Norwich City AGM - why we are forced to sit this one out

Their presence was often a bit of light relief for everyone else. Ardent Norwich fans, they got to the nitty gritty – queuing at food outlets, turning the floodlights on too early, that sort of stuff.

Real fans who had put some money into the club. And we reported it all. With a deadline looming, Mr Batley’s monologues, which occasionally ended with a question, could chew up valuable time, but when the dust had settled everyone shook hands and agreed it was another jolly good night out.   

Thankfully, the complicated bit with the financial figures had already been dealt with by way of a very handy press briefing before the event, when senior bods at Carrow Road would answer questions on the figures. And they’d front up after the actual AGM as well, so the media which covers the football club was very well served and very well looked after.   

It was vital, of course, that the media be allowed to listen in and ask questions later – those in the room are all shareholders. But there are many thousands of Norwich City who invest a lot of money into the club, but not by way of purchasing shares, rather by way of buying matchday tickets, food, scarves etc. Those people aren’t allowed into an AGM – it is strictly shareholders only.   

So the media were there faithfully recording the most important words and disseminating them out to the non-shareholding supporters.  

The media is, of course, impartial, so everyone got a fair report. Only once was I ever asked, ever so politely, by a Norwich City director if I’d mind awfully not reporting what one of his fellow directors had said. “He didn’t mean to word it that way,” he explained. I turned him down. Politely, of course.   

The media – and by that I don’t just mean us types at the top of Rouen Road, but anyone else who legitimately includes City coverage as their trade – must bring readers a fair and balanced account of events.   

Which brings us to the crux of this bit of work: tonight, at a time when the football club has major questions to answer, we will not be allowed into Norwich City’s AGM to hear the answers. It is our understanding that none of the local media will be allowed to cover it in the traditional way – we certainly won’t be.  

Instead, the football club will share that information with all of its supporters via its website and its own media team. It is up to them how much they share, and whether some of it gets brushed away from the cutting room floor. 

The local media has no divine right to take a place at the AGM. We accept that. The only right we have is an historical one, which appears to have worked perfectly well in the past. It’s nice and transparent. Unless we make up a story (never happened) what has anyone got to lose?   

Let’s not beat about the bush here - there has been a breakdown in the relationship with the local media in recent months. Some are feeling the pain more than others. We can’t say for sure that keeping us out of the AGM is part of that process.   

But it is worth revisiting the words of the club’s finance director, Anthony Richens, in a recent video address produced by the club.   

“Previously, the club would provide local media with privileged information ahead of time. There is a scenario when I know our head of communications would actually look to announce transfer information based on local media’s deadlines.   

“That’s the type of situation where the club has changed its stance following a break of trust and therefore that’s the only part that has changed for us over the last season.   

“Also, I think it’s worth noting that we are really proud of our in-house content and in-house channels whether that be through our recently launched app where we are engaging with our supporters at unrivalled levels.   

“From us, it’s all about engagement and ensuring that people feel connected to the club in other ways. That doesn’t necessarily need to be through the local media channels. We look to grow our content and our communication strategy. Hopefully, fans begin to feel more able to access information and more empowered with the information we provide.”   

Clearly the life of Norwich City Football Club has moved on since Messrs Newark, Batley and Wolsely were in their prime.   

David Batley used to call our sports desk at least once a week... I somehow can’t imagine he would have allowed this AGM meeting to go by without mention of the absence of some, if not all, of the media.