Questions from NCFC supporters with answers from the Club

Andy - Can you do away with the self-service bar in the lion and castle and have all the food in one place and drinks in another. It never hardly gets used and you could have more tables and chairs or make it into where you can buy all the food in one place, instead of buying a pie and then getting your chips from another as it’s annoying going to one bar then standing in another queue to get your chips from

A. The Lion & Castle is a new development, and we wouldn’t remove the self-service bar. Owing to the kitchen layout and hot food counter positioning, we are only able to serve certain hot food items from one end of the bar.

Becky - Will the club reconsider their position on partnering with Norfolk Short Breaks as an approved provider? Short Breaks are awarded to families of disabled children, with funds being used at approved providers to do respite activities. Unfortunately, when the council approached the club this year, NCFC decided not to take part, (although the CSF is a partner so activities at The Nest are included).

A. We would be happy to look into this. Please email supporterreleations@canaries.co.uk and we can raise it with the relevant department.

Mark - Any chance of asking if the PA announcer starting OTBC and the goal music could be ditched?

A. These decisions are kept under review and revisited annually. However, these are often personal preferences and supporters will always have differing positions on these matters.

Mikey - Can we ditch the Samba goal celebration One step beyond would be good from Madness

A. As above, these decisions are kept under review and revisited annually. However, these are often personal preferences and supporters will always have differing positions on these matters. The club believes that the Samba goal music is iconic to NCFC and Carrow Road so it is unlikely this would change.

Jack - Can there be a fan poll on a dedicated song the teams walk out to?

A. This is something that has been considered before and we will share it with the relevant teams.

Steve - There been talking for years about extending Carrow Road. You can play at Wembley stadium while your ground is being redeveloped. It’s a good idea as it will attract more fans and increase the capacity at Carrow road up to 40000 as planned.

A. The club have undertaken feasibility studies for the redevelopment of the City Stand as well as visits to other clubs. It is unlikely that the club would have to move stadiums for the redevelopment of a stand and the current cost of steel and materials means that the redevelopment of the stand will likely be too cost prohibitive at this time. Instead, the club are looking at ways to maximise existing stadium space and upgrade existing areas.

Phil - Create a singing section in the Barclay. Move the drum up higher so the sound travels better so we’re in sync with the beat. I’m in E block and it doesn’t feel like we’re well connected with C block (drum lads). Also, can you sort the PA system out. It sounds awful.

A. The club previously worked with atmosphere supporter groups with regards to the position and moving of the drum from E to C block and the creation of a natural singing section within C block. The back end of the PA system has now been upgraded, and we will now move onto the next stage of the front end of this in due course.

Andrew - I bring this up often, but we do not give discounted season tickets to active-duty military like other clubs. Military personnel often have to miss games for work, and it would be nice for the sacrifice made to be honoured by allowing them a discounted rate. Ipswich do military deals so why can’t we?

A. The club has looked into Tickets for Troops and other similar sites but has opted to keep its current in-house operation where it provides complimentary ticket codes to local armed forces. This means that no administration fee is passed onto the fan, which is usually around a £5 fee for similar sites. The club also gives complimentary tickets in larger bulks for its dedicated and annual armed forces fixture as well as for Remembrance. The club has been working with the Supporter Panel on the creation of a new Armed Forced Membership which has recently launched.

Di - Not sure if Norwich have one but a sensory room would be good for younger supporters… also a remembrance garden for us to remember Norwich City loved ones who sadly passed away.

A. The club is exploring various options to improve accessibility facilities across the stadium; this includes working alongside a new accessibility working group. The club has looked at remembrance options previously and now holds its annual celebration of life fixture as well as its club memorial service: https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/in-memoriam

Gordon - When is seating due to be replaced/ improved in certain sections of the stadium?

A. Seating is reviewed regularly by our maintenance and stewarding teams. If you have specific issues with individual seating, please email supporterrelations@canaries.co.uk and we can get our maintenance team to investigate.

