The AFC Bournemouth ticketing team were on hand during the peak of lockdown to help keep vulnerable supporters connected with the club.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many people in the local community in different ways and the club’s players and ticket office were on hand to make thousands of calls during the lockdown period.
Wanting to share his side of the story, Andy Irving in the ticket office wanted to write this piece to show just how much the staff at the football club genuinely care about the local community.
Here are his own words:
During lockdown and the ensuing weeks, the AFC Bournemouth ticketing team have been contacting supporters deemed vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a time of so much uncertainty and disarray, we felt that engaging with our supporters would be an effective way of ensuring they had their voices heard during what has proven to be a lonely and testing time for everyone.
We understand how much football means to the local community and how in reality football is much more than just kicking a ball; it is the bringing together of people from all backgrounds, cultures and age groups, who work tirelessly all week in anticipation of that electrifying matchday buzz.
We have aimed to ensure that all fans know we are an avenue of communication for them and that we will help support them as much as we can during such strange times - just like how they have supported this football club through thick and thin.
As a team, we decided to make these calls in a bid to reassure supporters of questions regarding the club and to soften the daily burden of loneliness that some supporters will be susceptible to throughout the pandemic.
Clearly, this can be a tough task as like everybody else we are taking it each day at a time with regards to when we can welcome our loyal fans back into the Vitality Stadium - but being able to put some minds at ease has been something we have hoped to have done throughout our calls.
During our calls, we have been asking fans about their general health and wellbeing as well as their time supporting the club up and down the country. The stories have been insightful, to say the least.
Stories such as the incredible FA Cup run of 1957 which included the giant killings of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspurs before succumbing to the ‘Busby Babes’ in a match that ended 2-1 to league champions United in front of a still-record crowd of 28,799 at Dean Court.
Some calls were up to an hour long with the time and dedication no problem for the staff members hoping to make a difference.
Further to these often long and fruitful chats about the club, we have been involving supporters with weekly quizzes curated by club historian Neil Vacher and Neil Perrett of the club’s media team.
The quizzes have been fun, yet often testing for supporters but with continued participation with fans prepping and expanding their knowledge ready for the following week's questions.
Being used to chatting to supporters every day as part of the job means we have a large void missing from our day to day lives.
Passionate AFC Bournemouth supporter and fellow ticketing team colleague Nick Osbourne further echo these sentiments: “It has meant a lot working for AFCB during the lockdown. I think It’s a great way to keep myself and other members of staff engaged with each other at the club daily. It keeps the club moving forward behind the scenes whilst no football is being played at the moment. I feel like everyone has continued to work really hard, as well as being social by reaching out to supporters.
It has been evident that during these times it has been pivotal for us to reach out to one and other.
We will be carrying on our continued interaction throughout the upcoming 20/21 season and ensuring that we keep supporters in the loop in any way we possibly can throughout the pandemic. We will look to keep these calls going for as long as possible.
Do remember that if you do have any queries do contact us on 0344 576 1910 (option 1) or through our email ticketing@afcb.co.uk and we will try to help you the best we can.
Together Anything is Possible. Andy.
