Oxford United are pleased to announce that Aaron Kightley has been appointed as the Club’s new Supporter Liaison Officer.

Aaron, who takes on the position in a full-time capacity following 14 months as part of the Ticketing team, will become the main point of contact for supporters, and take on a lead role in implementing and enhancing the Fan Engagement Plan..  

He will also be responsible for strengthening the links between the Club and fanbase, as well as creating and delivering the matchday supporter experience both at home and away.

We sat down with Aaron in his first week in the new role to understand more about how he sees this position developing.

EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF A SUPPORTER LIASON OFFICER

The Supporter Liaison Officer is there to enhance fan engagement and the matchday experience, alongside everything else within the Club. I will cover emails, facilities, as well as other parts of the stadium such as our sensory room, something which I am working on currently. I will also work with other departments across the Club as we continue to look to enhance as much of the fan experience as possible.

WHY IS THIS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE?

This is something I have experience of, and I know the importance of fans  having someone that they recognise and know. It’s important people can put a face to a name and a person they can express their feelings more freely to. I personally really enjoy that side of the job and can’t wait to try and improve what we do.

HOW WILL YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE HELP YOU IN THIS ROLE?

I was a matchday Supporter Liaison Officer at West Ham United for almost two years. That was a tremendous experience to work across Europe and in some of the best stadiums in England. When I was there, I took on a leadership role where I ran a team of up to 20 people on a matchday. We would gather supporter feedback and take that to the club, so in essence, I was the voice between club and supporter, which is similar to what I will be doing here.  

I am born and bred Oxford, and at 16 I was a young coach here, so the first thing on my CV was Oxford United. I have also been working in the Ticket Office for the last 14 months where I have had a chance to meet and get to know lots of supporters in that time. This relationship will only enhance as I travel to away games with them and hopefully, we can build on that going forward.

YOU HAVE A REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CLUB THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE. HOW IMPORTANT WILL THAT BE AS YOU START THIS ROLE?

This will help as straight off the bat I have come in and I immediately know some of the changes that I want to make. I have that experience of ticketing and retail, so I hope that will be a great benefit when I am sitting down with the supporter groups to discuss these areas and more inside the Club.

HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO MAKE REAL CHANGES AND MAKE THE EXPERIENCE BETTER?

We did have a Supporter Liaison Officer previously, but the difference with this change is that it will now be my full-time position, and it will be my only focus. Fan engagement and feedback is exactly what my role is, so I will always be available for supporters to speak to me which I hope will be a real positive going forward.

I love football, always have, and one of my favourite things about matchdays is the pre-match experience of being with your mates and your family. The football result is the end point of the day, but that bit before is the best part of a lot of people’s day. It’s my job to make that the best it can be and there is a really good team of people in the Club already who are committed to making that happen. We can get there through constant communication with the supporters and making sure I develop a strong relationship.  

WILL SUPPORTERS BE ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU?

Yes, I will have my own email address which supporters can get in touch with me on. The address for that is SLO@oufc.co.uk. We will rebrand the X account currently in place, and I will be in person at as many home and away games as possible, while being at the stadium most days of the week. My door will always be open, and I look forward to speaking to as many supporters as possible going forward.  

Supporters will have the opportunity to meet with Aaron at tomorrow’s home match against Sheffield Wednesday. He will be stationed next to the booth at the Exhibition Bar pre-match.