Venezuelan_Pete was lucky enough to chat to Director of Business Development Sean Jarvis today. Below is a transcript of the interview.
Sean Jarvis and Jamie
Sean, your job recently changed to focus just on Town instead of the Giants aswell. Has this changed your day-to-day business much?
When I originally joined the club(s), my responsibility was to head up the commercial operations of the organisation and see if there were any synergies between the two but develop them both so they could move forward. I like to think that I did that, and with the Giants I struck up a couple of good deals with Kouga etc, and for Town and Casino Red. They grew and grew to the point where it was becoming increasingly difficult to continue doing both. Demands from the Giants were increasing as the club got bigger, and with Town’s centenary year. Dean Hoyle obviously had his own clear vision of where he wanted things to be, and he wanted to introduce a lot of new things to the club. It became almost untenable that I could do both, so it was a case of sitting down with Ken and Dean and discuss what the best way forward was. Sadly there was no transfer fee involved! It meant that, being a football man, I gravitated towards that side of things. Both Ken and Dean were happy with that, so now my total attention is focused on the football club. My role is all about Huddersfield Town and any deals that come up will be for the football club 100%, but I’m always happy to help out with any deals that concern the Giants.
With regards the club’s centenary, obviously the club has gone ‘all out’ this year to get promotion. Was this always the plan or would things have been different had Andy Ritchie taken us up last season?
If I’m being honest, I don’t think we really knew how things were going to pan out. Obviously when Andy Ritchie came in, we hoped he would be successful, but what would have happened had he taken us up? The answer is, I don’t know. We were where we were. I remember Sue Beaumont coming to me to have a chat about the season ticket prices and we sat down and more or less started from scratch. We wanted to signal the centenary as a big, big event. We took those plans to Ken Davy, who was already in talks with Dean, and we agreed that the £100 deal was the best for us at the time. Now we have 17,000 season ticket holders and obviously even if they don’t come every game, we have those names and addresses and that gives us a chance to encourage them to come back in the future. With regards the pricing structure for next season, I can’t actually say at the moment, but what we tend to do is start thinking about things just after the xmas period. Obviously which division we are in will have an impact on things, and we have to work within our budget. There will be myself, Nigel Clibbens (new Chief Exec), Dean, Sue and a few others sitting down and discussing things and weighing up our options. This season, we delivered it on April 12th, which was Huddersfield Town Day, and worked really well. We will have a look at things in January and firm things up in the following months.
Obviously if the club is playing good football and achieves promotion, it shouldn’t really matter what the price is should it?
Yeah that’s right. There’s an argument there that is, if we got promoted, it’s a case of ‘name your price’. But we have to be realistic and consider the economic climate, as if you are not prudent, things will come back and bite you in the backside. On the other hand, we are a business and have to make our economics work, so all those factors come into the mix and we will take it from there.
You mentioned the economic climate just then. How do you think it has affected the football industry? Obviously dealing with customers will be different, but what about other clubs and businesses?
It is having quite a serious effect on the industry. The businesses we speak to are all saying the same thing, and that is that they can’t make long term commitments because of the economic climate. 2009 is going to be a very tough period for all businesses and we are going to have to tighten our belts and keep costs under control. We are fortunate enough to have Dean Hoyle as a benefactor but we cannot rely on him to cover all losses, we will have to work hard. A friend of mine was on Talk Sport saying that deals are now thin on the ground so sponsors aren’t as readily available as they used to be. I am pleased to say that, to date, we are about 4% up year-on-year, which I’m delighted with. Programme sales are up 185%, retail is up 63%, so year-on-year we’ve shown good growth. Obviously next year is going to be much more difficult, so we can’t really justify expecting the same growth again. We just have to keep our wits about us and make the right decisions. I’m currently in talks with a few businesses, with no real commitment but there may be some new faces around the club on the commercial side of things. We are working hard, and that is all you can do. We are also trying to be more creative with the type of packages we are offering. As an industry on the whole, I think we can expect to see a lot of businesses going bust, with more blank shirts due to lack of sponsorships. It’s going to be extremely tough, and the well-documented situation with Casino Red demonstrates this. Casino Red has not gone bust, the online presence is still very much there; it was simply the land-based site that failed. I’m still in talks with them with regards to next year. If they don’t renew, then that’s their prerogative and of course we will find someone else. But we have a strong business community around us, and we need them to help support the club as best they can. What I will add is that for businesses that are thinking about getting involved, now is the time to pick up a deal, if they are brave enough in this current climate. Anyone who is reading this is more than welcome to come and have a chat with me – they’ve got nothing to lose! It’s not guaranteed to lead to something, but without having a chat, it never will.
