THANKS to our new initiative - Saddlers Insight - during October, a number of questions were put to various members of staff on a variety of subjects regarding Walsall Football Club.
Every query that has come in has been answered and the response has been emailed back to the supporter who emailed in their question.
A selection have appeared in our Official Matchday Programme - 'White & Red'.
However, at the end of each month, more questions will be published right here on www.saddlers.co.uk. So, if you have a question, just email: daniel.mole@walsallfc.co.uk.
You may have a question to ask the coaching staff or the youth department. You may have a ticket office query, a question for a Club Official, or you may just want to find out more about stadium operations, the Media Department or the Conference & Events side of the business. You may even want to ask one of our players what their favourite colour is!
Whatever your question, simply email daniel.mole@walsallfc.co.uk with 'Saddlers Insight' in the subject header and your name and location. Alternatively, write to: Saddlers Insight, Banks's Stadium, Bescot Crescent, Walsall WS1 4SA.
This Q & A session is the sole copyright of Walsall Football and cannot be replicated, in part or whole, without prior permission.
October Questions
Hi Daniel,
Saddlers season ticket holder here.
Burning questions I have for your match day feature are as follows: I always try to get to the ground early on match days - approx just after 2.00pm as I bring along my elderly father and young nephew plus a couple of friends as its easier to park up without the rush.
Each season though we seem to be going backwards with our catering and refreshments. Once upon a time we could use the Bescot Bar for a pre-match drink from a choice of many draught beers then sample a meal deal that used to include chips and various sorted meal deals.
Along with this we would then have a flutter on the on-course betting. The last couple of seasons have been disappointing as we appear to be going backwards in offering facilities to entice similar minded fans to turn up early. Surely as a forward thinking business you want us fans to be at the ground early spending money?
Adrian Evans, Wednesbury
Hi Adrian, thanks for the question.
I have spoken to our Catering & Bar Manager on your behalf and have the following information, which may shed some light on your query.
The bar area within the Bescot Bar (e.g the draught pumps etc) is only in use on matchdays and, after trialling a wide range of draught lagers and beers, we had to make the decision to just provide the most popular products due, in the main, to wastage.
Supporters were simply not drinking across the range of products on offer and we were throwing away more drink than was being consumed. With that in mind, we reverted to simply stocking those drinks that were most popular. When this happens, there will be individuals like yourself who will be disappointed and for that we apologise. However, we simply couldn't continue to stock such a variety of draughts when they were not being sold.
On to the food on offer within the Bescot Bar. Because the room has a small capacity, there is a need for quick service to ensure that supporters aren't waiting too long to be served. That is the main reason why the decision was made to stop cooking burgers and frying chips in this area.
It is worth pointing out that the Stadium Suite does offer a wider choice of food and beverages simply because we are able to make use of this suite throughout the week with conferences, cabaret evenings and sporting dinners all taking place.
This area is open to those supporters who use the Upper and Middle Tiers of the Floors-2-Go Stand. We also show the live early Premier League game in this area and it has become a popular meeting place for our supporters
Daniel Mole, Communications Manager
Hi,
Can someone from the club please explain the current Transfer Window?
Wayne Swift, Walsall
Hi Wayne, thanks for your question. This issue was dealt with in a recent matchday programme by Chief Executive, Roy Whalley:
In these days of Transfer Windows, it might be useful to explain what transfer activity is available to us during the periods when the Transfer Windows are closed.
There are two Transfer Windows; from the end of the playing season to August 31st and from January 1st to January 31st. During these two periods, any levels of transfer activity can take place. Indeed, FIFA intended that there would be no transfer activity at all outside these two Transfer Windows, but The Football League managed to negotiate any exemption whereby the 72 League clubs can transact what are known as 'Emergency Loans' during the periods between Transfer Windows.
This means that clubs can sign loan players from other Football League and Premier League clubs. Emergency Loans have to be for a minimum of 28 days and a maximum of 93 days.
You cannot include more than five loan players in your playing squad for a game and in any one season, you cannot loan more than four players from any one club. This arrangement will continue until the fourth Thursday in November (November 27th).
After this date, loans are not permitted until the opening of the Transfer Window on January 1st. There are a couple of exceptions, for example, an exemption is possible to enable a club to sign a goalkeeper in special circumstances where all other 'keepers on the books are injured or suspended and medical evidence is provided.