Becky - Details of accessible toilets / more accessible toilets being available around the ground would be really helpful. I take my son who is Autistic, and he’s getting a bit old to join me in the ladies’ queue, but there’s no accessible loo in the upper Regency near T block where our new season tickets will be (that I’ve seen, anyway - please correct me if I’m wrong!). There’s no time to go to lower areas during half time to use the disabled toilets there.

A. The stadium is legally compliant regarding disabled toilets, but owing to the age of the stadium, some areas are better equipped than others. Please contact accessibility@canaries.co.uk to discuss further, including the potential for a seat more to an area with more appropriate facilities.

Mark - I've always thought that the club should possibly contact all season ticket holders in the lower Barclay and ask them if they'd like to be part of a partisan home end. If not ask them if they'd like to relocate, as the Barclay needs to be as intimidating as possible like the Holmesdale Road at Crystal Palace.

A. We would encourage all of our supporters to be as loud and proud as possible in support of the team, regardless of where they sit within the stadium.

Mikey - Why is it always the same music for team warm ups. It’s time to change it about, there are loads of songs out there

A. The club uses the same song as a signal for those in the concourses/not in view of the pitch that the warmup is about to occur should they wish to make their way out to watch this.

Stephen - Why are fans allowed to stand before game, half time & full time at the front of the south stand when wheelchair cannot pass as it stops disabled fans getting to their seats?

A. Supporters, often younger, like to gather here to try and get autographs/have interactions with our players. However, this should not be at the detriment to other supporters and stewards will be highlighted to this should they see anyone having access issues as a result.

Derek - Can you mention the very poor PA system. The announcer always sound muffled and it spoils the occasion.

A. As above, the back end of the PA system has now

been upgraded, and we will now move onto the next stage of the front end of this in due course.

Barry – For the last 3/4 seasons I have been complaining about the lack of sweeteners available in the retail kiosks in the ground. Think this was brought up with the club last season and you were told that they were available upon request. I am diabetic and require these and last time the kiosk had run out.

A. The club does not keep sweeteners in the concourse areas as they often go lumpy due to the damp weather. Instead, they are kept behind the kiosks. Unfortunately, as with any product these are subject to availability. If you have a medical condition, we would recommend bringing your own sweetener in case of future stock issues.

Christopher - I’ve attended games at Norwich since the late 90’s. I’m a season ticket holder in the lower Barclay, Block E. The reason I am emailing with the information on where my season ticket is located is to explain why I feel the drum doesn’t help the atmosphere but instead hinders it significantly.

I fully understand that performances on the pitch dictate the atmosphere in the crowd, however, since the drum was moved to the C block, it’s been the worst atmosphere I have known at Carrow Road, even going back to the late 90’s/early 00’s. I believe the reason for this is because of the notorious areas for fans starting chants and creating the atmosphere is from the snake pit and the E block. Therefore, with the drum being in the C block, we now have 3 areas in the Barclay/Snakepit trying to create an atmosphere with those in the D block and A/B blocks unsure who to join in with. At least with the atmosphere starting in the E block and the Snakepit, there was a far enough distance away from each other for fans in the middle to join in. By introducing the drum to the C block, they start their own songs and with them beating the drum so loudly, people cannot hear what they are singing but also, people in the E block and Snakepit are unable to start a chant because it isn’t to the beat of whatever the drum is drumming too. I have a few videos with this evidence where all you can hear from the E block is the constant thumping of the drum.

When the drum was in the E block, the atmosphere started at one side of the stand and then travelled across to the whole Barclay. Where the drum is in the middle, fans don’t know who to join in with. In my opinion, the drum either needs to be banned or moved to one side of the Barclay. We have never needed a drum before to create an atmosphere so I’m unsure why the club thinks we need one now. I believe the best atmosphere at Carrow Road this season was against Sheffield Wednesday at home during the first half when the drum was initially banned from Carrow Road.

Could you also find out why the drum was banned for one game and then allowed to be in the stadium for the following home match. I believe the drum should be banned permanently. Does the club have any idea what acceptable levels of decibels are in a stadium, as I’ve heard many complaints from people sitting next to the drum that they have experienced headaches and earaches from this area?

