Stoke City Football Club ("the Club") aims to provide the best standards of service to supporters in relation to all of its activities.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Club will respond to any contact from a customer within a maximum of 14 days, by telephone, letter, post or e-mail info@stokecityfc.com

All customer service contact should be addressed to:

Customer Services
Stoke City Football Club
Britannia Stadium
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST4 4EG

STAFF CONDUCT

The Club is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to equal opportunity within the organisation and will endeavour to encourage similar commitment from others within the game.

As a professional Football Club, a member of the Football Association and the Football League, the Club is committed to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reasons of sex, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or disability.

This will be reflected in:

The advertisement of jobs
The selection of candidates for employment or promotion
Job location or working environment
Pay and employment terms and conditions
Internal training and development of activities
Football development schemes
External education activities and awards

The Club will not tolerate sexual or racially based harassment or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal, and will work to ensure that such behaviour is met with the appropriate disciplinary action.

The Club supports the Football Association and the Football League in their commitment to develop a programme of ongoing training and awareness raising events and activities in order to promote the eradication of discrimination.

All employees whose role involves working with children are subject to disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.

CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION

The Club is committed to a consultative process with supporters through the representative body, the Stoke City Fans Forum, on decisions that affect them most. This is practised through at least six meeting each year with Club representatives including the Chairman, Directors, Chief Executive.

The Stoke City Fans Forum is a group who represent the cross section of fans supporting the Club. The representatives are elected using a democratic process and are re-elected annually.

All supporters are represented within the Fans Forum, however the club is committed to continually improve the facilities of disabled supporters and a representative of Stoke City Football Club attends meeting of SCWIM (Stoke City Wheels in Motion).

SCWIM offers disabled supporters a direct line of communication to the Club. There are regular trips to away grounds via organised coaches that are accessible for all disabled supporters. There are regular communications with supporters communicating through newsletters, meeting and social events.

The Club is also committed to working and improving relationships with fans via The Potters Club. The Potters Club offers supporters preferential tickets sales after Premier and Legends Members and Season Ticket Holders. Supporters can feel an allegiance to their football club with regular newsletters, social events and trips and chances to meet the management and playing staffs. 

The Club communicates with supporters on an occasional basis through the Stoke City Fans Forum, matchday magazines, newsletters, mail shots, www.stokecityfc.com and through press and media coverage.

The Club endeavours to continue ways to develop communications with shareholders, sponsors, the local authority, supporters and other interested parties.

The Club will announce, at the earliest possible notice, any changes to its ticketing policy and will give reasons for that change.

SUPPORTERS CONDUCT

The Club supports and encourages supporter involvement with national initiatives such as Kick It Out (racism out of football) and local issues such as True Supporters Against Violence, to enhance the matchday experience of supporters.

The Stoke City Fans Forum supports the Stoke City Supporters Charter as outlined below to make the Britannia Stadium a friendly venue to watch football.

TICKETING

The Club provides a wide access to matches by offering a broad range of ticket prices to reflect demand in different areas of the Britannia Stadium, recognising the local economic needs.

The Club operates a scheme to enable supporters to pay for season tickets by instalment at a reasonable rate of interest.

At least 5 per cent of tickets to each match are made available to non-season ticket holders.

Concessionary prices are available to junior supporters and senior citizens. Concessions for senior citizens are available to both men and women over the age of 65.

The Club provides an area of the ground for the exclusive use of family groups and junior supporters.

The Club provides support for disabled supporters and their helpers.  For details of disabled facilities and ticket allocation supporters should contact the Ticket Office. For any other matters supporters should contact the club's Disabled Liaison Officer Lindsey Leighton on lindsay.leighton@stokecityfc.com

Supporters will be allocated tickets for away matches/all ticket games in order as follows:

Season Ticket Holders
Pot of Gold & Potters Foundation members
General Sale

Tickets for Cup competitions are priced after consultation with the opposing club.  Once agreement is made on any special ticketing initiatives, the tickets are allocated as for away ticket allocations.

If a match is abandoned after spectators are admitted to the stadium but before kick off, ticket holders are entitled to free admission to the re-arranged fixture. If a match is abandoned after kick-off, spectators are entitled to half price admission to the re-arranged match.

Refunds will be considered only if the ticket is returned to the ticket office no later than 24 hours before the advertised kick off of the match.

ACCOMMODATING AWAY SUPPORTERS

The Club recognises that it is appropriate for away fans to visit the Britannia Stadium, and will endeavour to avoid any restrictions being imposed on visiting supporters.

The Club is advised by Staffordshire Police and the local Safety Advisory Group when allocating tickets to away supporters.

Away supporters pay the same price in the designated away area as casual home supporters in the stand offering the same view of the Britannia Stadium pitch.

From the 2005/06 season the club reserves the right to designate a maximum of four games each season as a local promotion match. At these matches the club is seeking to generate an increase in local supporters over the long-term and as such these promotions are not made available to away supporters. 

MERCHANDISE

The Club publicises the shelf life of replica strips at the time of launch through club programme, merchandising catalogue, official club website and signage in the shop.

The Club will make details available of any intended changes of kit through its club shop and the Club carries out its obligations under Football League Regulations to prevent any price fixing in relation to the sale of replica kit.

The Club will always offer refunds on merchandise  in accordance with standard retail practices and as part of its legal obligations.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

The Club will endeavour to work closely with all sections of the local community to promote the club as a family orientated sporting organisation. Through its links via the local education authority, schools and various community organisations, the Club seeks to act as a role model in encouraging healthy and active lifestyles.

Through the Football In The Community scheme the Club is accessible to schools, youth groups and any community group who wishes to participate in activities that may be taking place - using football as a vehicle to communicate to its supporters and community.

The Club is actively involved with the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation, a charitable organisation whose aim is to provide underprivileged youngsters with sporting opportunities, in the first place locally and ultimately nationally, to continue the legacy of one of the world's finest players.