Local creative agency commended for transforming Notts County stand

Nottingham creative agency, The Dairy, has been highly commended for its transformation of Notts County FC’s Haydn Green Family stand which was unveiled to fans for the first time at the Accrington Stanley game last weekend.

Notts County were looking to work with a design agency to help transform the stand to make it an exciting place for families on match days. The club’s marketing team, lead by marketing and fan engagement executive, Sarah Gooding, had the idea of dividing the concourse area beneath the stand into four coloured zones to make it easier for fans to navigate.

West Bridgford-based The Dairy – lead by account executive and lifelong Notts supporter, Tom Walters – impressed Sarah and the team, by proposing to fill each zone with hand-crafted ‘Roy of the Rovers-style’ illustrations which would depict key people and moments from the club’s rich history.

“One wall of the concourse is now dedicated to an A-Z of the club, while the opposite wall depicts eight key ‘snapshot’ images telling key moments or explaining important stories relating to the club,” explained Tom. “In addition, we’ve also created a ‘Welcome to Meadow Lane’ design, an interactive height measuring wall for kids, and a ‘Welcome to the Family Stand’ sign.”

Tom spent hours searching through the club’s archives for imagery that would best suit the pieces chosen to create, and also researched and drafted all the fascinating facts and stories which were being avidly consumed and enjoyed by delighted fans last Friday night. These include features on legendary BBC Radio Nottingham commentator, Colin Slater MBE, who has worked with the club since 1959, and also the story behind the fans’ infamous ‘wheelbarrow’ chant.

After piecing the details together, it was over to The Dairy’s talented designer, Lincoln University graduate, Mitch Proctor, to bring the designs to life. Mitch took the images and illustrated them in a retro ‘Roy of the Rovers’ style – spending over 75 hours outlining and filling in the vibrant colours of the comic strips that now adorn the once-bare walls.

Printed and applied using heat pressed vinyl so that each piece of artwork moulded to the breeze blocks in the concourse, with exterior artwork being printed onto foamex to stand up to the elements, Sarah Gooding and the team at Notts County are singing the praises of The Dairy.

“Tom and Mitch from The Dairy have done a fantastic job of helping us to totally transform the whole area – everyone at the club is absolutely thrilled with the result!” said Sarah Gooding.

“It was brilliant to see the illustrations and stories being so well-received by the fans on Friday night, with many taking pictures or ‘selfies’, and we’ve received hugely positive comments about the transformation through our social media channels. Our Family Stand is now a warm, welcoming, visually-engaging area within the ground and we’re sure it will continue to be well-received by fans for a long time to come.”