MSF Meeting 13.10.25.
Present: MSF Members from: FMTTM, Rainbow Reds, BoroSC2020, Boro Breakdown, Twe12th Man, One Boro, MDSA24, MSF Press Officer
MFC Reps from Ticket Office and Supporter Services. MFC Disability Liaison Officer.
Independent advisor on Fan Advisory Boards
| Questions raised by fans | Discussion | Actions/Outcome |
| Update on Fan Advisory Boards. | MFC have spoken to many fans groups and have planned in detail (including a timetable) for the setting up of the Advisory Board at Middlesbrough. The Football Regulator is now in place to measure the effectiveness of fan consultation and engagement. | A recruitment drive will take place in early November. Fans from all parts of our fanbase are encouraged to apply, with interviews held later that month. Each recognised and attending MSF fan group will have a representative on the Board. The aim is to have the first meeting in January. It was agreed to warmly celebrate MSF’s years of valuable contribution and the positive impact it has had supporting fans. |
| Uptake and developments with digital ticketing. | From the Fans’ Survey, 90.5% of those using digital ticketing reported a positive experience, and 80% of Boro fans prefer buying tickets online. Currently, 39% of fans already have digital tickets on their phones. To help even more supporters make the switch, MFC has previously welcomed fans to the Stadium for hands-on support with using their digital tickets at the turnstiles, an initiative that has proven very successful. Disabled fans may experience difficulties accessing the stadium using digital ticketing. They do not always have the same PA accompanying them. | MFC will provide clear guidance and support to help fans use and share their digital tickets, including social media updates and dedicated digital workshops. Disabled supporters can have both their own and their PA’s tickets conveniently loaded onto their phone. |
| Can a year-long season ticket be issued at Christmas? | This would be challenging, as it is not known in December which league the team will be playing in by August. | MFC will once again offer the popular Half Season Card this year, providing great value and flexibility for supporters. Year-long season cards will not be issued at Christmas. |
| Can we do an automatic renewal of season cards? | This might boost season card renewals. Some clubs also do automatic sales of cup tickets. | A fan engagement evening on ticketing will be held to share ideas and explore opportunities to enhance the ticketing experience. MFC have asked MSF to provide a list of questions ahead of the ticketing consultation to help ensure a constructive discussion and positive outcomes. |
| Coventry City have introduced a Hat Trick Bundle, offering 3 match tickets at a reduced price. Could Boro offer this? | Several clubs offer three ticket bundles. These often include games considered to be less popular, such as Tuesday night games. | MFC are always looking to improve the fan experience and offer value for money, and will continue to explore ticketing options |
| North Stand scarf initiative: Could the Club publicise and rally fans to deck out the Riverside? | Twe12th Man have encouraged displays of traditional scarves and flags in the North Stand. Initially this was very successful, but a recent attempt was not so well supported, probably due to lack of publicity. They would like to promote the idea around the whole Stadium, with fans holding up scarves before the game and when we score (as seen at Newcastle and Aberdeen for example). | MFC would be keen to explore how to include this as part of their initiatives to enhance the matchday atmosphere. MFC have suggested and would welcome a meeting with the Twe12th Man and any interested groups to explore how we can make this a success |
| Consistent Boro red: Do we have a consistent red colour for all Boro shirts? | Yes, we have a consistent red in use. The brand guidelines are shared with the manufacturer. | While some variation may occur due to materials and production methods, we work to ensure consistency in our iconic Boro red wherever possible |
| Promotion of Under 21 and Under 18 games and the informing of fans of developments in these squads e.g.: the retained list. | Some criticism of the publication of information that contained spelling mistakes and the lack of information about who has been retained or let go. Families of U18 and U21 players want recognition of the achievements of their family members. More notice needs to be given about upcoming U18 and U21 matches to allow more fans to attend. Information on the Club website about U21 games can get lost as it moves down the page. More could be made of the U21 games at the Riverside. Under the lights, with a 7pm kick off, could create a good atmosphere for families and young people. This could help give access to the Riverside for more children and families, who are unable to attend First team games due to the cost. | For child protection reasons, the names of released U18 players cannot be published. MFC’s Media team usually updates fans 24–48 hours before all matches, including first team games. Recently, they’ve added a “What’s Coming Up This Week” feature on social media, which will continue to grow to include U18 and U21 fixtures. MFC will explore inviting school children and youth teams to U21 games. |
