Colorado Rapids Director of Communications Ryan Madden took to the internet to answer questions from Rapids supporters this week.
“We know that there are frustrations out there at the moment,” Madden stated in his open letter posted to the /r/Rapids subreddit, “you can believe me when I say that no one feels them more than we do.”
Madden expressed a desire to answer “questions about the club’s commitment to transparency” and have a conversation about supporters’ concerns regarding communication.
The most popular question posed by fans requested that the Rapids “post the starting lineup by position,” as opposed to using the alphabetical order layout for announcing the game day lineup.
“It’s fair to say that we probably underestimated how important the formation graphics are to people,” Madden replied, adding that “10 minutes before the opening whistle, [Colorado will] also put out a proper graphic, courtesy of Altitude, that shows the formation as well so that you’re able to see exactly how the team is lining up.”
Madden also took the time to clarify the details surrounding Joe Mason’s return to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“Joe cleared waivers around 8pm ET on Wednesday night,” Madden explained, “given the time, and fact that the information is not meant to be made public, we decided to put out the announcement Thursday morning.”
Other fans requested that the club divulge a more exhaustive explanation regarding Stefan Aigner’s departure from the club. “For a player that was hyped to be such a great addition,” one user wrote, “to not get much of an explanation later only lets us assume the worst.”
“We were trying the absolute best we could to be open, while also being fair to everyone involved,” Madden elucidated. Aigner was “given the chance to speak about [the situation] but chose not to discuss it – and we respected that decision. ”
“I know this answer will not fully satisfy everyone,” Madden continued, “but from a communications standpoint, I believe we did everything we could to make sure everyone involved was being represented fairly.”
The Director of Communications concluded one of his comments by teasing a bit of news that might interest the burgundy faithful. “We’ve been looking at doing a YouTube Q&A, or town hall style Q&A with supporters and media following each transfer window,” Madden announced, “so that you have regular opportunities to ask the questions that are important to you.”
You can read and participate in the entire open questionnaire by visiting Madden’s open letter here.
Image Credit: @Ry_Madden
