in particular, their availability to away supporters. Consultation and Information At our September meeting of the Charter contacts, we invited the Sir Norman Chester Centre to give a presentation to the Clubs about the forthcoming National Fan Survey report. Later in the season we held a consultation meeting with all Clubs to obtain feedback on the future content and direction of the Survey. We also discussed various methods of consulting with fans, including supporter panels and different types of fan forums. In order to encourage a greater number of supporters panels to be held at F.A. Premier League Clubs we expanded the Premier League centrally funded scheme. In addition to the standard supporter panel carried out at all Clubs, we also offered matched funding for further panels to all Clubs. Two Clubs took up this option. Investing in the Community Presentations were given at our Charter Contacts meetings by staff from Supporters Direct, Barclaycard 'Free Kicks' and The Prince s Trust, thus enabling their work to be promoted amongst the Clubs. We are currently planning a community briefing for all Clubs to be held early in season 2002/03. Merchandise With regard to replica strips, we continued to encouraged all Clubs to operate a 2-year cycle for their home kits and 18 Clubs did so. Customer Services This season we worked with our Clubs on specific ways of improving levels of customer service. At our Charter meetings, Club staff took the opportunity to share ideas for methods of 14

22 The FA Premier League Charter Report 2001/02 monitoring complaints, and welcomed the chance to give presentations on their own systems and receive feedback from each other. Our main focus, however, was in working with the Customer Service Network (CSN), to develop two distinct training programmes aimed at executive level and front facing Club staff. CSN is an organisation made up of member companies who are committed to service excellence and sharing good practice. For Club executives with overall responsibility for Customer Service CSN ran a one day seminar entitled Premier Service; Building Customer Service Excellence in the Premier League. The seminar was held at Dunchurch Park, Rugby, on 15 November 2001 and exposed staff to examples of best practice in other sectors and industries. The feedback from the Clubs was extremely positive with staff welcoming the opportunity to experience different approaches to business excellence. The success of the seminar has led us to plan three further events for 2002/03. CSN also worked with the F.A. Premier League and the Clubs to develop a training module for all customer facing staff at our football clubs. The key objectives of the training programme were defined as: Explaining the context for Club Charters, and Identifying skills and behaviours around: - Welcoming customers - Identifying customer needs - Handling difficult customers - Encouraging and managing feedback The resulting training programme was further developed in conjunction with Clubs at a series of pilots for front-line staff held on: 25 March 2002 at the Premier League offices in London 16 April 2002 at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland 13 June 2002 at Old Trafford, Manchester Fifteen Clubs sent representatives to these sessions. The final training programme will be available for Club use during 2002/03. It will offer customer facing staff to train alongside people in similar roles at other Clubs enabling them share best practice and common problems during the course. Our Charter states that we ensure public accountability through a system of annual reporting and monitoring. This document and in particular the Club reports contained within it are instrumental to this process. All of our Clubs take a healthy interest in the off pitch activities of other members of the League. All are committed to sharing best practice, and new ideas in one Club report will be copied by others. We encourage this process through the Charter contacts group and also through individual Club meetings. The following Club Reports describe our Clubs activity over the 2001/02 season and form a new benchmark for on going discussions of best practice and self regulation. 15

23 16

24 CLUB CUSTOMER CHARTERS & ANNUAL CHARTER REPORTS 17

25 18

26 Customer Charter 2001/02 Arsenal 1. ACCESSIBILITY ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB CUSTOMER CHARTER ARSENAL 1.1 The Club continues to strive for wider access to matches by offering: a broad range of ticket prices. Customers buying more expensive seats or packages enable us to charge other customers less for their tickets at least 25% of tickets to each game to non season ticket holders concessions for junior supporters, senior citizens and supporters with a restricted view of the pitch an area of the ground for the exclusive use of family groups and junior supporters free admission for disabled supporters and their carers. Mrs. Marilyn Elliott can be contacted by ringing for details of our disabled facilities and ticket allocation free or reduced admission for replays of abandoned games. If a match is abandoned after spectators are admitted to the ground but before kick-off ticket holders are entitled to free admission to the rearranged match. If a match is abandoned after kick-off spectators are entitled to half price admission to the rearranged match season tickets payable by instalments. Apart from normal credit card facilities we have a scheme with the Woolwich Building Society where supporters are able to borrow their season ticket remittance from them and in turn repay the debt in instalments free admission to all home F.A. Premier League Reserve fixtures. 1.2 Tickets for Cup Competitions are priced at the normal prices charged for F.A. Premier League fixtures and are allocated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the competition. Season Ticket holders have the first seven cup ties played in UEFA Competitions or The FA Cup contained within their season ticket books. Remaining match tickets are sold to members of The Ticket Registration Scheme. 1.3 Any tickets purchased and then subsequently not required must be returned to the Box Office no later than seven days before the fixture in order to obtain a full refund. 1.4 General up-to-date ticketing information can be found on: Our website Gunnersline And in our Matchday Programmes. 19

27 Arsenal Customer Charter 2001/02 ARSENAL 2. AWAY SUPPORT 2.1 The Club does not charge admission prices to supporters of a visiting club, which are higher than those charged to our own supporters for comparable accommodation. In particular our concessionary rates offered to senior citizens and junior supporters apply to supporters of a visiting club. 2.2 The Club endeavours to abide by the F.A. Premier League Rules governing the allocation of tickets to visiting clubs. 3. LOYALTY AND MEMBERSHIP 3.1 HOME MATCHES - Apart from season ticket holders we sell a number of tickets on a match by match basis through our ticket registration scheme. Supporters who are registered within the scheme pay an annual 20 subscription and thereafter receive a 1 discount from each F.A. Premier League ticket purchased for matches at Highbury. AWAY MATCHES - The Club s supporters are allocated tickets for away matches as follows. Supporters can register for our away match ticket scheme whereby they undertake to purchase a ticket, subject to availability, for each F.A. Premier League match in which we participate. Credit card details are held on file and the supporters cards are only charged match by match as and when the tickets are issued. Thereafter tickets are sold by giving priority to supporters who have attended most away matches over the last two seasons. The home club determines the cost of these tickets. This particular scheme is open to season ticket holders and travel club members only.to join, call the Box Office on and ask for a debit / credit card mandate. 3.2 The club operates the Junior Gunners membership scheme for children aged from 0 to 16 years old. (Phone for details). 3.3 The club also runs a Travel Club for supporters wishing to travel to Arsenal away games. (Phone for details).the Travel Club: Strives to provide realistically priced, fully escorted travel with a friendly atmosphere to Arsenal away games in England and Europe wherever possible Consults the Police and relevant authorities wherever possible to ensure that suitable arrangements are put in place for the safe transfer of supporters to and from away grounds. 4. CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION 4.1 For season 2001/2002, the club is introducing a Supporters Consultative Forum. A range of supporters will be invited to represent different supporter groups by discussing various issues concerning Arsenal with senior members of the administration team. 4.2 The Club also consults supporters on a regular basis through supporter panel liaison groups including family members and disabled facility supporters, FAPL annual fans survey, F.A. Premier League Supporter Panels and consultation on our new stadium project through our official web-site. 20