email from club - NO MORE TICKETS ON SALE IN KOP - standing & wrong seat usage

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Cappy

Cappy

wishful thinking
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today:

Sheffield United Football Club would like to communicate to supporters the potential repercussions associated with not sitting in the correct seat and persistent standing within the Kop Stand.

For some time there has been issues with supporters not sitting in the seats that correlate with their ticket as well as standing at the rear of the Kop stand, and the club has attempted measures with the safety of supporters at the paramount of any decision-making.

As a football club, Sheffield United work under a safety certificate, issued by Sheffield City Council. Additionally, in accordance with the Football Spectators Act 1989 Act, The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), the UK Government’s advisor on safety at sports grounds, is responsible for issuing and ensuring compliance with licences to admit spectators to sports grounds to watch designated football matches.

Both the council and SGSA have been in contact asking the club to intervene on matters of safety within the Kop before they take further action. Should safety procedures not be followed, blocks of seats – or a full stand – can be closed. It is unfortunate that this approach is fast becoming a reality and the repercussions will effect a significant number of supporters.

The club’s safety team has made numerous attempts to resolve the situation, including marked signage, terms of business and clearly displayed ground regulations, along with increased stewarding and safety procedures. It has now been agreed that no matchday tickets will be sold for the Kop stand for the foreseeable future to enable the club to review operations.

Sheffield United is dedicated to ensuring Bramall Lane is a safe and enjoyable environment for all supporters, and through this communication appeal to supporters to sit in the seats that are clearly marked on their ticket and to desist with standing before further measures are forced upon the club.

We thank supporters in advance for their understanding and co-operation.​

bolding is by me for emphasis
 
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Just received same email

No other council would even threaten to take it this far

This is completely pathetic

As if any serious overcrowding or safety issues have ever arisen from this. The scared pathetic bastards want to pretend another Hillsborough is possible. Anything to make them feel relevant

Give it a few years and everyone on the kop will sit down
 
So have I read this right Sheffield Council effectively stopping around 2.5 to 3k tickets being sold by SUFC denying us a fair bit of gate receipts?

Wonder if they are doing the same at Hillsborough which will almost certainly have similar issues?

The club need to grow a pair and tell them to stop interfering. No other Police forces / councils seem to routinely interfere like Sheffield/South Yorks with another football club or business. SUFC need to tell them to get on with more important issues.

So we are now being forced to have a few thousand empty seats every game?

Surprised the club don't take legal action as genuinely not sure what jurisdiction the council have. The health and safety thing seems bollocking. Other clubs have a line of stewards between away fans. We have ridiculous restrictions imposed and just accept it. We own the ground not the council not the police.
 
Deadbat said:
Surprised the club don't take legal action as genuinely not sure what jurisdiction the council have. The health and safety thing seems bollocking. Other clubs have a line of stewards between away fans. We have ridiculous restrictions imposed and just accept it. We own the ground not the council not the police.
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But without the licence granted by the Council, we can't hold football matches.
 
Deadbat said:
So have I read this right Sheffield Council effectively stopping around 2.5 to 3k tickets being sold by SUFC denying us a fair bit of gate receipts?

Wonder if they are doing the same at Hillsborough which will almost certainly have similar issues?

The club need to grow a pair and tell them to stop interfering. No other Police forces / councils seem to routinely interfere like Sheffield/South Yorks with another football club or business. SUFC need to tell them to get on with more important issues.

So we are now being forced to have a few thousand empty seats every game?

Surprised the club don't take legal action as genuinely not sure what jurisdiction the council have. The health and safety thing seems bollocking. Other clubs have a line of stewards between away fans. We have ridiculous restrictions imposed and just accept it. We own the ground not the council not the police.
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How much are seats on blut? Maybe this is an option for people?
 
Linz said:
But without the licence granted by the Council, we can't hold football matches.
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It literally says that in the statement

As a football club, Sheffield United work under a safety certificate, issued by Sheffield City Council. Additionally, in accordance with the Football Spectators Act 1989 Act, The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), the UK Government’s advisor on safety at sports grounds, is responsible for issuing and ensuring compliance with licences to admit spectators to sports grounds to watch designated football matches.
 
