Improvements to Lewington's and a matchday staple comeback at MK Dons
Changes are afoot again after the CEO’s initial findings around Stadium MK
Improving the fan experience at Stadium MK has taken a top priority for MK Dons CEO Neil Hart, and he has confirmed two big changes to the Citizen to help with that.
Supporter’s bar Lewington’s, located near Gate 5 at Stadium MK, will be revamped and given a much-needed facelift, while the club will also reintroduce matchday programmes after they ceased at the start of the current campaign.
Last week, the club confirmed price cuts to general admission tickets at MK1 to become the lowest charging club in League Two, in a bid to bring back some of the lapsed supporters which have seen average attendances tumble in the last three years.
Hart, who has been in place at the club for around five weeks weeks, has wasted no time in meeting with the supporter’s board regularly already, and having explored the concourses of Stadium MK on a matchday, has already cited several fixes he sees would improve the experience for supporters – that includes offering fans a place to convene before and after matches, which he saw in recent away games at Barrow and Harrogate.
“What Harrogate have is brilliant, and I told their chief exec that,” Hart told the Citizen. “In terms of fan engagement, the bars, the food and beverages, it was just excellent. Those things we aren't getting right here.
“It brings a togetherness, builds a camaraderie amongst the fans base and us as well.
“There is an intention to look at Lewington's and improve that. It can be done better. Let's be honest - it looks terrible. I'm happy to say that to the supporters, it doesn't look good. But they know that and they've said that to me, so I'm not being untoward.
“That is a huge opportunity for us, we're looking at it and work is being done behind the scenes. I'd love to provide a better environment aesthetically than the tarpaulin - it looks like you're walking into a building site. I just think there are things we could do better.”
He added: “We need to launch an app, look at our comms and how we talk to the fans about football and non-football things. We are going to bring back the programme as well which is a positive step, but that will take time too.”