I've been a season ticket holder in the West stand for more years than I can remember. Its doesn't matter too much to me as a bloke about the bogs, but I took my daughter today who has been a season ticket holder in the past but now comes to the matches infrequently. She was appalled at the facilities provided for women and that they had to queue around the block. No other sports venue could get away with it . We are selling players for millions but can't be arsed to spend a few grand on decent toilets.
Season ticket holder in West Stand too. Totally agree the ladies one facility is poor. Also, genuine question - if an adult or small kid wants to sit down for a poo, where do you go? Only ever seen urinals.
I hate to see women queueing outside toilets - it’s unfair. I would advice women to go the men’s toilets. The toilets themselves are separate from the urinal parts of the men’s toilets.
West Stand - near to the gates into the Ponti. The toilets are in front of the men’s urinals - but separate. It’s not ideal for women to use them - but it’s better than busting.
Basically girls/women have to use an outside toilet adjacent to hoards of blokes having a half time cig.
The mens toilets in the Ponty are next to the urinals but are private so could be used by women if needed. If my daughter was desperate there is no way I would let her queue, I'd escort her into the mens and wait outside while she did her business. There are enough women going to Oakwell to warrant adequate facilities. BFC need to sort it out.
100%. It’s actually bordering on pathetic. There’s 2 blocks of WCs - one to the Ponte end side of Urinals for blokes to sit down, one to the other side of the urinals is for woman. The lots of women at football these days, of all ages. The current set-up is not fit for purpose - and wouldn’t be tolerated in any other business and arena.
Ive said it before. I took my 6 year old daughter last season and the facilities, especially toilets, are beyond belief. It’s a relic that needs to be consigned to the history books.
People defend the west stand as they love it. I’ve no idea what they are thinking. It is a ruined relic of a time long past. It wants knocking down - and even the most hard nosed west stand advocate won’t give an argument to convince me otherwise. It is absolutely and completely unsuitable for its purpose. Imagine something like that with those level of facilities opening now?
I'm with you on this, half of it is permanently shut now anyway. My gut tells me nothing will be done to improve the stadium anytime soon though.
Disagree. The stand and food outlet is fine. However the toilet blocks which are separate to the stand could be easily improved. You could easily build something better over the summer break - or even just get a portakabin style one dropped in (probably easier and cheaper). I’m happy with the urinals (they do what they do and add nostalgia) it’s the WC part of it for males (and their young kids) and the whole female WC situation - this is just ignorance and cost cutting by the club and has no excuse. I’ve no idea of the contractual situation of Oakwell in terms of maintenance, investment and regulatory/mandatory, so I hold ALL involved accountable for it until known. BMBC wouldn’t allow it at the Metrodome, Cryne’s would have not allowed it at their former iSoft HQ, and Conway/Chien would not accept at their offices either......
