We wanted to find out about our players attitudes to the club's history and current atmosphere. Wanderers has an inspiring heritage and always aims to make players feel part of our modern era. We asked six questions related to creating and preserving our identity.
SUMMARY OF ACTIONS: 1. Don't assume Wanderers' heritage is a draw; promote ourselves to new players in other ways (e.g. regular training, good facilities, affordability), 2. Inform players of our history once they are members to improve connectivity with the club, 3. We should communicate our playing goals to players and the public, 4. Focus on developing consistency, reliability, and commitment, 5. Understand what it means to 'be a Wanderer' and focus on that in our next Player Engagement Survey.
Question 1: How does playing for Wanderers make you feel?
There were 10 answers and players were asked to score each on a scale from zero to five.
0 = Never - 1 = Rarely - 2 = Once in a while - 3 = Occasionally - 4 = Regularly - 5 = Often - 6 = Always
Happy - Often Always Regularly - 4.56
Enthusiastic - Occasionally Often Regularly - 4.30
Passionate - Regularly Occasionally Always - 4.08
Satisfied - Regularly Occasionally Often - 3.91
Relaxed - Regularly Occasionally Often - 3.87
Proud - Occasionally Regularly Often - 3.60
Frustrated - Occasionally Rarely Once in a while - 3.04
Angry - Rarely Occasionally Once in a while - 1.78
Anxious - Rarely Once in a while Never - 1.52
Embarrassed - Rarely Never Occasionally - 1.52
These results show us that players are overwhelmingly positive towards playing for the club. It is important that players show passion, especially in a competitive sport, but don't allow that to lapse into anger. Equally, frustration, at times, can be motivating, whilst embarrassment is not, so it's good to see that the most negative of the emotional responses is twice as likely as the worst.
Question 2: Were you aware of Wanderers' history before you joined the club?
It might have been assumed by some that there is some draw to playing for a club which has lifted five FA Cups, were founder members of the FA, or had, since 2009, welcomed players from nearly 60 nations and territories.
However, this appears not to be the case;
Yes - 8.7%
Somewhat - 26.1%
No - 65.2%
OUTCOME: There are two takes from this. 1) We should not assume that Wanderers' heritage is a draw and focus on promoting ourselves to new players in ways that connect with more immediate factors (e.g. regular training, good facilities, affordability) 2) We are not leveraging our heritage sufficiently to make players aware of our history. It will require more consideration to understand how effective this might be.
Question 3: How important is Wanderers' history to you?
This question helps us to understand whether, now that they are a member, players' perceptions of the club's heritage has changed.
Not at all 8.7% | A little 21.7% | Neither 39.1% | Somewhat 8.7% | A lot 21.7% |
It could be argued that once players become part of the club, their opinion on our history alters. If 'awareness' is the first step, less than 10% of players were aware of Wanderers' history when they joined but now more than 30% feel it is important.
Question 4: Are you aware of Wanderers footballing goal? Which of these is the correct goal?
It is no secret that the club are ambitious but this question intended to see whether the club members were able to recognise what the club's ambition is.
Win the FA Cup again | 8.7% |
Become semi-professional by 2032 | 17.4% |
Use players' subs to benefit good causes | 17.4% |
Create a global footballing brand | 21.7% |
Return to the FA Cup by 2038 | 34.8% |
It is heartening to see that the largest response correctly recognised the club's footballing ambition, but the majority of people (65.2%) did not correctly identify the club's goal. If this is the case for existing members, the figure is likely to be much higher for the wider fanbase.
OUTCOMES: We should be clearer about our goal and communicate this to players and the public alike.
Question 4b: Imagine that you have been invited to write a new goal specific to one of the teams (Men's 1sts, Women's 1sts, Men's 2nds, or Men's Sundays). What do you think would be a good objective for that specific team, based on your own experience of the culture and attitude of the team?
Rather than one overarching ambition, we wanted to identify whether there were different goals for each of our 4 teams.
The answers varied but have been grouped below by the respondents predominant team during the 2022-23 season;
Men's 1sts |
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Women's 1sts |
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Men's 2nds |
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Men's Sundays |
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OUTCOME: The club must focus on developing consistency, reliability, commitment, and other soft skills that benefit all teams.
Question 5: To what extent do you feel like you are part of the club? This could be such things as whether you feel trusted as a player, you consider yourself someone others respect, or if you have some other feeling that makes you feel connected to Wanderer.
Players were invited to score this between 1 to 5, with 5 being a deep sense of belonging.
Not at all = 0.00%
A little = 8.7%
Somewhat = 26.1%
A bit = 34.7%
A lot = 30.4%
It's important that all players feel a sense of belonging and 65.1% of players feel part of the club. If the 'Somewhats' were split in half between those who feel like they are a Wanderer and those who do not, that percentage increases to 78.1%.
Outcomes: It seems important to understand what it means to be a Wanderer and that should be the focus of our next Player Engagement Survey.
Question 6: Imagine if you were still a member of Wanderers in 5-years time (2028). What do you think would have happened between now and then that would mean you felt an important, valued, respected, and trusted member of the club?
Part of that sense of belonging might include the ability to imagine a future where they are still part of the club. Some of the best responses are listed below;
The club built a successful, highly-driven team with a great group of skilled, hardworking players that were good people on and off the pitch.
At least a 1/3 of the players who have been within the set up since I took on the coaching duties (and assumed a more senior position within the club) were still present and active within the club.
A committed, driven diverse women's team. Maybe we’d still keep our friendly happy to play vibe, but with some goals to work towards - i.e., being part of a competition/league/tournament etc.
Get involved with running teams, bringing new players in, run training sessions, be a go to person for the club.
I think I would be a reliable member that would be able to guide younger members based of experience.
Have a great group of players that are hungry to do good and to challenge the league to promotion!
Play more tournaments and hopefully take on more responsibility.
Some magical surgery would have come along to extend the life of my joints!
Outcomes: Those respondents who appeared to want to be more involved in the running of the club will be invited to do so.
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