The minutes from the latest Albion Assembly meeting can be found below.
Albion Assembly (AA) Meeting - The Hawthorns.
Thursday, February 20 - 7pm.
The following minutes are a general summary of the meeting and contain no direct quotations.
Club staff in attendance: Managing Director, Mark Miles (MM), Director of Communications & Fan Engagement, Ian Skidmore (IS), Supporter Liaison Officer, Cindy Groen (CG), Head of Marketing, Rachel Rankin (RR), Head of Security, Match Day Operations & Facilities, Howard Lewis-Jones (HLJ), and Senior Communications Officer, Sean Watts (SW).
Apologies: Rachel Coldicott, Sukhbir Gill, Karen Geddes, Paul Kent, Iain Bate, Shin Aujla, Sandra Hughes, and Alan Cleverly.
INTRODUCTIONS
Ian Skidmore opened the meeting and read out apologies from members who were unable to attend. He then handed over to special guest Ashley Brown (AB) from the Football Supporters’ Association to speak about the planned introduction of a Fan Advisory Board.
FAN ADVISORY BOARD
AB explained his role to members and talked through how the likely introduction of a regulator - which he expects to go through Parliament in the coming months - has kickstarted more fan engagement from clubs across English football. All Premier League clubs must now have a Fan Advisory Board (FAB), while every EFL club has created a fan engagement plan.
AB said Albion is genuine in wanting to further engage with its supporters, and revealed the club had got in touch with the FSA because they were looking to build on the success of the Albion Assembly and create a FAB. He and IS clarified to members that the AA would remain, and the FAB would be constructed for the purpose of tackling in-depth strategic items that cannot always be discussed with 30+ people. Instead, AB suggested successful FABs tend to have 6-8 supporters who are able to discuss strategic items in detail with clubs.
He said the SFA would remain independent in the process of setting the new group up, and they would rubber stamp it with their approval if satisfied.
AA members followed up his introduction with a variety of questions on topics such as how individuals would be elected, the difference between a FAB and the AA, who would represent from the club’s side, the level of influence the group could expect to have, and how this process has worked - and continues to work - at other teams. IS said the FAB would be guided by a Terms of Reference document, which would be created by fans and the club, with the FSA providing support. IS invited members to apply to join the working group responsible for establishing the Terms of Reference for a FAB.
GOVERNANCE
Mark Miles said the club would submit their annual accounts by March 31. He added shareholders will receive a hard copy, as usual, alongside a letter containing details of an AGM that Chairman Shilen Patel (SP) had previously committed to.
IS confirmed the accounts will also be released online - and an interview with SP that goes through the details, alongside other topics, will be released around the same time.
Members followed up with questions on subjects such as specific financial details, which MM and IS were unable to disclose ahead of the accounts’ release date.
Men
MM spoke about the change of men’s head coach over Christmas, and the comprehensive interview process that happened for Tony Mowbray’s appointment. Regarding the transfer window’s conclusion, he said that although some players departed, they were pleased with the additions brought in and remained hopeful about reaching the play-offs.
Women
MM expressed his happiness at Siobhan Hodgetts-Still being appointed the club’s first full-time Women’s Manager, praising her work so far on both the coaching side of things, and her ideas for moving forward off the pitch. He said the team were having a good season, specifically referring to their two excellent cup runs - which saw them play Adobe FA Cup holders Manchester United in January, as well as reach the BCFA Challenge Cup Final. MM confirmed no venue for the latter has been chosen yet, but urged everyone to come and show their support when a date is announced.
Members questioned what the long-term aims for the women’s team are and whether they were looking for a new home going forward. MM said continued progression was the aim, and they were investigating potential future stadiums at the moment.
Academy
MM said the Academy continues to operate well, with good results across various age groups, and credited the staff who are working tirelessly with the talented youngsters coming through. Furthermore, he encouraged fans to support the under-18s against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final this month.
Outside of the Academy, MM described how proud the club was to be hosting England U21s v Portugal U21s at The Hawthorns in March. He added that it was something they had been looking to do for a number of years, and that ticket purchases were progressing nicely.
MM answered follow-up questions from members, including explaining how the opening of further stands will be governed by sales, that the club did not decide the date, and how he was unable to go into further detail concerning monetary queries and the commercial agreement.
2025/26 SEASON TICKETS
Members were consulted, in confidence, on the club’s plans for next year’s season tickets. Topics included announcement dates, pricing structures & categories, and going fully digital, among other subjects.
MM acknowledged that while the ‘WBA Tickets On The Go’ app would be convenient to most fans, it might not be for a very small number of supporters. The club discussed a range of assistance it will be offering, including coffee mornings and online support, as well as a paper tickets provision for those with no access to a smart phone, either personally or via a friend or family member. All of this will be well documented within the season ticket release.
MM also reiterated that the 2025/26 campaign was a special one for Albion, as it’s their 125th anniversary at The Hawthorns.
SAFE STANDING
Howard Lewis-Jones said they have listened to, and are acting on, the safe standing suggestions from the AA. He confirmed they now have a preferred supplier, have applied to the relevant authorities, and are confident of it being in place for the start of next season, with work commencing over the summer. HLJ explained where the safe standing sections will be (upper Smethwick End and in the Millennium Corner) and revealed the stadium’s capacity would remain unchanged.
IS followed up by saying the club acknowledges safe standing isn’t for everyone, and those who want to move away from those areas will be accommodated, but believes the vast majority of fans in those areas will be in favour. Everyone in the room thought the idea would help improve the atmosphere on matchdays.
FACILITIES
HLJ confirmed that the outside of the stadium will be refreshed, and this will start relatively soon. He said it is a significant piece of work, including road closures, and could take between three and four months.
IS and MM praised members for their contribution on both this subject and safe standing - saying their input justifies why the AA is here, and shows the club do address concerns and suggestions that are raised.
HLJ then took questions on subjects including vaping, recent supporter incidents, and potential in-stadia WiFi. He urged fans to report any behaviour - such as smoking while inside The Hawthorns - to the text line (07929 221878) so it can be dealt with immediately. MM said the club had previously looked at providing WiFi but were not satisfied with the options presented.
MATCHDAY ATMOSPHERE
Rachel Rankin said the club are continuing to take on board feedback around the atmosphere. She cited improvements to some areas, with Baggie Bird’s Bonus Ball - which gets 600+ applications per game - making half-time more entertaining. She mentioned that HT music is often chosen by supporters, and they show scores and birthdays/memorials on the screens, alongside footage from women’s games where possible.
RR continued onto the Fan Zone, saying Tom from West Brom has been popular, and they are grateful to the Foundation for their support with inflatables, games and staff. She also discussed the use of helpers around the stadium being used again in the near future.
The new audio/visual team at The Hawthorns have moved things in a positive direction, stated Rachel, and enables them to now do things like play certain songs at short notice straight after the final whistle. She added that the England U21s fixture will offer them an opportunity to try new things and learn from the FA - and said they will continue to work on improvements. Finally, a general discussion around atmosphere was had, with suggestions made by members.
AOB
A question on 7.45pm midweek kick-offs allowed IS to say this was now possible – but initial fixtures being chosen for main channel broadcast on Sky Sports meant there was no opportunity to do it throughout the 2024/25 season. Members asked about commercial developments since the SP takeover, and MM said a range of opportunities were being discussed internally. Supporters leaving the stadium early on matchdays was raised and discussed, too, as well as a brief conversation on next season’s kit.
Date of next meeting: Thursday, April 24, 2025.