Hi everyone, "GASBOARD"... an idea i've had buzzing round my head for a while, so bear with me and dismiss it if you like i've got broad shoulders, i'm just throwing it out there. I raised this at the recent Supporters club AGM and the club said they'd look at it if i got my idea down in writing, i did this and was invited to the Supporters Club committee meeting on Monday night to outline the idea, i spoke and answered questions for over an hour and felt pretty confident the SC or even the football club itself would have a good think about it. i think it could have more benefits if or when we move to UWE, but anyway here it is. I'd like to run an idea past you, to improve communication with the football club and to help raise and push forward ideas from within our fanbase i think we should look into the possibility of forming a "GasBoard". A group of members would need to be selected from those supporters wanting to make a difference, Gasheads could put their name forward and a vote could be held to elect leaders (a committee?) of particular categories. These leaders would meet up say quarterly to discuss with other fans who have thoughts to share and if anything requires action or raises concerns it could be forwarded to the club. this would include criticisms, ideas, suggestions etc and put forward in an organised and respectful way. A Bristol Rovers Board of Fans "GasBoard" could be set up to help improve communications between fans and the Club regarding different categories of our club and the members selected are there to represent you, the supporters. If you have a question for one of the members or something you would like raised, you could contact the relevant member via email or meet in person pre-match etc. You would be able to contact any one or more of the elected candidates on any issues. Obviously Elected Representatives will not be expected to reply to every correspondence they receive and more urgent day-to-day issues or questions should be directed to the Club. My initial idea would involve the following example categories which would of course need everyone.s view to sort out, these are purely a suggestion and would of course need fine tuning including more categories if required: Season Ticket Holders Fan's In Exile Pay-on-the-Day/Casual Fans Families Female Fans Disabled Fans Ethnic Minorities Under 18s Fans who attend away games Club Bars/Catering Role of the GasBoard As an elected member of the GasBoard each individual leader has a duty to liaise with fans from the group they represent and ensure they best serve their interests in meetings with the Club/Supporters club. Each of the members is contactable via email and they are able to provide feedback and take questions from the fans they represent, as well as share updates after each meeting. I think the forums could be used in this way as long as it remained sensible and productive. The GasBoard will be to benefit all supporters and could improve communications. ⢠The Fans Board will provide a platform for supporters to communicate directly with key Club staff in a structured manner ⢠Give the Club greater insight into the topics and issues that most affect and concern the wider Rovers fanbase ⢠Allow supporters to better understand the Clubâs decision-making process on key issues ⢠Enable supporters to play a crucial role in helping the Club achieve success on and off the pitch ⢠Provide transparency regarding the key issues that affect supporters Anyway thanks for reading. I'll keep you updated if things move on, but in fairness even if the principle is agreed i think it would take months rather than weeks to organise properly. UTG