Yeah obviously now is the time, because there will come a point in time where things can only get better.
Absolutely right, and we want businesses of Huddersfield to be part of this club’s growth. Rest assured, because despite the current situation being tough, I’m confident that Huddersfield Town are moving in the right direction.
When Ken Davy first came into the club, the long-term strategy was to be a top-30 club by 2008. Was there a point in time when it was realised that the goal was unattainable, and how did the club shift its operations?
That mission statement was set by Andrew Watson and Ken Davy a couple of years before I joined the club, so it was in place when I arrived. I think the ‘top 30’ aim is very much still in our targets, and the time frame is simply ASAP. Once we achieve that and become sustainable, then we can kick off and move from there. Hull City is leading the way in that sense. I don’t think the long-term vision ever drifted, but towards the end of Ritchie’s tenure, questions were raised and most people put their hands up and agreed that it was not going to happen. It’s a tragedy, because I’m a big fan of Andy and he is a really nice guy, but that’s all history now. For me, we now have to look forward, and if you think about it, we have a lot of boxes that we can tick. A chairman in Dean Hoyle, Nigel Clibbens as a Chief Exec with an accountancy background. I’m proud of what my team has done here, so hopefully we can tick that box, and the new management team have a blend of experience and ambition. We have a really good structure and the club can only go on and get better and better. We just need to get it right out on the pitch and this place will take off, I stand by that.
A bit more about Lee Clark, one thing that came up from the Q&A session was that he applied for the job, is this true?
To my knowledge, yes. Obviously that’s more Dean’s side of things, as he was instrumental in the appointment. He took the board’s opinion of Stan Ternent at the time and I think it just didn’t work out, but that’s history and we move on. Dean was very keen in getting the right structure in place and really took his time. I think that he was absolutely right, and personally I’d like to pay credit to Gerry [Murphy] and Mitch [Graham Mitchell] because they have bought the club time. I think that time has meant that Dean can get the right man into the role and I think the right man is in the role.
In terms of how the procedure went, I think Dean would probably like to keep that to himself, but he, as we all are, is really excited about the future. Speaking as a fan, an from my 15 years of experience in the sport, this has got a good feel to it. At the end of the day, it is down to Lee and his team out on the pitch, but things do have a good feel to them now.
How much do you know about Lee personally? With regards his experience at Norwich and the unique qualities that he will bring to the club?
Personally I can only speak about what I’ve seen and read, but the way he has already brought about togetherness in the club, despite being early days, is positive. There was always a bit of a cloud with Stan and the differences of opinion between him and Gerry were documented, but that’s life and we have moved on from that. For me, I just have a feeling, and from the experiences with Lee already, that these are exciting times and there is a renewed optimism about the place. I just want the season ticket holders to turn up now and get behind the team and support the club, because it will go places. There are clubs who are successful on the pitch but don’t have strong crowd figures, such as Scunthorpe. The crowds can be here for us and we just need support from the community and things will be great.
Agreed. There does seem to be more or less complete support of Lee Clark’s appointment. I’ve only read one or two negative comments, and that is unusual for a managerial appointment.
Yeah, you’re going to get some negative views, as its difficult to please everyone all the time. But the thing is, he is an unknown quantity and people don’t have any past experiences to draw upon and be negative about. But basically it is a results game, and from what I’ve heard and seen, I’m really impressed. Time will tell, but there is a very positive feel about the club. I talk about setting our sights on other clubs, as a benchmark. We have to aim to be another Leicester City. They are a very professional outfit and a big club, and if we can emulate that kind of growth, we will take off.
One of the new features of this season, although still only a trial period, is the south stand move. What do you see as the future for this move?
