An update from Huddersfield Town Chief Executive Mark Devlin for October 2021
- An update from the Huddersfield Town Board
- Chief Executive Mark Devlin issues this month’s article
- CEO discusses the match day experience and off-the-field improvements
As we approach November, I would like to thank every single supporter for their tremendous backing in the opening three months of the season.
As is rightly the case, we all look to what happens on the pitch first and foremost, and we’re in a very good, well-earned position after the first 14 league games of the campaign. Today, I would like to use this update to highlight some of the improvements that have been made off-the-field, starting with the match day experience surrounding home fixtures.
If you haven’t tried the Street Food Zone with Deliveree yet, I’d strongly encourage you to! Located outside the north end of the ground – the Fantastic Media Stand end – there’s some fantastic food on offer from hand-selected local eateries, as well as the ever-popular Magic Rock Brewery van too. It’s important to us that we can offer you some variety in your catering choices, and it has been really well received by those who have visited.
We are still looking to cover the Street Food Zone, as well as the areas at the back of the Magic Rock Stand, against the inclement weather, which should also enhance the match day experience. It’s not as straightforward as we had initially hoped, but I am sure we will find a long-term solution in the not-too-distant future. We also hope to add some local musical entertainment into the Street Food Zone to further improve the atmosphere. The re-introduction of the Legends Bar to all supporters has proved to be very popular pre-match and we are looking at ways we can introduce additional bar facilities to help reduce queue times.
Inside the ground, our food and beverage offer continue to improve. I still believe we have some way to go in order to get it where we want it to be for you, but it has improved since the issues that we suffered at the opening home game of the season. Progress has been a little slower than we hoped, for sure, but the sales figures show that more and more of you are being served before the game and at half time. Thank you again for your feedback, patience and custom.
We’ve also recently opened the new Match Day Activity Zone, which offers our younger fans some fun ahead of kick-off. For those of you who are familiar with the ground, this occupies what used to be the second retail outlet – the building outside the north end of the Core Stand.
It’s important to note that our collective work to improve the match day experience never stops. I think we’ve made considerable strides forward since the return of supporters, but we will never stop looking for ways to improve what we can offer you around home games. Again, we’ll continue to grow and improve the area, but we already have table football, games consoles with FIFA, and a colouring area. Please take the opportunity to visit if you can on Saturday.
There’s so much more I could talk about, such as our growing commercial performance (I’m delighted that a good number of new companies and individuals have joined us on match days this season), some fantastic Foundation initiatives, and the Blue & White £20,000 draw next week! However, I will save that for another update. For now, I will simply thank our staff for their continued hard work, and every single Town fan for your support. Without you, none of this would be possible.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible when we host Millwall in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. At that game we will pay our respects to those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life at our annual Remembrance Fixture.
Mark Devlin
Chief Executive
Huddersfield Town
