I will be taking my nephew on (age 11) after the dross he as watched most of the season least i can do is walk him on the field
Didnt Ben Mandford even say he doesnt mind fans going on the pitch as long as they go off when told ?
Why anybody over 15 wants to go on the pitch I have no idea, but to a kid it is magical! I was 11 when we played Bradford in 97 and when Dad asked me if I wanted to go on the pitch I couldn't believe it. I may as well have been walking out at Wembley. The excitement of being on the Oakwell pitch almost surpassed the fact that we had just got promoted! The effect this has on a young BFC supporter should not be underestimated and should be embraced.
It's inconsiderate. Kids should be taught that it's inconsiderate. There's plenty of opportunities throughout the season for "selfies" and autographs from the players without encroaching on the playing field. People want to give the players a farewell for the summer and probably likewise for the players and an inconsiderate group of people deprive them of that chance for what? To wander around on a patch of grass for ten minutes? Pathetic.
My whole time watching us there has only been two occasions worth going on the pitch...... 1) After beating Bradford to make the premiership for our only ever season. 2) Qualifying for the last ever Old Wembley play off final against Birmingham. Having the public announce system telling people to stay off the pitch just makes them want to go on even more. A case of wanting to do what you're told not to. If the club genuinely wanted to keep people off the pitch they could. For example the big metal fences used on building sites to keep people out over night could be put up with a few minutes to go in a minute or two. Personally whilst they won't admit it I think our club like people going on the pitch.
So a child getting excited about walking onto the pitch he/her has seen their heroes running around on all season is pathetic? That might just be the thing that makes him/her a BFC fan for life.
No its not pathetic for kids to want to go on, they're kids after all. But should kids always get what they want? Should parents encourage them to do something that is in fact prohibited? The parents being unable to tell their kid no is the pathetic part. IMO of course.
If the parents are not getting their kids off the pitch or letting them do things on the pitch that they shouldn't be doing then yes that is irresponsible. As somebody mentioned earlier in the thread, maybe the club could actually embrace kids coming onto the pitch in a controlled manner. Get some autographs, take some photos and get off the pitch.
A lot of the parents are on the pitch with their kids, ignoring the very clear messages to get off the pitch. Agree there could be something done by the club in a managed way, but the current situation is unacceptable. Its a fact that going on the pitch is prohibited, that can't be argued.
Ok it may be prohibited to go on the pitch at the moment, but it is not exactly strongly enforced. Plus Mansford has said he doesn't actually mind people coming on the pitch as long as they get off it again to give the players a chance to come out and show their appreciation to the fans. I just think if no compromise can be found/enforced and we are left with either nobody on the pitch at all or the current situation then it would be a real shame to stop the kids enjoying this once a season. Although applauding the players from the stand as an adult would be a nice way to see off the season, I would give that up for a 10 year old to experience the magic of being on the hallowed turf. It wont be long before Barnsley and football in general suck all the magic out of it and we shouldn't make it any worse for them.
That 'magic' as you describe it has only been going on for the last x amount of years, how did kids get hooked on bfc before this unbelievable opportunity to walk on grass appeared? I never wanted to go on the pitch as a kid, I didn't need it to make me interested in the club, what's happened in society to make kids need it? Or is it really just a case of them being allowed to do something by their parents that they really shouldn't that is the big appeal? The 'risk' factor? Being able to boast to mates that they were on the pitch?
I'll be there til the end and give 'em a clap as usual, then I'm off to the beer festival in Elsecar. Hopefully I'll be sipping my first pint in the sunshine when the players I've watched all season come back on for a few minutes. Now, if I was 11 I'd probably be running on the pitch - no beer festival for me!
Until this thread was posted I'd not given it any thought. I've now spent about 5 mins in total thinking about it. You must have a very busy life if that's far too much, or a brain capable of only 1 thing at a time. Attendances, now there's a thing I'd not spend any time on.
Not saying it is the only way to get a kid hooked, I'm just saying it is a small sacrifice for me to put up with them on the pitch for the memories it creates. I don't know about other kids, but I didn't get a thrill out of doing something I wasn't supposed to I got a thrill out of being on the pitch at Oakwell. As an adult that might seem daft and pointless, but kids probably think going to work is daft and pointless...