The financial implications of the postponement of fixtures and the lockdown of the stadium have effectively halted, ticketing, catering, bar, hospitality, commercial and retail sales, with salaries and fixed costs continuing to have to be met.
After an outreach from our support, we detail some ways you can help the Club and those who work in partnership with us in this difficult period…
Renew your season ticket now – Generating income through season tickets will go some way to filling the gap of lost through the previously mentioned revenue streams over the current period. We would urge all supporters planning to renew to do so as soon as possible, either in full or on our current 11month finance plan. To find more information on how to purchase your 2020/21 Season Ticket, visit here.
Continue to purchase through the Club shop online – The Club shop at the Mem is now closed but the online store will remain open. We are pleased to be able to offer a £25 shirt sale – seeing all first-team replica jerseys on sale for just £25 with kids shirts now £20! We hope this goes some way to repaying the faith of fans who make purchases from the Club during this time.
1883 Club – Membership to the 1883 Club is still on sale here, we appreciate that the current climate is a tough one, however if you and your business would like to join the club then we would love to have you as part of our business community.
Programmes from Saturday – Programmes initially set to be on sale at the Ipswich Town game are now on sale, despite the game not going ahead. If you would like the purchase a copy, you can find them on the online store here with a reduced delivery option available at only £2 for these products only.
Match Tickets – Match tickets for all remaining home games this season remain on sale through our ticketing site. Any supporters who purchase a ticket for any of these games will be eligible to attend the fixture should it be rearranged. Should matches be cancelled then you will be able to reallocate the ticket for an alternative fixture.
Engage with Social Media Content – Your engagement with our output enables us to generate income. The Club will be working outside the box to try and bring the best content possible despite the lack of games and your engagement/input is valuable to add to that. Find our Twitter here, and Facebook here. Highlights of games from years gone by are available on our Youtube channel or you can sign up to iFollow to watch full match replays.
How you can help our suppliers…
Piglets Pantry Pies – Piglets distribute pies to the Mem ahead of each game day, but they also offer a delivery service straight from their site. If you’d like to support them, head through to their online shop here. Rovers fans will receive a 10% discount on product purchases as a thank you for their loyalty.
Waiting Game – The Waiting Game supply hospitality staff for our events at the Mem. They are setting up a community support group to help those going through isolation.
They are just setting up a community support group to help those going through isolation. As an office, they are offering their services and calling on their community of staff to help in the community. Find the Facebook group here.
People can post on the page or alternatively contact them directly on staffing@thewaitinggameltd.co.uk or 01275 851 465 asking for assistance and they will attempt to organise help.
Curtis Sports – Our programme supplier offer fans the chance to purchase programmes from their site. This includes programmes from previous games and even the previous season! Perhaps you missed a chance to grab one at a game you really want a memento from, this is your opportunity.
Utilita – In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Utilita are doing all they can to ensure our customers remain on supply. If you have a top-up (PAYG) smart meter, you can download our My Utilita app to top-up from home if you need to self-isolate. To download the app please click HERE.
What we are doing to help our staff?
We will be ensuring that all core staff are continued to be paid throughout this period.
We also have provisions in place for casual staff who are suffering from financial difficulties to gain extra support from the Club in order to help them through this difficult time where possible.
Any staff wishing to volunteer to help Bristol City Council will be able to do so whilst continuing to be paid by the club. Supporters can also register at candobristol.co.uk
What we are doing to help our community?
Foodbanks – We offered all of the food lost from Saturdays game to the various charities. Supporters can continue to support through the Gasheads Against Food Poverty team. Their social media is available here.
Community Trust – The Community Trust has offered their staff minibuses to the local authorities to assist those who are most vulnerable. In addition, they have offered our support to council leaders and some of the Covid 19 response groups that are being set up on Facebook
Their community delivery outside of schools has now been postponed at the directive of the Premier League, they are however still delivering in schools. If they come to a point where this stops, they are planning to support any local community groups, eg foodbanks, that need our support.
How you can look after yourself and your loved ones…
Seek government advice – The Government website has a number of useful guides to keep you up to date on the COVID-19 situation and provides advice on how to stay safe. You can access these tools from their website here.
Register a supporter in need – If you are aware of a supporter who is particularly vulnerable or isolated during these times, please drop us an email to supporter@bristolrovers.co.uk and collectively we will see whether the club or a member of the Rovers family can help. Similarly, if you have any further ideas about how you can help the club during these times, please email the above address and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
During these difficult times for all sectors of the community, it is more important than ever that we stick together and do what we can to pull through until we get to stage where things return to some form of normality.
We would like to thank all supports for their continued patience and concern and we hope that you all stay safe and healthy.