A. The club previously worked with atmosphere supporter groups with regards to the position and moving of the drum from E to C block and the creation of a natural singing section within C block. The drum was not banned last season, it was a former supporter group’s decision to not bring this in. The club has looked into the matter following noise complaints and is compliant regarding this.

James– The Regency Lower hasn’t barely had a lick of paint in 25 years. I think the toilets are still in the same state they were all those years back. There has been so much focus on the South Stand, but is there going to be any updates to this concourse/stand? Added to this fact, I can’t even see my number on the seat anymore, it seems the stand is completely ignored.

A. The Regency Stand (lower) toilets were refurbished in 2020/21, and concourses are painted annually. The club constantly reviews its matchday survey and complaints report data to make improvements and works have been completed in the summer on some of the more common issues including roof leaks and bird netting. We will pass on the seat numbering issues to our maintenance team, but as with all outdoor stadiums the number often weathers quickly.

Mel - I’m a season ticket holder and shareholder in the upper Riverside. I constantly criticise the catering when responding to the club request for match day feedback, but of course nothing changes. Specifically, the hot drinks. They are not high quality. The hot chocolate is frankly disgusting, a thin watery muddy imitation. I’m vegetarian (not vegan) and the only choice is a hot spicy pasty. Why on earth doesn't the club provide something like cheese and onion pasty or pie. I'm sure it would sell to a much wider customer base, being milder and more 'mainstream'. The pukka leek and potato pie used to be welcome. Some more places to put our drinks down when eating would be good.

A. The club has recently set up a new external food & beverage working group and will be working with supporters on the group and reviewing the food provision. Our survey data will play a big role within this. Ultimately, with the stadium layout we are very limited in some areas of our concourses, so we only have limited space for products.

Kevin

● Can the club confirm what proportion or how many of the season ticket sales are new customers as distinct from renewals?

● Do the season ticket customers reflect a lower average age than the renewals?

● How will the club ensure that family and friends data is up to date as a base for furnishing the digital ticketing system?

● Will Seat Geek incorporate club shareholding data?

● Can the club consider consistency of experience issues for customers in Block M of the south stand and similar, in which concessionary prices apply for cup games but not league games? This means we get invaded for the cup games, whilst there are empty seats by the dozen for mid-week leagues games.

● Why was the apparent low demand matchday programme not available over 40 minutes before kick off on the last day of the season?

● Can more ledges or tables be placed in the south stand concourse to rest food and drink on?

● Why is there no transparent recycling waste separation?

A. It is too early to provide the requested information regarding ticketing given the system switch and very recent announcement that season tickets have sold out. The club is working on ways to encourage supporters to arrive to the ground earlier including seating options. Our waste is sorted and recycled offsite by our refuse collector.

Ryan - Will we be seeing more flags/displays etc in the stands next seasons?

A. Flag displays are often organised by our atmosphere-based supporter groups. If you would like to get involved, please visit: https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/supporter-groups

Jacob - Can we get flags back in the Barclay and can people move seats if you don’t want to stand in safe standing?

Flag displays are often organised by our atmosphere-based supporter groups. If you would like to get involved, please visit: https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/supporter-groups. It is the individual supporters’ choice whether they sit or stand within safe standing areas and the club is happy to offer seat moves to those who do not wish to stand within these areas.

NCFC Critic – Can we please figure out a way to address the rubbish atmosphere? Maybe move the Barclay to the centre of the South stand?

A. The club believes that the best atmospheres are fan led and organic. However, it works with its atmosphere-based group to help facilitate ideas and initiatives around atmosphere. We would not move the Barclay Stand to the centre of the South Stand.

NCFC Critic - Can we can we get more/better IPAs?

A. As discussed above, the club has recently set up a new external food & beverage working group and will be working with supporters on the group and reviewing the food and drink provision. Our survey data will play a big role within this. Ultimately, with the stadium layout we are very limited in some areas of our concourses, so we only have limited space for products.

NCFC Joe - Will there ever be a point when the Holiday Inn can be knocked down and a 4th corner is added to Carrow Road? It will improve the atmosphere.

A. The hotel is under a long-term lease and instead the club are looking at ways to maximise existing stadium space and upgrade existing areas.