Director Of Commercial and Revenue Ritchie Bates speaks to BRTV about his role at the club and his plans for 2025!
So, Ritchie, thanks for sitting down with us today. I believe you joined Bristol Rovers in August. Why did you join the club and tell us about your background as well...
“I thought it was a really good opportunity for me. It’s a club that I’ve visited a number of times when I’ve been here with other clubs. I’ve got a friend who was a manager here for a number of years and he spoke to me about the fanbase being really special and really passionate.
“So, I spoke to him when I joined, and he thought it was a really good fit. In terms of background, I’ve only ever worked in football. I’ve been really fortunate to have that career so far. The last club that I was at was Port Vale. I was there for five years. I was in charge of the commercial there and I had a really good time. It was difficult to leave, but I’m really excited to be here and the fans have given me a brilliant welcome since I’ve been here. I’m looking forward to a number of years here.”
Tell us about your role at the club...
“I am Director of Revenue, so all of the streams effectively where money is coming into the club is under my remit. That mainly breaks down into four areas. So, sponsorship, retail, ticketing and partnerships.”
What have you found since joining the club and what have you been working on?
“There’s a number of things. The main bit was myself analysing the club, it’s called a map and gap where you look and see what you think the club needs and what have they been doing over a number of years. The first one I noticed was that we leased a lot of things and rented a lot of things, which is fine. But, after speaking with the board, it was something where we made a decision that we wanted to bring different inventory pieces in-house.
“We actually started buying our own assets as well, which I think is a really good one for the club going forward, that we’re in charge of our own destiny almost. Different containers and buildings and things of this nature that, effectively, we’ve started purchasing so it’s under the club. That’s one thing that I’ve worked on.
“Another thing is recruitment. We were a bit depleted in certain areas. So, media and marketing in particular, I think that’s quadrupled since I’ve been here and we’re after a number of roles at the minute as well.
"Recruitment was a big piece. Obviously, trying to consult as much as I can with the fanbase and in particular the supporters' groups. That’s the Disabled Supporters Association and speaking to the President's Club that had stopped for a number of years, so speaking to them again. The Supporters Club, in particular, I have regular meetings with. I’m trying to understand the fanbase as much as I can so I can try and make it a better experience.
“Then, obviously analysing our different contracts and agreements that we’ve got across sponsorship and partnerships and all the different pieces such as ticketing and the retail pieces. Looking at the venue in particular, what that needs. So, for example, we’ve put two really big bars under the South Stand, which will be going over the next few months going over a renovation piece that we’ve put in the working area. But now we need to smarten that up. We’ve had a new Bar Manager, and he’s done some really good work in those two bars that are really synonymous. So, that but looking across the rest of the venue and where we need some extra bars and kiosks. Then really just trying to understand the club and trying to add as much as I can into it.”
You mentioned your job role previously and the different avenues, let’s break it down in your plans for 2025, starting with sponsorship...
“Sponsorship is a really key one for any football club. It's a fantastic revenue stream and I think we’ve got a really good product here. We’ve got a number of items that we’ve got available, and we’ve got a number of items that are sold for multi-year. It’s trying to improve on that, really.
"We’ve got a number of partnerships that we’re about to announce in the next three or four months that are all multi-year as well that we’re really pleased with. They are all local businesses as well, which we are really proud of, and we want to work with local businesses as much as we can.
“Then we’ve got things like the big screen coming, which again is extra inventory for partnership and sponsorship. Hopefully, we’ll get some much-needed revenue into the club, which goes back into the infrastructure of the club.”
Next up, tell us about the venue...
“I think the venue has a number of areas under that. So, hospitality, the kitchens, the kiosks, the bars and in particular, the fanzone. The fanzone isn’t up to level that I think it should be. I’ve spoken to a lot of fans, and I know the fans are quite disheartened about the fanzone, which I can tell you now will change for the summer. When we get that period of time in the summer, we will revamp the fanzone, we will revamp the area around that so there’s more space, there’s more seating and again, look at the fanzone in terms of what we want from it and what do the fans from it.
