The minutes from the latest Albion Assembly meeting can be found below.
Albion Assembly (AA) Meeting - The Hawthorns.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 7pm.
The following minutes are a general summary of the meeting and contain no direct quotations.
Club staff in attendance: Mark Miles (Executive Director), Ian Skidmore (Director of Communications & Fan Engagement), Rob Lake (Director, The Albion Foundation), Chris Harris (Director of Operations & SHE (Safety, Health & Environment)), Tomasz Chadwick (Director of Events, Experience & Technology), Cindy Groen (Supporter Liaison Officer), and Sean Watts (Head of Media Relations).
Apologies: Aaron Khangura, Iain Bate, Natalie Mansell, Amanda Hume, Ann Staniland, Carl Burkitt, Shin Aujla, Rachel Coldicott, Karen Geddes, Aisha Patel, Rich Jefferson, Chris Jones, Michael Holton.
INTRODUCTIONS, APOLOGIES & RESIGNATIONS
Ian Skidmore (IS) opened the meeting by reading out the list of apologies, also confirming that Michael Holton had resigned from the AA for personal reasons, and introducing the club staff in attendance. He then went through the agenda for the evening, which began with the AA’s new constitution.
ALBION ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTION
IS read through a summary of the AA constitution, which can be found HERE. He thanked the working group, who had met in April and discussed matters at great length, ultimately creating a constitution they felt best represented the assembly.
There was then an opportunity for all members - who had been sent the full document in advance - to ask questions or give any feedback. Topics discussed included term lengths for individuals as well as those who were representing fan groups.
The vote took place shortly after - and it was passed unanimously, with all 16 members present giving their approval.
FAN EXPERIENCE
IS handed over to Tom Chadwick (TC) for a comprehensive presentation. He introduced himself to the group and explained how he had recently been appointed to the role of Director of Events, Experience & Technology, with the ownership group keen to improve fan experience at The Hawthorns.
TC began by detailing the touchpoints which identify the journey supporters go through before, during and after a matchday. This included:
- The club website & first impressions
- Ticket purchases
- Pre-match engagement across all types of communication
- Travel & the last mile before reaching the stadium
- The environment outside and around the ground
- Retail & merchandise
- Facilities and infrastructure
- Refreshments (food & beverages)
- The in-bowl experience
- The people at the football club - for example the visibility and helpfulness of club staff
- Post-match engagement
- And ensuring Baggies fans feel valued throughout the journey
He gave further information on how they wanted to enhance each specific subject and asked members if they felt he was missing any areas. Discussions delved into topics such as half-time queues, food offerings, in-stadium Wi-Fi, atmosphere, events/concerts at The Hawthorns, players visiting hospitality suites, road-side digital screens, and more.
TC also showed how they would implement consistent standards across everything, keeping in mind important elements like accessibility & inclusion, safety & security, sustainability, service, digital, and data & intelligence. He said the club would continuously evaluate, measure and improve the supporter experience.
Looking ahead to the 2026/27 campaign, TC outlined their key focuses and priorities. This included appointing a dedicated Fan Experience Manager, employing Hawthorns Helpers on matchdays, expanding the concourse food offering, and an ongoing review of the use of technology such as self-pour and self-ordering services, frictionless technology, alongside further digital signage. He also said there was a positive update on the PA system, which Chris Harris (CH) would give in the facilities section. Overall, members were supportive of the ideas and looked forward to seeing the outcomes.
Finally, TC talked about what he considered wins from the last 12 months. This included the stadium re-paint, safe standing being installed, the East Stand post-match bar starting up and the Millichip Suite’s renovation, as well as the creation of a borehole providing a sustainable water supply. There were also improvements to entertainment, the Fan Zone, food - such as the new stone-baked pizza offering - flags/banners applied to the exterior of the ground, and Hawthorns trees planted.
FACILITIES
To the delight of AA members, CH confirmed the club were currently installing a new PA system at The Hawthorns. He said the provider - who had been excellent so far - was more than halfway through fitting it, and they were confident it would be in place by the start of the new season.
Members followed up with suggestions about putting more shelves in the concourses, and whether more could be done on the Halfords Lane when it’s closed before kick-off. CH explained how that road would need to be opened quickly if there is an emergency, hence why they’re currently limited to the Fan Zone and East Stand car park.
IS thanks TC and CH, and confirmed a survey would be sent to members for further ideas/feedback. He also invited them to join the AA’s fan experience working group. IS stated his belief that their input on this could have a big impact over the coming years now the club was able to invest and dedicate more to it. He said he hoped the open discussions during both the fan experience and facilities agenda items gave them optimism, and also helped explain why the club cannot always fulfil some requests.
GOVERNANCE
Mark Miles (MM) confirmed he had gone back on the board alongside the recently appointed Jason Roberts, who was bringing football experience and overseas knowledge. He said the senior leadership team had been further strengthened, having brought in Sam Jeffrey as Chief Business Officer to increase revenue, and Dominic Price as Technical Director to support on the football side.
