Fans Survey – Results

Through May and June we ran a survey via our website asking our fellow supporters to let us know their thoughts on a number of subjects that matter to us. While not representative of the fanbase it was a worthwhile exercise. We thought it would be a nice way to interact with a greater number of fans and to try and gather some ideas as we try and take Forza Garibaldi into a third season. While not explicitly stated at the outset we also saw it as an opportunity for a recruitment drive.

Across 4 weeks an impressive 1,337 of you answered the sixteen questions we offered up and, as promised, we’ve compiled the full results for you to see.

First of all, thanks to all who took the time to complete it and especially to those who responded with comments and suggestions. There were some brilliant ideas put forward and a fair few that we have already discussed at length.

Here is how you responded:

 

1.       How many games a season do you attend on average?

%
0-5

12%
6-10

12%
11-22

22%
All

54%

 

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2.       Where do you tend to sit at home games?

%
Brian Clough Stand

18%
Trent End

32%
Peter Taylor Stand

19%
Bridgford End

31%

 

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3.       On a scale of 1-10 how important is the atmosphere at games to you?

%
1

0%
2

0%
3

0%
4

0%
5

0%
6

0.5%
7

8%
8

25.50%
9

20%
10

46%

 

FG Comment: What jumps out here is how important the atmosphere is to the vast majority. Over 91% rate it at an 8 or higher. It makes you wonder how much things could be improved if these people all stood together at games.

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4.       Do you feel the performance / results on the pitch are solely responsible for the atmosphere?

%
YES

34%
NO

66%

 

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5.       On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the atmosphere at home games?

%
1

0.5%
2

1%
3

4%
4

10%
5

19%
6

35%
7

23%
8

6%
9

1%
10

0.5%

 

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6.       What is your opinion on creating a more dediated vocal section within the City Ground?

%
I’d support it / relocate there

70%
I don’t think it’s required / don’t like the idea

8%
Not sure

22%

 

Many voiced their frustration that the Lower Bridgford has attracted too many ‘passengers’ that don’t want to contribute and that 2k vocal fans in that area along with A Block would make a big difference.

A considerable number made the point that more vocal fans should be encouraged to congregate in different areas around the stadium to encourage noise in other stands. Some suggested that they want to sing in their current seat but lack the courage or support of others around them to do so.

FG Comment: We aren’t fully sold on this idea; we just felt it would be interesting to see what others think. People have pointed out that we don’t have a clear area where noise is produced. A Block has for many, many years been a vociferous and lively part of the ground but due to its size it can only do so much.

The Lower Bridgford initiative that was set up by a group back in 2013 was certainly the right idea but was perhaps hampered by idiots running the club at the time who never really thought it through. Cheaper tickets and the promise of a bit of noise maybe did attract fans who weren’t necessarily going to contribute enough too. On its day it’s brilliant but its residents maybe need to do more to turn it into that vocal section it was designed to be. Current sales over the summer show it’s one of the most popular sections of the ground so hopefully a few new recruits along with a better season on the pitch can really help it.

A similar thing happened with the Trent End – many have pointed out within the survey there should be an effort to reclaim that end. Yet it’s not really that feasible considering it’s probably 95% full already and there would be no standing permitted in the upper tier. But when the Trent End does sing in unison it’s impressive and makes the rest of the ground tick.

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7.       What are your thoughts on the frequency of flags, banners & scarves that appeared in areas of the stadium last season?

%
Not a fan

1%
Maintain it as an occasional feature

15%
Make it more regular

41%
It should be every game

43%

 

Further to this, some people requested flags to spread out further than the Lower Bridgford and more was done similar to what we did at Derby where the Lower Trent was actively encouraged to bring their own flags and scarves. While that was obviously part of a bigger display that day lots have said that this should be a regular feature. Many pointed out the impressive comparison between this and the plastic flags on seats orchestrated by certain other clubs.

A suggestion from a few people was that flags should be able to be flown / waved during the game.

