Does anyone know if there’s any food at the fan zone tomorrow? Is there usually a burger van or something?
I didn’t want to mention anything negative after such a great match but is our ‘new fan zone’ really just a few metal barriers and a stage? It’s somehow managed to be even worse than our ‘old fan zone’. I got there 40 minutes early to check it out and stood there in disbelief. It’s just some barriers in a car park. There were some people milling around inside the barriers and only 6 people were holding a drink, the rest were just stood there, no different to the people just stood at the other side of the fence. Is that really what’s supposed to entice people away from town?
It was pretty decent when the Trust had their beer wagon there - a decent pint at a reasonable price. We had a few cracking afternoons sat in the sun with a couple of pints. Okay, it was a car park with metal barriers, but there was a nice atmosphere in there. When the Trust stopped, so did the fan zone. Overpriced Madri or nowt, some pricey food and all the atmosphere of a Wednesday home game. Never been back since and no plans to. £4 or so for a decent pint in town, bit of snap from home on the train in, wander to my seat at about 10 to 3. Other than putting some money into the club, the current fan zone offering hasn't got any redeeming features.
It’s mystifying how it’s proved so hard to do something. I don’t even think about it anymore. If they eventually get round to creating something that’s worth my time and money I’ll use it. In the meantime there’s plenty of other options.
Honestly for a club of our size we get put to shame by many smaller clubs that offer far better fanzones than we have or plan to have.
People won't bother with the new one when they start charging upwards of £6 per pint but alternatively you can have a couple of pints and some food in the town centre for a much more reasonable price.
Like JD I was shocked when all I saw were barriers in roughly a square shape, a stage set up quite well to be fair, but just pumping out boom boom boom music. Where were the food and drink vans? Where was the artist impression setup? It just showed a lack of god knows what. Care? Interest? If they can't get this right in summer weather then there's no hope for later.
Yeah my Dad liked Redfearns Bar. It was somewhere warm and indoors for him to have a warm drink after we'd parked up.
It is a bit mental how quite a local junior football clubs manage something half decent yet for years we have had nothing. It does not take much - a roof, some walls, some heating and a bar. Fill it with Oakwell memorabilia which would no doubt get donated and the job is done.
I would add doing something outside is a waste of time due to it being absolutely f’ing freezing 90% of the year.
Remember this from 24th June 2025 ? Well it didn't look anything like this last Sarurday. Permanent fan park plan for Barnsley FC's Oakwell ground - BBC News