Including the upcoming Hereford match, it will be four games with having town fans in the Pink Link stand, and Saturday especially will be very interesting. I’ve said all along that after the four games, I will do an audit of the financial implications etc and sit down with Dean and Nigel and see how things should go from there. I thought the crowd were magnificent for the three games so far and for Lee’s first match on Saturday, it will be interesting to see the crowd figures. Traditionally, the last game before Christmas is notoriously bad for crowds, as people tend to get their last minute shopping done. The new appointment might buck the trend somewhat. I’ve had a lot of feedback from fans about the move, and I’ll take it all into consideration before deciding what the next move should be. It will probably be the end of January before we come to that decision, though I will say that it is extremely unlikely that the south stand in its entirety will be given to town fans. Mainly because of safety regulations that the club has, but also the composition of the stadium makes it difficult to do that.
With regards the new scoreboard that has been installed, many fans feel that it is not achieving its full potential somewhat, such as not having replays or scores from around the country.
Yeah I would agree with that. We are still learning its capabilities. There is a financial implication that affects the use of replays, and we took the decision at the beginning of the season not to take up that opportunity, but it is maybe something we will look at in the future. In terms of half time scores, as a fan I would like to see regular updates on there. I’m having a chat with David Sykes [Marketing Exec] and the media team who run the scoreboard to see how things could be done. It is not as simple as just putting the scores up, but it is still under revision and by the end of this year, a review will have been taken on a lot of things to see what has and hasn’t worked and how things can be moved forward. Linked to this is the music at the ground, and whether we should have some played when we score a goal or not. Some fans say yes, some say no, so it’s a tough decision to make. Really we have to be led by the supporters and what is happening on the pitch, and I’m of the belief that we cannot manufacture that. We cannot insist that fans sing certain songs but I think that it is you guys that lead the way. I’ve been very impressed with the Cowshed Loyal trying to build the atmosphere at games. The best pre-match I’ve witnessed is at Anfield when they play “You’ll Never Walk Alone†and I think we could replicate that here, whether it is Smile A-While or the Elvis Presley song [Can’t Help Falling In Love], and if we went on a strong run of results and were flying high then maybe that’s the time to introduce it.
In April this year there was some talk of HTTV; is that still an on-going project?
I can give you an update on that. HTTV is not dead in the water, but has been put on the back-burner at the moment, mainly because it clashes with a few agreements with the Football League Interactive. Basically, FLI hold the rights for the internet and what we control, and to some degree, Internet Protocol TV is linked to the internet. I’m a believer that we can do this, as it would be terrific for the club and would provide great exposure. How I will get to do it, I don’t know yet, but just be patient. The research we did indicated that now was not the right time, and the economic climate has been less than helpful in that sense, however if we achieve promotion, I think it could work brilliantly for us. There are issues on how it would work and be managed, so I would probably look for volunteers to get involved at first until it started growing. I do have a company that is willing to talk to use and help build a platform for it, but there is a bit of investment required, and at the moment there are just a couple of hurdles to get over.
What would HTTV actually involve?
Just to manage expectations, it wouldn’t be something like MUTV whereby it would be live coverage, as that is something that is five or six years down the line. What it would involve will be highlights of away games, ‘behind the scenes’ coverage and possibly training sessions. What we can’t afford to do is cannibalise all other media channels, and we have to develop something that will take the club forward. I think HTTV could do that, but I am under some restrictions by the football league, which I am working through. I couldn’t put a time-frame on it at the moment, but promotion would definitely help matters.
The kit manufacturers in recent seasons have been quite low-profile brands. Is the club missing out on a marketing opportunity here by not going after names like Adidas and Nike?
When I joined the club, the Mitre deal was pretty much complete, and we are committed to them for four years. Let me say though, that the Mitre deal is the best deal that I’ve ever seen in football at our level. What tends to happen, is that if Nike or Adidas are involved at a lower-level, there is a clause in the contract stating that you cannot buy other branded merchandise, or that you buy from Adidas at a premium price, so you are not making as high margins on retails outlets. On the flip side, saying that we would sell more through having one of these names on our kits is a fair point. You have to take into consideration the economics of the situation and the quality of the products, on which note Mitre have been vastly improving lately. When the deal is to be renewed, I will sit down and look at every opportunity available and weigh up which decision is best for the club. I’m personally a big fan of Adidas clothing, but I have to consider what is best for the club as a whole, and at the moment the Mitre deal is just that.
Down At The Mac has more than 3000 members, and although it is not representative of the whole fan base, does discussion on the site have an impact within the club on decision-making?
