It has been a little while since the last time I updated supporters on what is going on at the club, as it has been all hands on deck to work towards the Shrewsbury Town fixture last Saturday.
We are recruiting staff in a number of departments, including matchday staff, and as seems to be common in our industry, we have lost a lot to permanent employment since the start of the pandemic.
We are very much looking forward to the next couple of weeks, with big fixtures both home and away, and whilst this will undoubtedly present some operational challenges, we are determined to succeed;
Bartercard Terrace – roof and new bars
During further preliminary works on the roof to the rear of the Bartercard Terrace, we have discovered that some additional piling is required prior to the erection of the steel beams that will support the roof.
This is an additional cost and time consuming, but we will continue to push forwards. Revised plans should shortly be with us, and we have the contractors ready to go. We will have to plan the works carefully around home fixtures, so as to not impact any matchdays, but we endeavour to have the project complete ahead of the winter months.
We have also installed a new bar behind this terrace – in anticipation of the increased attendances and demand for food and drink. Feedback from Saturday’s game tells us that we still have some work to do to reduce service times, and we will look to achieve this by adding a further unit, along with additional tills and staff in all of these. We also have an external food unit that we will be getting set up over the coming weeks.
To assist with queuing times, we have also ordered plastic bottles of beer (500ml), although due to UK shortages, the lead time on these are longer than we would hope. In the meantime, it will remain cans poured into plastic cups, due to ground regulations we are bound by, but in time, we will all see and benefit from these improvements.
MGS Terrace & Bartercard Terrace migration
In years gone by, I understand that supporters have been able to move between the two terraces. As we have now sold record numbers of season tickets, and will be at capacity for a number of fixtures this season, we are now unable to offer this option to supporters.
We appreciate that messaging needs to be clearer on the ticket website, to inform supporters that the MGS Terrace is uncovered and there are no alcohol sales in the stand, as it is in view of the pitch.
We are more than happy to offer anyone who has purchased a season ticket in the MGS Terrace the opportunity to swap this to the Bartercard Terrace, should they wish to do so. Please call or visit the club shop on a non-matchday to arrange this – there is no additional charge. We will be unable to swap tickets on the day of a game – again as we cannot confirm availability.
Contactless Payments & Concourses
We now have contactless payment options at all bars and concourses across the stadium. Given the move away from cash payments across society over the last 18 months, it was an absolute necessity to arrange this for our supporters at the Mazuma Stadium.
In an ideal world, we would prefer all payments to be contactless as it will help speed up service and minimise cash handling (and the associated covid risks), although we will certainly still accept cash payments in all areas of the stadium.
We are also looking to add more tills and card machines to the stadium concourses in order to speed up service.
Club Shop & Ticket Office
After 12 years loyal service, Graham Fagan, our current Club Shop & Ticket Office Manager, has been offered a fantastic opportunity outside of football. As a result, we are now advertising for both a Retail Manager, along with a Ticket Office Manager.
Further details on both roles, along with all opportunities currently available, can be found at https://www.morecambefc.com/club/current-vacancies/. I would urge anyone who believes they have the skills and drive for either role to get in touch via recruitment@morecambefc.com, to join our brilliant team here at Morecambe FC.
We would like to thank Graham for his outstanding dedication and work throughout his time at the club, and wish him all the best in his next role. He will always be welcome at the Mazuma Stadium, and hopefully will join us for a beer at matches in future – he has sure earned it!
We appreciate the effort supporters have gone to, to help us out, by getting to the Mazuma Stadium through the week to pick up their season ticket, and reduce queues on the matchday. Next season, we will be offering the option to have your season ticket posted out to your home address, which will help this even further.
We have now sold over 2300 season tickets – by far the best total in the clubs history! A big thank you to everyone for supporting the initiative – please continue to push your friends, colleagues, family and all to purchase one – they will still hold their value well into the season – it would be great to hit 2500+!
New Seats – Main Stand
The new red seats for the main stand are now with us, and a band of loyal Shrimps Trust volunteers will be coming down to the Mazuma Stadium this week to help us get these installed in time for the Preston fixture next Tuesday. This will give the place a great visual lift – all part of our Brand New Bright Tomorrow. Thank you to those who have volunteered their time to assist.
We are still hoping to replace the rest of the seats over the coming few seasons, and this seems the right time to remind supporters who may not yet have done so, to get signed up to the Shrimps Lottery, where there are chances to win cash prizes each week, and even better – we have committed all profit raised will be reinvested in ground improvements such as this project and any future ones! More details on this can be found at https://www.morecambefc.com/club/lottery/
Upcoming Games
Just a reminder for supporters that this Saturday’s game away at Gillingham game is ALL TICKET, and as such, supporters need to buy their ticket before 5pm this Thursday 19 August. These can be bought in the club shop, over the phone or ideally, online. Further information can be found via https://www.morecambefc.com/news/2021/august/gillingham-a-ticket-details/
Following your feedback a few weeks ago, we have now committed to selling tickets for all away games both in the club shop, as well as online. These can then be collected up to a few days prior to the game, or alternatively left at the away club’s ticket office for collection on the day of a fixture.
Preston North End & Sheffield Wednesday tickets will be on sale from midweek. Please keep an eye on the website for full details over the coming days.
Finally
Saturday was a monumental day for all concerned with the club – staff, players, supporters alike. Whilst there were some snags with the off pitch operation – I would hope that the majority of people enjoyed the day and the result will certainly have sent the Shrimps supporters home happy. It will undoubtably take some time for us to get back up to speed with a full stadium, and we have tried to pre-empt and foresee everything we possibly can.
Where we don’t get something spot on, we will recognise this, learn and put a plan in place to improve with each game. This is an ongoing process and we all strive to be the best we can. Please keep offering your constructive feedback to us, and in the meantime, enjoy what is happening on the pitch. We have got off to a brilliant start this season with four points from six and we are into the Round Two of the Carabao Cup.
Thank you for your support,
Ben