| Why is there such a big gap between the home and away fans in the East Stand? Could a wall or barrier be erected instead? | Attendances are increasing, so could a barrier be put in place and tickets sold in the empty areas? There is a 14 seat gap between the 2 sets of fans. The sale of seats in the gap is restricted. Stadium safety rules mean there must be a certain number of aisles, stairwells, turnstiles and concourse facilities for away fans. Away fans were previously in the South Stand, where the concourse facilities, aisles etc were specially provided. Now the away fans have moved to the East Stand, a bigger seating area is required to provide the fans with the required facilities. If there is a smaller away crowd, the home fans cannot use many of the empty seating as the concourse and aisles are required for the away fans. | Home fan ticket sales can be extended by four seats across into the East Stand, but not into the South Stand. To enhance the visual appearance, it was suggested by MSF that banners and flags could be displayed on the vacant seats. The fan groups have offered to provide flags, and MFC will try and locate the banners previously used during the Covid pandemic when the Stadium was empty. Installing a wall or barrier would not be cost-effective, and issues relating to concourse facilities would persist. |
| Can gift vouchers be used for purchases, other than in the shop, e.g. for tickets or hospitality? | Ticketing gift vouchers are available to purchase in person and online. Vouchers can be redeemed on the ticketing site for the purchase of match tickets or season tickets. Vouchers can be bought in multiples of £5 starting from £5 up to £500. | Many fans present at the meeting were unaware of this option. It was requested that MFC publicise ticket vouchers. |
| Many questions have been raised about food and drink. These include food options, premium food pop-up vendors, pie sales points and the availability of Camden Pale Ale and low alcohol drinks in the concourse bars. Could lines be painted on the floor at concourse outlets, to help position the queues? | It is anticipated that the drink driving laws may be tightened up further. Many fans are requesting low or alcohol-free drinks. Multiple new innovations are being trialled this season by the concourse and catering teams, initiatives to reduce queuing times and new food and drink offerings. Lines on the floor in the concourses have been used in the past to help guide queues and reduce congestion. | There will be another meeting with the catering and concourse staff later in the season to assess the new innovations and to discuss further points raised by fans. MFC Supporter Engagement will liaise with the MFC concourse team to look into the renewed use of lines to position queues. |
| Use of Gold cards at the Fan Zone and Self-Service bars. | Gold card holders can now redeem their Chairman’s drink in the Fan Zone. | As this is a recent change, more publicity is required. Gary Philipson will continue to announce this in the Fan Zone. Happy to Help staff, positioned around the Stadium, will inform people. |
| Boro On The Road events. Are tickets already allocated and why do they sell out so quickly? Could the event be held in larger venues such as the Town Hall? | Fans have queried if the tickets are already allocated before they go on sale for Boro On The Road, and if it is the same fans going to every event. The event sells out quickly due to demand. MFC feel the intimacy of smaller local venues is better than using larger venues such as the Town Hall. | Boro On The Road events will continue throughout the season and be spread across the wider region to allow more fans to attend. Venues will remain smaller, to help promote fan interaction and give fans the opportunity to ask questions. Fan Engagement evenings (about the Club Crest, Retail etc) at the Riverside have also proved popular with fans and will continue. |
| The extra TVs in the South West Upper cause issues with the queues. | The TVs are back to back and interfere with the queues in the SW Upper concourse. | MFC to investigate the relocation of the TV screens to reduce queuing and congestion problems in the South West Upper concourse. |
| Can the Fan Zone be upgraded and extended? | Fans have had good experiences in fan zones at Boro away games recently. Rangers’ Fan Zone was very popular. At Southampton, Premiership money has been spent on fan zones. There are covered zones and bars all around the Stadium. Some bars open outwards from the Stadium. There is little parking available at The Dell, and the space is used to build more Fan Zones. Space is also limited at The Riverside. Fan zones at Bristol City and Plymouth do not have a roof but are very popular. Could Fan Zones be developed on the dockside, riverside or Temenos areas? Results from the fans consultations and surveys indicate that the fans would like to see improvements to the Fan Zone, including an extension, a roof and reduced queues. | MFC are aware of fans’ requests to improve the Fan Zone. Twe12th Man Bar behind the North Stand is open before and after the games. MFC are piloting an Ebar for the next 3 home matches. This will be located in the Fanzone pre match and the North West Lower stand at half time MSF have suggested a meeting to discuss the Fan Zone and possible developments |
| Other possible improvements to the ground and surrounding areas. | Southampton have painted the tunnels leading to their ground, so they now resemble the players’ tunnel at The Dell. Could this be done with the tunnels under the railway and the A66? The idea was well received at the meeting. | A further meeting will be held when this idea will be discussed further. |
| Difficulties reading what is displayed on the Big Screen. | The line ups are currently shown on the Big Screen, but fans would like to see the home and away substitutions come up on the screen too. Some fans find it difficult to read the small font on the big screen and have requested that it be made larger. | MFC to investigate the legibility of the font from various areas of the Stadium. Ten MFC staff have learnt to use sign language and will sign information for the crowd on a video which will be shown on the big screen soon. There will be subtitles accompanying the video. |
Next meeting Tuesday 2nd December 2025