Yeah, as you know I post on the site occasionally under the name smj1 and I think that it would be stupid if the club did not look at opinions on there. Every fan’s opinion is important and we’ve established a very good relationship with the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association and I would encourage any fan out there to join up, because it is a great vehicle for us to talk with the fans. We can’t spend all our time looking at these sites; however they are a vehicle and something that we must listen to. We hear opinions from fans through all forms, but Down At The Mac is definitely very important.
Well we are hoping that the new site set-up will be able to attract more fans and act as a proper fan site as opposed to simply a discussion forum.
Yeah. You’re going to get some comments on there that aren’t necessarily right, but for me you can definitely gauge an opinion from it and we very much welcome that dialogue. You have to take into account supporters opinions and make decisions based on that. There are always going to be people in support of and against certain policies, so it’s hard to please everyone but we do weigh up everything before making a decision.
What’s your favourite aspect of working for the club?
The club is very infectious and as each day goes by, I love it more and more. My son is growing up to be a Town fan and will have to go through the tough times like his Dad! For me, I enjoy coming into work and the interaction with fans. I also enjoy the challenges that a defeat on a Saturday afternoon can bring, as it means that no day is the same as the previous one. One of the reasons why I left Oldham was that I thought I’d taken the club as far as I could, and I’d ticked all the empty boxes there. I’ve ticked a couple here, but there are a lot of empty ones left for the future, and I want to contribute to that. I want to make sure that I leave my mark on this club, and I hope I’m doing that now. I’m aware that fans were sceptical when I joined the club, but I hope that my work has demonstrated that I’ve only got the interests of the club at heart, and that I’m going to work my hardest to make sure I bring success. I grew up in Leicester, and when they came here a few weeks ago, I was so desperate for us to win that game, and will be when we play them in January at the Walkers Stadium. I was gutted when we lost and I certainly got enough ribbing from my family about the result!
What’s your best memory of the club since you joined, be it on or off the field?
There’s a lot, but the one that stands out in my mind is the 93rd minute at Elland Road. I’ve seen some great games in my time, but Collins scoring that goal was a fantastic feeling. I really enjoyed that game, and celebrated all weekend – meaning I had a major hangover Monday morning! When we announced the £100 season ticket deal was good. Discovering the significance of April 12th was fantastic, and it was just a Eureka moment. We were sat deliberating how to announce the deal, and I went home Thursday night thinking how we could launch it with the biggest effect. I figured that the third championship win was significant, and found that it happened on April 12th 1926. Aside of the football, that was a really special moment for me, because it came together so well. One other moment was when I was walking outside the stadium before a match, and one fan came up to me, shook my hand and said what a good job I was doing. That meant the world to me, as this guy had recognised the effort I’d put into my work. I’ll happily take criticism when things aren’t going so well, but for a fan to come up and say that to me was fantastic. I know that when we win promotion, because it will happen, is going to be special aswell. Being awarded the Family Club of the Year award was very special aswell.
Do you have a favourite Town player, and why?
I do, yes. It varies quite a bit, but I’m a huge fan of Michael Collins. When I joined the club, I watched the players closely, and he had great potential. Under Andy [Ritchie] and Stan [Ternent] it didn’t really work out, but for Gerry he is excelling and is realising his potential. I also like Jon Worthington as he’s kind of a man after my own heart. When I played football, I wasn’t the most skilful of players but I liked a good scrap in the middle of the park, and Jon is like that. I’m excited by Gary Roberts, Holdsworth and Cadamarteri, who offers so much behind the scenes. He has a lot of potential that he isn’t realising yet, and when I’ve seen him in the past two games, he’s been electric.
Finally, where do you see the club in five years time?
On the field, I see us being a leading Championship side, very much established in the top 30 and with the current set up that’s very much attainable. Off the field, I want us to be regarded as one of the best operations in the game. I believe that is happening already and other clubs now look to us for inspiration. I spoke to someone the other day who is heavily involved in the Premier League doing customer service work, and he paid us a great compliment by saying that if Middlesbrough came and looked at Huddersfield Town, they would be inspired. That is the sort of message that I want to hear, other clubs talking about us. In five years time, I can definitely see us in the Championship, maybe the Premiership but who knows? And off the field, I want us to be regarded as one of the best in the business. We’re not going to be the biggest, but we will be right up there.
In response to some of the more light-hearted questions that were suggested on the forum, Sean’s grandma did not apply for the job and he will not be releasing a new series of Airport.
Sean finished off by wishing every Down At The Mac member a Merry Christmas and thanked everyone again for their continued support.
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