FG Comment: We understand that some aren’t keen on flags being waved but they always seem to get a good reaction in the Lower Bridgford and in the Trent End for Derby. They won’t transform the atmosphere but they do lift the place a little. The City Ground has been a pleasant place to come for visiting teams and fans in seasons gone by and we need to make it more tribal. Flags can help with that. We have been told first-hand that the players feel they are a good addition to the stadium on a matchday.

In response to the results above we would probably like to increase the frequency and the spread but it’s bloody hard work. Some have commented on the flags disappearing from the LB over the last few months and that is down to laziness from us. The battle with stewards is part of that as is the need to run around collecting them. Every time we do it we lose a load of flags – it wouldn’t be so bad if people took them away and brought them back every game but they don ‘t sadly. We once had an argument with a fan who informed me he would be taking the Trevor Francis banner home to keep. He couldn’t fathom out that we would like to keep it to use again and again.

We need help in this area for sure from our fellow supporters.

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8.       With the help of many of our fellow supporters, Forza Garibaldi have produced a number of displays of varying sizes in the last 18 months. The aim is to continue these and make them more impressive. Would you be willing to contribute your time and / or financially to further displays and the like in the future?

%
Yes

40%
No

13%
Maybe

47%

 

FG Comment: The large scale displays are only possible via volunteers and financial contributions from fans. If you are willing to help with either please let us know. The purchase of a pin badge or a pack of stickers from our website store at ForzaGaribaldi.com is a small cost but can really help get these displays off the ground.

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9.       Do you have any specific idea for future displays or in ground activities?

 

We received a number of excellent suggestions to this. Lots remarked that they’d like to something honouring Clough / Taylor and the players of the 1977-1980 period. Others liked the idea of paying tribute to lesser known but important characters within the club such as Billy Walker. Alternatively many wanted to see tributes to the current manager and players.

A common theme was that people acknowledged that a combination of both could be found. Inspiring the current team with our past achievements but also dedicating displays / banners to them too.

A constant message was that other areas of the ground wanted to be involved in these large displays. A fair few requested a display that incorporated the entire ground. Some very specific and inspired suggestions were put forward too which we won’t reveal now as the plan is to try and make these happen at some point down the line.

Another good and much shared idea was to fix permanent fan banners around the stadium.

FG Comment: We are going to certainly take a lot of these suggestions on board and raise bits like the permanent banners with the club. While the displays across multiple stands or the entire ground are something we’d love to create, the cost and the manpower needed would be extraordinary. Once again, the more people can help us out with purchases from the site shop the more realistic these ideas become.

There was one particular display idea that was so absolutely brilliant that it’s already started being planned. It won’t happen for a while but it will be incredible.

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10.   Do you have any ideas for how to aid the atmosphere at the City Ground? How do you think it can be improved other than by winning more?

 

This received a varying mix of responses. Some were keen to point out that only so much can be done while the team is not performing / winning. Others kept it simple and just said ‘keep on singing’. A few of the many suggestions that were made:

  • Safe standing or an unreserved section for fans to gather in as they choose
  • Better and more Forest centric playlist leading up to MoK
  • Encouraging fans to be in the stands earlier to start making noise
  • Structural improvements to keep in the noise (specifically at LB / A Block corner and Trent End)
  • Various opinions on Lower Bridgford. A few favoured a return to it being exclusively for the away support and a few wanted it given over entirely to Forest supporters. A fair amount of folk wanted to see a switch of away fans and home fans in LB as the away corner is better acoustically.
  • The atmosphere in recent seasons should not be judged too critically because of what we have endured and that with a ‘bit’ of success on the pitch areas like A Block and Lower Bridgford will improve drastically.

By far and away the most common subject here was the repertoire of songs. The vast majority who raised this as an issue felt that we need a better calibre and increased collection of chants. Some were bored of our current assortment of songs and the need to return to the days of every player having their own individual chant was mentioned time after time.

A number of people liked the idea of using social media or a dedicated You Tube channel to share around ideas that have emerged. Lots said that they hear something new in the ground but can’t pick it up to join in. Most also added that they did not want to see song sheets or lyrics on the advertising boards, however!

