Away end capacity

Other clubs don't mind selling restricted view seats. We should sell them after the full stand is sold and just warn fans these seats are restricted view.

 

Restricted views?

Try Loftus road,Hillsborough,Bramhall Lane,St James's Park,Goodison Park,The Old Wembley stadium etc etc

 

My guess is that it's pretty standard advice to play it on the safe side given our security (in)capabilities. I'm fairly certain we could up security numbers and training and be allowed to sell more tickets no bother but it would cost a fair amount more. We're not fans of speculating to accumulate so we think the outlay would not be worth it for the few matches we would sell more tickets.

 

We had 22,500 against Man City in 1999-2000. So it was ok then but it's not ok now? Hmmm.....

 

Maybe its to di with boros reputation and our previous with them

 

Wasnt Chelsea at home in FA cup in 2008 nearly a sell out?

All West stand sold to home fans.

 

I've spoken to the club's safety officer (absolutely top man by the way) and basically the council's safety advisory group have a large influence on us getting or not getting a safety certificate so while the club can and do argue back with them regarding restrictions they at the end of the day have to go along with what they say or there's no certificate.

The reason for such a large segregation is that SYP are quite nervy these days on account of the whole Hillsborough thing and the council even more so as they don't want to be making mistakes so they are cautious and over egg the segregation a bit.
Closing the end bit of the east stand doesn't cost us any seats because fans are simply moved and if needed over parts of the ground could be opened. Not sure what would happen at an absolute sell out though.

The reason less segregation happens at the big clubs is that their police and councils are more experienced and used to dealing with big crowds. At Barnsley as a town there aren't many events so the council are again more cautious.

The closing of the aisle seats is because the council have noted that in the past we have had issues with people standing in gangways blocking exits and have made it a condition that they aren't sold.

Restricted views aren't sold because basically for the amount of extra seats involved and extra money it's not worth the hassle of people complaining about their view, being in a bad mood and potentially aggressive etc

A few things I was told that I didn't realise. The police ordered the closing down of the concourse against Sunderland because their fans were rioting under the stand. Stewards were pulled out and the refreshment stand girls were taken out of the stand for safety. This kind of behaviour is one of those which costs the club money and so pushing and fighting for a few extra fans in the ground isn't worth it when the costs are taken into account.

Against villa we were reported to the fa by the referee for three things. Paper planes, villas invasion and the John Terry superfan at the end.

Also each club has information about their own fans which is passed on to host clubs so Middlesbrough have passed information on to us about their fans (Chris patzelt is their guy by the way).

As for why we have been allowed to do things before that could be due to different people making up the safety group and so wanting more restrictions, the Hillsborough enquiry taking place and more information being known now than then and simply because of past experience from these (and other) games being factors.

All in all I found the reasons to be extremely justified especially from the club's point of view. The club's safety officer is experienced and has worked at Sheffield united prior to this season so it isn't a case of us being naieve and bending over backwards, it's more a case of a different council, different safety advisory group and so different decision makers outside the club's control. Either way I am confident that the club isn't simply turning money away for the sake of it.

I'd say again that the club's safety officer (Steve Bailey) is a top top man and appreciate his openness and his willingness to give up his time to explain things to a random fan. A credit to the club

 

Hillsborough????

It's 2017.

We no longer pen.and fence fans in.

 

No we don't but Hillsborough wasn't just about the pens and fences. Don't forget that completely random people have been implicated. wednesdays safety officer, council members etc it isn't just the police or the pens that got blamed so I can understand the council individuals wanting to make absolutely sure that nothing happens on Thier watch

 

Barnsley councils Safety Advisory Group. What qualifications do these people have, or are they simply council jobsworths earning more money for belonging to such a group.

 

In the last few years we've had the results of the Hillsborough Inquiry and some people will be facing charges in court. Personally I feel it's quite understandable that in the circumstances the authorities are erring on the side of caution.

 

Play it completely safe and all games take place behind closed doors.

Don't worry I have done a risk assessment on it and this is the most effective method of policing games and looking after the safety of supporters.

 

Once again it speaks volumes of our inept council and syp having no confidence in their own ability. If you were as ineffective in any other job as syp within oakwell, you wouldn't be in work long.

 

It seems that's the way it's going. Are sales of aisle seats restricted in the top corner of the Ponte End where the numpties stand to cause bother?

 

The frustrating thing for me is that the club is arguably being penalised, if only in part, by the incompetence/nervousness/weaknesses/inflexibility etc of others, and I don't think we can dismiss the influence of spectator behaviour either even though it's isolated. The measures seem a tad irrational even if "advised" in good faith. Other clubs' safety advice appears to place more trust in their local stewarding, policing etc than what their equivalents in Barnsley do.

 

It must be okay if our numptys are causing bother and stood in isles just not away fans.

 

It's interesting to hear explanations from the club about why the numbers in the away end are being reduced and to hear of the appalling behaviour that takes place inside is worrying.
I have a pretty good view of the away fans from the Family stand and could make a number of suggestions.
1) when spectators invade the section in front of their seats, they should be sent back instead of being allowed to stay there for the rest of the game.
2) an alternative to netting across the front rows of seats should be found - something like the 'army assault course' ropes they used to have at Wembley might work.
3) the cost of policing is too much for what they do. If we're paying them to be there, then they should do some policing when fans don't follow stewards requests.
4) could we install a wall of netting between the away end and the East stand and position stewards in the corner, to allow all the lower tier seats to be sold.
I do wonder what plans there are in place for the odd occasion when we do need to sell every seat. I fear the existing arrangements won't be enough.
Having said all that, I'm looking forward to our new owners building the new Allianz Yorkshire stadium on the spare land to the side of the ground

 

When it has Barnsley council sticking it's useless nose in?
probably something to do with it's shared ownership, liability ***** etc...