How do you know a club is serious about engaging its fans? How about the CEO attending a supporter’s meeting on a Saturday night?

Lyall Gorman did this very thing this past Saturday and I’ve got to say, I was impressed. Not just that he took time out of his obviously busy schedule of creating a club from scratch with so little time to do so, but to actually meet what will be the core of the main supporter’s group and answer their questions honestly.

There were things that could not be revealed due to commercial reasons and also so the club itself can manage its own press releases and media space to maximise the impact.  It also stops people like me from spoiling the party by breaking the news on social media.

From what could be revealed, the club is making great strides forward and it seems that there will be some big news coming up in the next few weeks. It all sounded positive and it made most that attended feel more at ease with the direction of the club because we are still a relatively unknown product.

What was very pleasing to hear that night was that it appears, on the surface, that the club is actually listening to the fans and their opinions. This was already evident with the name, colours and even personnel that have been revealed already. Most, if not all, is aligned to what the fans pushed for. The club appears to be taking the fans’ opinions on board for other important decisions that still need to be made.

The supporters group also raised other pressing concerns regarding some important aspects of the club, such as home ground, ticketing, memberships, public transport, school engagement, player recruitment, pre-season fixtures, a youth academy and even a club house. Some of these are things that need to be done before the A-League season kicks off, others are things that are being explored by the club as long term goals.

It was encouraging to see. The club wasn’t purely thinking of October 6 but the long term future of the club and how it will leave a legacy in the western Sydney area.

This whole exercise and the outcomes from the two-way dialogue shows the difference in approach to this new expansion team compared to those that failed. The club has always asked for the fan’s opinion.

It all started with the fan forums, continued through social media and online polls. It has since continued to open training sessions that have seen healthy numbers of fans and children attend.

If those like Clive Palmer actually met with his fans and listened to their concerns rather than constantly stamping his authority and making bold decisions that upset and angered many of Gold Coast United’s fans, then perhaps they’d still be around.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Wanderers’ approach to starting up a club being the model that will be used with future expansion clubs.

Everyone left the meeting feeling very positive about the entire process. Lyall Gorman acknowledged that the fans are the heart and soul of a club and he knows that without us fans, then the club is nothing.

Instead of merely selling a product, the Wanderers are trying to create a club that engages with the local community, acknowledge those that came before and the role they’ve played in the sport in the past, and to ensure the fans and potential future stars have a team to support or aspire to play for.

We all now hope that these face to face meetings with the club officials become a regular and common occurrence so we can continue to build the club together and truly feel like it is our club; for us and for future generations.