The Twe12th Man Website

Meeting Number 5 - Thursday 12th October 06

Meeting number 5 for the Twe12th Man group took place on Thursday 12th October, in Dr Browns. Despite the relatively small turnout, a lot of positive ideas were thrown about, and for the first time we had a lot of contributions from people who couldn't make the meeting via email.

Updates on recent events kicked the meeting off. The major event in the pipeline at present is obviously the Gibson banner. Our Lady & St Bede RC School in Stockton have been painting the banner for us, and completed the first stage. After we receive it back from Barmy Flags, they have one last bit of detail to add to it before its ready to go. Having seen a few preview shots of the work the school has done, it is safe to say that its going to be fantastic. The original aim was to launch this at the Newcastle game, this is looking very doubtful now so we'll look to the West Ham game on the 11th November. Hopefully prior to this we'll have a publicity event to unveil it. During the meeting several possibilities were discussed for its usage. Originally it was intended to be hung at the back of the North stand, however it was suggested we could use it in a similar fashion to one of Seville's banners, and unfurl it over the East stand prior to kick off.

As far as fundraising for future events, we have received two generous offers of donations from two businesses, but will hang fire until we get our next event sorted. A letter is being prepared to be sent round a selection of businesses with a past history of sponsoring the Boro in order to advertise our cause. Over 100 of the limited edition Twe12th Man pin badges have already been sold, covering all costs. These will undoubtedly sell out over the coming weeks based on current demand. They are still available on for a price of £4, with all money landing in the Twe12th Man fund. Finally, in preparation for the Gibson banner, 100 Gibson Banner T-shirts will be available to buy from the end of next week - keep your eyes open.

After the updates, the floor was opened for a general discussion on where we're headed. The singing section was deemed a big success, and one person said the noise was noticeable from the other end of the ground. A discussion over the whether the singing section could be introduced into home league games took place. The main concerns being filling it up and moving season ticket holders. We didn't feel that there were enough "match-by-match" supporters to make a singing section a success, and season ticket holders would be reluctant to move fulltime from their present seats. It is certainly a valid idea, but one that needs some thought and work with the club. Rest assured it will be back eventually. Despite the success of the singing section and the debut of a few new songs, it still seems to be hard to get new songs going. It was suggested most new songs are introduced in pubs and on buses before and after the games. Whether this could be the way to go in the future is something to consider. And on the subject of pubs, the attendance drop is partly down to the televisation of home matches in local pubs. Something has to be done in order to pull the fans away from the boozers and back into the ground.

Two other suggestions kicked around were the idea of asking the club to re-introduce the "take a friend for a tenner" campaign for any of our future events in order to pack the ground out. The other suggestion was for a new banner, with the ability to have a changeable main message thanks to Velcro letters. The idea came about from a thread on Fly Me To The Moon suggestion we have a banner for the Newcastle game with the wording "Bramble - LOL", and with a changeable message it could be tailored depending upon circumstances.

With regard to the next step for the group, we're back to focusing on visual impacts and getting ourselves known around the ground. Most of the attendees agreed that the visual support helps improve the vocal support. As for getting the brand recognised and all the fundraising, in order for the group to be a success it is vital that people know who we are, so that we get more ideas and more support to pull events off. A change of venue for meetings was suggested, possibly taking the meetings onto the road around the local area to make it more accessible. A few people will also be attending other supporters club meetings to get some feedback, ideas and support, as we are more than aware that just using the Internet doesn't cover all of our bases.

The meeting closed with a review of some of the emails we had been sent. Ideally this will become a regular feature, so if you cant make the meetings for whatever reason, drop us a line and we'll try and ensure you get your voice heard.

Darren emailed us to ask for our support in the StandUpSitDown campaign to bring standing back to matches. After a lengthy discussion we came to the conclusion that, although we agree in principal with the idea of bringing standing back to the game, we cant actively support the campaign it because it is against current policy and/or legislation.

John emailed suggesting we move events out of the North stand in order to involve other areas of the ground. The reality at present is that the North Stand gives the events the best chance of success due to its generally high attendance in comparison to other areas. We are conscious about involving the whole of the ground in anything we do, but this will have to come in time once we have established ourselves. John also suggested we start leafleting the ground in order to get the name out there, and some other merchandising ideas. Leafleting especially was a well received idea that will be looked at soon.

As well as offering a donation from his business, Andy suggested the idea of fans commissioning banners around the ground. The idea of making our own flags to fly from the roof was possibly too complex, though filling the back of the stands with banners would certainly be achievable. If anybody is interested in a banner and would like The Twe12th Man to get involved and help with the production then feel free to get in touch with us.

Colin raised a valid point about the transport system getting to the ground at present, and although we agreed it was a concern of ours, it wasn't really our area.

A few people suggested the use of drums and megaphones to improve atmosphere. The group saw where the idea came from but it was agreed the atmosphere should be more spontaneous and less choreographed.

Mike emailed in suggesting another use for the Boro surfer, possibly stretching it out and holding it behind the goal in the centre of the north stand, with people either side waving or displaying their scarves. This was a well received idea, and the something we'd like to consider further, as the visual impact of the event would be awesome. The usage of scarves is also important, and eventually we'd like to see most of the ground with a scarf in the air at some point during a game. Both ideas defiantly go-er's, and will most likely be discussed in greater detail at a future meeting.

Stephen contacted us regarding the singing section, and provoked a debate about the future of it, as discussed earlier.
Finally Tony forwarded a selection of ideas through, including one we had already talked about, waving huge flags infront of the stands before matches or after goals are scored. Some of the group were very enthusiastic about this idea and it'll be priced up in the future. The idea of getting more banners to the ground, by way of competitions between schools was also suggested, and the group added to this by saying it would like to see all the banners seen at European matches make a return to the ground. Lastly, getting some lively Teesside related music played before the 1st and 2nd halves was suggested, and again it is something we might look at in the future.

So that's your lot, a big update and a lot to report from the last meeting. Thank you to everyone who attended and everyone who contributed. A very productive meeting and hopefully some of the ideas will be progressed further over the coming weeks and months. If you have any comments, queries, suggestions or ideas drop us a line at ContactUs@Twe12thMan.co.uk. The next meeting will be held in Dr Browns at 7pm on Thursday 9th November, everyone is - as always - welcome.

C'MON BORO