FG Comment: Fifteen minutes into a game we often find that we’ve ran out of songs and we start repeating them. We’ve spoken at length about this before (see our ‘Dying Art of the Terrace Chant’ article on our website – https://www.forzagaribaldi.com/dying-art-terrace-chant/) and it is something we are keen to help with. While we don’t want this to become some organised thing, songs don’t really spread in the ground anymore and so the suggestions about using social media and You Tube are worth thinking about perhaps.

Someone made the comment that they can’t be bothered to learn any new songs, especially ones with a more than a few words but, as we said in the aforementioned article, if everyone took that view we’d be much worse off. Someone took the time to come up with a dozen lines for Mull of Kintyre and fans took the time to learn it. Imagine they hadn’t. The onus is on us to continue to produce the brilliant terrace songs that previous generations did.

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11.   What is your preferred type of pre-match?

%
Straight to the game

21%
Pub with mates for a quiet drink

44%
Rowdy pre-match

30%
Other

5%

 

FG Comment: The pre-match gatherings at various venues in the city centre and close to the ground will continue next season having been shelved while we made the most of the now closed Garibaldi Bar. We like the idea of cementing some of the bigger ones as an annual event like we have done with the boats. The Trent Nav Festival at the end of August, Oktoberfest at Bierkeller etc etc. Hopefully we’ll be using a couple of new places this season too. We’re all ears if anyone has any suggestions.

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12.   What is your opinion of the fan zones that have emerged at certain grounds? These generally are areas close to a stadium where fans can congregate – there will be alcohol and food available and often large screens with music / entertainment?

%
Not for me

7%
Don’t know enough about them

18%
A decent idea

46%
Something I would be very interested in at Forest

29%

 

FG Comment: Some of these work well at grounds, others are sterile places that are just cash cows for the stalls and the club. If something like this was to happen at Forest it would hopefully be a noisy mass of people. Some pitched in ideas to use local bands and somewhere like this might be more welcoming to younger fans who are perhaps put off by the pub type of pre-match.

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13.   Has the removal of goal music at home games been a good thing or a bad thing?

%
Good thing

56%
Bad thing

23%
Unsure

21%

 

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14.   How many away games do you typically attend a season?

%
0-5

64%
6-10

10%
11-22

23%
All

3%

 

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15.   Would you be in favour of safe standing being installed at NFFC?

%
Yes

84%
No

6%
Maybe

10%

 

FG Comment: We have rather nailed our colours to the mast on this subject already. A lot of what we want to do would be helped massively by a designated standing area. See our recent article on the safe standing campaign at https://www.forzagaribaldi.com/taking-a-stand-the-campaign-for-safe-standing/.

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16.   Are you willing to take on a role within Forza Garibaldi? Contributing ideas, assisting with bringing plans together and having a say in how it moves forward? We realise some people will lack the time or the desire but if you are interested then we ask that you select the YES button below.

 

As indicated at the top of the piece we have concluded that to keep moving FG forward it needs greater input from our fellow supporters. The work that goes into its operation from a small number of people is not only unsustainable but not how we want it to be. It needs input from others across a number of areas and we are therefore using this survey to try and drum up some support.

The level of help is down to you – there isn’t any level of commitment we are seeking, just offers of help on your terms. This could be simply idea sharing, having a say in how FG develops or helping in a more specialist area such as design or website input. Alternatively it’s giving up your time to help bring these major displays to life. Ultimately it’s down to you – have the role you want is what we are saying.

This is a fan movement that desperately wants to have any and all fans driving it forward. It’s how it should be and it’s what it needs. We’ve often dropped in the odd line about fans getting involved but we are now at the point where it’s critical that we make sure we do.

334 of you said ‘YES’ to the above question about getting involved and all will be hearing from us shortly via e-mail. If you didn’t complete the survey or didn’t answer this previously but would be keen to hear what we have to say then please send us a message at ForzaGaribaldi@hotmail.com.

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Finally. If you do want to help in some small way then we are always grateful for any purchases from our site store. Proceeds from everything you buy will help us fund future displays and the like. Many of you have have sent us nice messages about how fantastic you think these displays are – if you would like to see them happen then please do think about helping us out with a few quid.

https://www.forzagaribaldi.com/shop/