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Mark Rowan

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Mark is the head of Media & Communications at Everton and is currently heading up, along with Denise Barrett-Baxendale, a range of Fan Engagement initiatives at the Club.

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The end of the season not only provides a well-earned break for the players, but also affords the Club a chance to regroup and start planning in earnest ahead of the new campaign.

Yes, on the face of it things appear to quieten down a bit, but behind the scenes there is so much being done in preparation for the 2011/12 season.

From arranging the pre-season schedule, organising the new kit launch, introducing a new, more interactive website and giving Goodison a bit of love – a lot of hard work is going into ensuring the Club is in the best possible health ahead of August 13 and our first home game against QPR the following week.

Following on from my last post, I thought I would respond to the comments made by supporters.

The first regarded the Park End redevelopment and, as we have previously said, discussions are ongoing and we will update everyone through the usual channels as soon as there is anything definite to report.

Another point concerned access to the players’ training sessions on the pre-season tour to America, and we hope to have some good news on this subject very soon.

One of the reasons we go abroad is to take the Club into new territories and, by visiting Washington and Philadelphia for the first time under David Moyes, we will be reaching out to a new audience.

The Premier League is a global product and we have to ensure Everton is at the very heart of that.

Attracting new supporters is seminal to the future success of the Club, while going away also helps us renew some old acquaintances and build relationships around the world.

However, that said, it is absolutely fundamental we look after the Evertonians and that remains at the forefront of our minds.

We appreciate there is a huge desire to see the team train in pre-season and we are currently working with both the Philadelphia Union and DC United to make this happen.

We are extremely hopeful the team will train at both stadiums the day before each game in front of the Everton fans – details will be posted on evertonfc.com as soon as we can confirm this.

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that massive importance will once again be placed on the fan engagement activities in the coming season.

We have a fans’ forum scheduled for mid-July and I urge supporters to use the comments’ section below to put forward any questions they want asked.

I cannot stress how important it is that we receive input from the wider Everton fanbase – not just from those who will be sat around the table.

It may well be that the answers are not what you wish to hear, but they will be honest. You won’t get sugar-coated or unrealistic responses and we’ll endeavour to address every point raised.