The Matchday experience

Anybody else feel the same as me in the sense that it’s just becoming an ordeal attending games at Oakwell these days? From the results on the pitch, to the complete and utter cesspit of a ground thanks to a set of owners who are clearly unwilling to part with their cash amongst the other legal issues surrounding the ground to actually invest in the upkeep of Oakwell. We are falling to pieces as a club, it’s dying before our eyes, even last seasons overachievement can’t mask how toxic it is with on the field business with these owners showing lack of ambition!

The walk to and from the ground is a piss take these days thanks to the beevor court shambles, the concourses are a cesspit, the TV’s were switched off yet again so we couldn’t watch the Manchester derby with a drink I spent 10 minutes queuing for because there’s never enough staff on behind the counters. The scoreboard was switched off to begin with until someone must have realised half way through the first half. No halftime entertainment at all, and of course traffic management from the ground is a shambles!

Lots of work needs to be done to improve the matchday experience. Results always matter of course, but if we’re **** at least we can go home without feeling we’ve wasted our time.

Personally, from all the events surrounding the ground, I’ve got a feeling we’ll end up groundsharing with another local club, by which time I’ll not have renewed & will be spending my time doing something else.

 

I’m definitely on the cusp of not going from next season. We see to be heading to a managed decline.

Little things I know but ordered a pre match bottle. The young lass behind the counter took more than a minute to take the bottle top off. A small annoyance but each small annoyance adds up.

 

I know this isn't on the club but I'm fairly sick of the ridiculous walk from the town centre to Oakwell.

 

We tried to buy two coffees before the game. The boiler, which was clearly on its last legs, finally gave up, and we were told to go to another outlet if we wanted a hot drink. We didn’t bother of course. The place appears to be falling apart.

 

Don't really use much in the way of stadium facilities - just my seat and, increasingly, the bogs - but I absolutely get what you're saying. There's just a feeling of decline & dereliction about the place. It's unforgivable what they're doing to Oakwell

 

Ground or towns never moved

 

Oakwell is a place you should only arrive to five minutes before kick off. Any sooner and it's far too early to hang around the horrible surroundings with nothing happening.

 

Me too. The top of Old Mill Lane is starting to feel like the north face of the Eiger. Bad enough if we've won, but soul destroying after a defeat.

 

Those who joined the booze queue later than 2 mins before the half time whistle had the option of either Guinness or nowt.

And the Guinness was awful.

As if the match wasn't bad enough.

 

However the routes available to make the pilgrimage have diminished.

 

You've got to be careful you don't get hurt in Oakwell too because it's not the safest place to be.

 

To be fair, I’ve seen a big increase in physical security at Oakwell this season, which Khalid mentioned. A hell of a lot more CCTV in and around the ground (not cheap stuff either) and I’ve also noted a few other additions like improved lighting etc. Not obvious things, but certainly some cash thrown at it.

At the end of the day, if the stadium is safer and more secure for us all with the CCTV and emergency entrance road, then we shouldn’t complain. They have been implemented after findings into the Man Arena bombings, and the club are right to do.

 

The emergency entrance road doesn't make it any safer at all. How do they get to it when Pontefract road is blocked? How does an ambulance at that side of the ground really help us when the only entry into the stadium is at the complete opposite side of the stadium?

 

But the club doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's perfectly possible for the club to engage with the local council to try and seek improvements or temporary fixes for matchdays. We have to assume that the council care, because why otherwise would they have partially bought the stadium and land for the benefit of the local community? Sadly though, the West Stand debacle suggests that relations with BMBC have not been carefully tended.

 

Done the stuff they're legally obliged to do, yes, but very little to improve or even maintain what little matchday experience there was before.

 

Here comes the club’s official BBS mouthpiece.

 

Not for me personally

 

So what was your initial point? I'm alright Jack?

 

I still think even if/when a bridge is built it may be shut on matchdays and the fans sent on the long pointless walk.
We see arguments every week with the door men at the train station as fans try to get through.
Despite its proximity to the town centre Oakwell is becoming increasingly difficult to access with that as the starting point.
I don't know if anything better could be done or not but it's another thing putting me off renewing next season.

 

The scoreboard situation is a farce. And how difficult is it to let kids take some pens against Toby at half time like they used to? I'm a bit gob smacked that our CEO hadn't answered a letter from a fan who's lost their West stand seat either.

That interview with Tykes TV where Conway was going on about improving the matchday experience has been shown to be a load of flannel. There are obviously people at the club who care deeply about BFC but my gut feeling is those at the top don't and never have.