He revealed his excitement at how the new structure (which will be communicated in full over the summer) will help take the club forward. He admitted that while last season did not pan out how anyone wanted or expected, the club had learned from it, used it to strengthen on and off the pitch, and were now confidently building for the future.
He clarified Albion’s position on an appeal to the Profit & Sustainability (P&S) sanction, reiterating that although the club believed they did not breach the rules, they had chosen the pragmatic option to move on. He was confident there would be no problems regarding the 2025/26 P&S accounts, which will be the last set before the new Squad Cost Radio (SCR) regulations begin. Members asked for Mark’s view on SCR, and he said the club believed it was the right way forward.
FOOTBALL
Men
MM commended James Morrison for how he galvanised Albion and achieved safety, also applauding the staff and supporters for their togetherness. He gave the incredible Ipswich atmosphere and the away following as examples of everyone connected to the club going above and beyond to play their part.
MM was enthusiastic on Morrison’s appointment and said there is a lot to do on the recruitment front, but that they were looking to build a competitive squad. He also talked through the start of the new campaign - with the Carabao Cup first round taking place the weekend before the season starts, in a significant change to previous years when it would be played midweek after the opening fixture. He also confirmed the fixture release date and Carabao Cup first round draw were both set for June 25.
Members asked about coaching staff and pre-season plans. MM said once Morrison’s staff had been confirmed the club will announce it, and IS added that pre-season plans were at contract stages. Members also praised the club for putting on free coaches for Blackburn.
Women
Acclaim was heaped on the women’s team by MM. He talked through their successful season - having finished sixth in the league, reached the Adobe FA Cup fourth road, and Birmingham County FA Challenge Cup semi-finals. He stated their growing investment was paying dividends - and that they were looking to make their home matches a better experience for supporters, too. Lastly, he confirmed they have started the process of bringing the girls’ Academy in-house.
Academy
MM also praised the Academy - specifically pointing out that the U18s had enjoyed a record-breaking season, finishing in their highest position for more than a decade (further details here). Five first-year scholars had been offered early contract offers, demonstrating the strength coming through. MM then mentioned other age groups - specifically the U17s and U13s - having good campaigns, and repeated the club’s desire to ensure there is a pathway from the academy to the first-team.
THE ALBION FOUNDATION
Rob Lake gave an update on the Foundation’s ‘football for all’ strategy. He talked through the success that the powerchair, cerebral palsy, and blind teams had enjoyed - specifically with the latter set for a trip to St George’s Park in a showcase FA Disability Cup event on June 27.
He then moved onto the girls teams. The Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) were the futsal regional qualifier winners, and were runners up in the national league. The U13s and U14s were league runners-up, the U15s won their league and U16s won their cup. He also said that 10 players from what is the currently the girls academy have been promoted into the new U18 team within the club’s new academy structure. Meanwhile on the boys side, he said TAF’s Sandwell College team won their league, and their ‘C’ team won their league. Both are attending the Championship Play-Offs on Saturday to receive their trophies.
Moving onto the ‘grow our own’ strategy, RL said they’ve now got a limitless apprenticeship for disability coaches and players - and there are 25 on that programme. And he revealed their degree programme had recently been described by an external verifier as a ‘joy to work with’.
RL explained how this also links with the ‘go local’ strategy, and trying to get young people into employment within their organisation. He told members a success story about someone who was a USW student, Kadeem - the winner of the club’s 2026 community champion award. Kadeem went to a local school as a child, and he’s now the face of their Kicks programme - even recently leading a trip with three coaches who went to Nigeria.
Rob then told the room that their events are key to sustaining the success. He said that they get food financial support from the Premier League and Albion, but that the challenges and everything else people take part in are also crucial. He listed the the Golf Day on June 9, abseiling at The Hawthorns on July 18, Andy Johnson kayaking across the English Channel in July, and the Blind Dave colour run over the summer, as important events for people to support.
Finally, RL spoke about a recent safeguarding audit that went to see a number of programmes, and assessed them as exceptional - giving praise for the Foundation’s standing in the community, and how they are recognised as an organisation that people know and trust.
Members asked about the Baggies Bonanza - and RL said it has helped raise money that TAF didn’t receive before. A member also praised the conduct of Academy players who had recently attended the Hawthorns Hub.
AOB
The meeting was then concluded with any other business. Members asked if there could be more promotion of supporters’ club events, which was agreed to. They also asked for clarification on who was looking after internal departments following the restructure.
Whether the club could do anything about away ticket prices, such as trying to implement a league-wide cap, was also discussed. MM said the club had been fighting that battle for a number of years but did not receive sufficient support from all clubs in order to push this through as a rule.
Date of next meeting: TBC
