Our second instalment in our ‘Everton Family’ series is going to concentrate on communication at the club.

Everton’s Head of PR and External Affairs Ian Ross agreed to do an interview to discuss how the club manages to communicate with all the different stakeholders in the Everton Family.

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Q. CEO Robert Elstone has said that communication with fans is hugely important. I’m aware he’s done several fans forums, what exactly are they?

A. They are precisely what they sound like – a group of fans gathered under one roof is invited to ask questions of Club representatives. It is usually frank and honest – and fun.

Q. Who else does these fans forums?

A. We try to invite a player or former-player along. I think in the past 12 months we have been able to offer the likes of Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Graeme Sharp etc.

In addition we have used leading Club officials. For example, around the FA Cup semi-final and Final, we were asked many questions about ticketing policies so we rolled out our Head of Ticketing, Andy Ward.

Q. How would a fan go about organising one of these fans forums?

A. They would simply contact the Club’s Communications Department and express an interest. Self-evidently, there is a waiting list as the forums have proved to be extremely popular.

Q. How else do the club get insight into the fans?

A. Through basic and predictable inter-action….emails, phone calls, letters, talks on street-corners etc. All football fans – and particularly Everton fans – love to have their points of view aired.

There are loads of fanzines and fansites which are full of opinions from fan.

Q. Do the club monitor these in any way?

A. Well, I don’t……but I am sure many inside the Club do. I am often accused of actually posting ( under assumed names ) on Toffeeweb etc – but I have no interest at all in doing that.

Q. How are the club embracing new forms of communication like Bluetooth?

A. We are as technologically advanced as it is possible to be – we were the first on Twitter, Facebook etc

Q. There have been issues recently regarding the stadium issue. Many feel the club didn’t know enough about the fan’s preferences for design and travel arrangements, such as what travel methods the fans were willing to take. What is your response to this?

A. We liaised fully with the fans during the stadium process……..the simple truth is, no matter how much dialogue you engage in, no matter how much information you provide…it is NEVER enough. We tried our best to get across all the salient points.

Q. Do you believe there was room for improvement?

A. Always is…always will be. No-one is perfect.

Q. What methods of consultation did the club do with the fans before the plans for Destination Kirkby were drawn up?

A. Well, you can’t consult before you have a basic plan, a scheme, to discuss……..once Destination Kirby became something more than a distant possibility, we sought to engage the fan-base.

Q. What methods of communication are planned with the fans as we move towards looking for a new solution to the stadium issue?

A. The same ones we have always used. Ours is the most open club within the Premiership…..many will argue against that notion…..but it is a fact.

Q. Do you believe a fans council or supporters trust would be beneficial to helping communication with fans?

A. No, not really. We had something similar when I arrived here nine years ago and it was a mess – a series of poorly-attended meetings featuring people who claimed they were the ” voice ” of the Everton public. They weren’t.

Q. Of course the club communicates with many more people than fans. The club is obviously a big attraction in the media. How do the club organise communication with the media?

A. We have a large and professional Communications team which covers every conceivable aspect of the modern media – from bluetooth to standard press releases. We have direct lines of communication with every arm of the media – locally, nationally and internationally.

Q. The club also has the Everton Foundation. Do the club use this as a way to put Everton into the heart of the local community?

A. Yes..I am a Trustee of the Foundation and the work they undertake inside the city – and particularly inside the Walton community – is quite remarkable.

We’re also an important attraction across the Merseyside region. Q. Last week on the way to the Tottenham game the bus stopped outside the old Everton ground (Anfield) and a large group of Germans held the bus up for 10 minutes as they squeezed on with bags of Liverpool FC merchandise. How do the club liaise with tourism organisations etc. to ensure Everton get their fair share of this custom?

A. We spend our lives attempting to make Everton a true, world brand. Whether we like it or not, LFC are just that – a world brand, along with Man Utd and, arguably, Arsenal. This process will, naturally, be accelerated by success out on the field.

Q. We’ve also just signed up to a ten year contract with Kitbag for retail. For me it has been fantastic with world class launches of the shirts and stores, but then again the JJB deal seemed to go sour. How are the club communicating with Kitbag to ensure these high standards are maintained?

A. Kitbag have been great since they joined forces with us. I haven’t met one supporter who has a bad word to say about them. Sales have been extraordinary and the success of the two stores speaks for itself. I think our relationship with them will continue to grow and blossom.

Q. We also have a Thai sponsor in Chang. I’d imagine that would be a hugely different culture. How much of a difference is it to communicate with these foreign sponsors?

A. In many ways it is what is termed a ” reverse ” sponsorship deal. The Chang product isn’t widely available in this country but the English Premier League is huge in Thailand – so they benefit from the blanket TV coverage of the premiership. Our relationship with Chang is excellent.

Do you have any opinions on this interview and that state of Everton’s communication? Please do comment on our Everton Forum, the link is below.

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