A club can also sign a player who is a free agent outside the Transfer Windows, but only where the players' last contract was terminated during a Transfer Window. You can see that this is quite a complex set of arrangements, but hopefully this explanation will help you to understand the options open to Football League clubs at the present time.
My second question relates to the rent Walsall FC pay on the land at the Banks's Stadium. Can someone explain what this is?
Wayne Swift, Walsall
In 1991, Jeff Bonser purchased Walsall Football Club after Fellows Park was sold to developers who, in turn, used the land to develop what is now Morrisons Supermarket.
At that time, Severn Trent owned the land that currently houses the Banks's Stadium. When the lease was available to purchase only five serious parties expressed an interest to the Official Receiver- four of which were developers whose sole intention was development.
Jeff Bonser's Pension Fund purchased the lease and, like with any landlord and tenant relationship, Walsall Football Club pay the Fund a rent for the facilities provided.
During the last 17 years, the landlord has invested over £2 million into stadium improvements such as the construction of the Bonser Suite, Floors-2-Go Stand, M6 Advertising Signs and Stadium Suite. As a result the rent has been increased to encompass these investments with the football club receiving all the revenue generated from the additional facilities.
Because of the relationship between the football club and the landlord, not only have the club been able to build its infrastructure without any initial monetary outlay and reap the monetary rewards that have resulted from these facilities, the club have enjoyed very favourable terms such as 'rental holidays' when cash flow was an issue.
This landlord/tenant arrangement has been explained on many occasions and, as the Chairman has re-iterated many times, has been very advantageous to the football club.
Hello Daniel,
I am a season ticket holder and have recently being bringing my little daughter, a mini-saddler, with me to home games to enjoy the football and get used to the atmosphere. As she is not quite four years old a major part of her enjoyment is seeing and meeting Swifty the club mascot before games when he patrols the ground.
She is not alone as I have seen many of the young Saddlers, now being encouraged by the club to attend home games, having their photographs taken with Swifty and getting his autograph. Therefore, it surprises me that there are Swifty merchandise available in the club shop.
Can we expect to see Swifty soft toys in the club shop soon? It could be a valuable source of revenue for the club.
Tony Waldron Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield
Hi Tony, Many thanks for your question, which I have put to our Head of Merchandising:
"Thanks for your question Tony. Over the past few years we have tried to provide Swifty-based merchandise for our supporters. Unfortunately, this did not receive the kind of response we were hoping for. Merchandise that we have stocked included t-shirts, hats and other clothing. W
e have looked at producing 'Swifty Soft Toys'. However, manufacturers of soft toys look to a minimum order of 250 items. Due to the fact that this is a unique product, the unit cost is very high and, as a result, the retail price would also be on the expensive side. With that in mind, we have been reluctant to stock this item.
We are continuing to look to suppliers in order to source soft toys to solve this problem but are not in a position to stock such merchandise at the present time.
Karen."
Thanks again for your question.
Daniel Mole, Communications Manager
This Q & A session is the sole copyright of Walsall Football and cannot be replicated, in part or whole, without prior permission.
Hello, I remember whilst attending Bescot Stadium in the late nineties, a 'scoreflash' service was provided on the scoreboard for other games in our division (and relevant games elsewhere).
I found it added to the matchday experience - why is it no longer used? Is there scope to re-introduce scoreflashes?
Thanks in advance,
Andrew Curl
Hi Andrew, thanks for the question.
This is indeed something that we provided during this period. However, a number of our managers, and club officials, felt that it detracted from the game in hand and a decision was made to no longer provide this service.
As with the vast majority of football stadiums around the country, we feel that half-time is an appropriate period in which to announce other scores from our division and relevant games elsewhere rather than during the game.
As of this season though, we have introduced a 'Vidi-Printer' to Saddlers TV - our in-house matchday television channel - whereby all scores are fed into a 'ticker-tape' system, which is then shown around the stadium on the various televisions and large screens throughout the game and, of course, at half-time.
Daniel Mole, Communications Manager
This Q & A session is the sole copyright of Walsall Football and cannot be replicated, in part or whole, without prior permission.