“Again, that consultation piece that Mitch has spoken about in his interview is really, really key for me. Our fanzone at the minute offers nothing for children and nothing for families, which I am telling you will change for the summer. Our Community Trust is fantastic, and I’ve spoken to Adam a number of times about what we can offer there next season for children and families, he is in complete agreement with me that we need some more activities there.
“The fanzone is a really big one for me for the summer. Then, making sure our bars and kiosks are to the best level that we can across the stadium, whether that be in the Thatchers’ Bar behind us, the Bristol Bar or the Butcombe Bar. Any of the bars around the stadium, we’re trying to get as efficient as possible, trying to source the best products that we can do, have the best partnerships with suppliers we can do, so that’s the venue.”
You mentioned the Head of Media, Mitch Waddon, who is part of the series of interviews. He mentioned the Fan Advisory Board. Can you tell us more about that?
“It’s something me and Mitch have spoken about over the last couple of months, which we’re really, really keen to get in place where we can consult with the fanbase. The club here will make decisions, but I want to do it with as much knowledge and as much data as we can do but consult with fans.
“A really good example of that is where we stopped the programme, but I’m not sure if we spoke to fans before doing that. Whereas, the Fan Advisory Board gives us a really good vehicle to do that. So, if we were going to make a decision and the Fan Advisory Board thinks it’s a terrible one, we wouldn’t do it.
“So, it’s having that feedback that we’re really keen to get. But again, that shouldn’t deter fans that it’s the only vehicle for feedback. The website is a really good way to do that. There is a comment section where you can send something in, and it goes through to Clare in the office and then she shares it with the different heads of departments or myself. There are always ways fans can consult with the club as much as we can.”
How about the plans for 2025 in retail?
“Retail is a really interesting one. We’re currently outsourced. I’m not sure if all fans know that with the Terrace, which is a really good company, but actually, we’re taking that back in-house as of the start of next season. It means, a bit like all the assets that I spoke about, our destiny is in our own hands, which means we can source our own products and do what we want in terms of how we sell and what we buy. So, retail will be a really interesting one for the summer.
“When I first joined, a number of fans had spoken to me about how late we have home shirts and away shirts as well, but home shirts in particular. I can tell you now that it will be much earlier and hopefully, it will be around for Father's Day, all being well. Hopefully, there will be some really interesting bits for retail for the new season.”
Finally, something you’re especially passionate about is ticketing. Tell us about that for 2025...
“I think it’s the thing that I think about most and it’s the thing that I’ve looked at most since I’ve come into the club. I think it’s something that I have to get right, and the club has to get right for the new season, which unfortunately this year, the club got wrong, which I apologise for in terms of the pricing and in particular around families and children.
“That’s something that will change for the new season and looking at where is the best place for families and children, which in my opinion is the Brunel Stand and the MKJ Stand, making sure the offers around that in terms of the kiosks and bars are correct for those families and children and making sure the pricing is correct.
“Again, looking if there is a Junior Gas or a Junior Pirate offer and looking at memberships. I was quite surprised when I joined that there wasn’t a children's offer, which again will change for the new season. With ticketing, there are quite a lot of other aspects to look at. For example, do we do a priority points scheme? Do we have finance in place, which currently isn't? Do we have memberships, which is a bit of a bridge between match-by-match tickets and season tickets?
“One other thing that I mentioned in the Fans’ Forum was that the physical cards will remain for next season, which is something that I changed quite quickly when I joined. There is quite a lot to analyse and to make sure that we get correct for the new season, and hopefully in the next four, five or weeks, we’ll be releasing ticket information for next season. But the club has to get that correct and again, I apologise for this season that it wasn’t.”
So overall, have you got any final thoughts for 2025?
“What I say to fans is to keep sending in your feedback to us. Your comments and opinions are valued, and we do listen to you. The staff are working hard in the background. Again, keep sending in your feedback. We get amazing support from the fans and myself as well; I have had a lot of support from fans and a lot of feedback where fans speak to me on matchdays in particular. Thanks for the support and thanks for the welcome from myself personally since I’ve joined.”