Inter_blade83 said:
Easy, revert the back of the kop to terracing, allow it to be unreserved and jobs a good un.
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The control freaks who advise the club want everyone accountable to a specific seat I'm afraid,and don't want you standing or sitting with your mates, so they can identify the kidney punchers etc,or if someone shouts to loud...no wonder the atmosphere is suffering.
 
If they're now not selling matchday tickets for the kop that's already a massive step, and it's gone too far

Are the club really so powerless..... really?

How the hell can this sort of imposition be acceptable - even if there was a shred of justification

The cowardly individuals on the council need to come out and explain themselves on this
 
BushBlade said:
It literally says that in the statement

As a football club, Sheffield United work under a safety certificate, issued by Sheffield City Council. Additionally, in accordance with the Football Spectators Act 1989 Act, The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), the UK Government’s advisor on safety at sports grounds, is responsible for issuing and ensuring compliance with licences to admit spectators to sports grounds to watch designated football matches.
Click to expand...

My point exactly.

It's not a case of "it's our ground and we'll do what we want in it."
 
I assume the club have asked the Council for evidence that there is a problem and that this problem is worse than at any other ground which is regulated in the same way. I did wonder whether the same message had gone to Hillsborough, given the Council's past bias in their favour, but then I realised that Bramall Lane is close to capacity most weeks, whereas Hillsborough has at least 15,000 empty seats.
 

There are two young brothers who sit in front of me on row A of the Kop. They're probably about 3 and 6 years old. On multiple occasions this year they have swapped seats. If they do it again against Burnley and risk us all getting banned, I'm gonna knock the youngest one clean out (eldest is pretty tall for 6)!!!
 
Berkshire Blade said:
I'm surprised this wasn't raised with the fans before getting to this stage tbh.

Perhaps this will get the club motivated for safe standing...
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It does seem odd that it’s straight to this, without any warning.

Have they had a similar ban imposed at Hillsborough? They also have these alleged issues on their Kop and on the North Stand near to the away end.
 
Berkshire Blade said:
I'm surprised this wasn't raised with the fans before getting to this stage tbh.

Perhaps this will get the club motivated for safe standing...
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I think it was... via the "aggressive" stewarding earlier on in the season.

Lots of people spectacularly missing the point on Twitter - that if United are seen to be failing to control the crowds then safe standing areas become less, not more, of a possibility.
 
I sit on the south stand & I genuinely never knew this was an issue? I dont understand how or why its a council issue either? Surely a football league issue but not council?
 
Thought this might be "fake news" as I've not received such an email...however, just tried to buy a Kop ticket for Burnley and it says LOCKED".:mad:
 
This could have been solved years ago with safe standing but as usual this country is too slow to react to anything.

The government, fa, sgsa, council and clubs are so fear driven by Hillsborough that we haven’t pushed for something safe like we should have. It should have happened years ago.

If it gets to the point where the stand is closed, it’ll be interesting to see how many people try to recoup season ticket money for games missed. It’s a messy situation as it is, but it could get much messier.

Find it interesting that only seem to be us that’s been told to do this…
 
Linz said:
I think it was... via the "aggressive" stewarding earlier on in the season.
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Should be done in writing publicly to a wider set of people and not just as they are entering the stadium if that was intention
 
Don't really know what to make of this. Me and my mates have season tickets on the Kop and we've always stood at the back of gangway E, but mine is the only ticket where my seat is actually situated where we stand. Me dad also joins us back there whenever he gets a ticket.

That makes it sounds like we're part of the problem and there's probably an argument to be made there. However, we've done this in the same spot for over ten years now and overcrowding has never really been an issue, with the possible exception of the big and important games where it's to be expected.

This season, our area has been horrendously overcrowded due to a large influx of younger supporters who seem to have come from nowhere. This lot don't seem to care if there's quite clearly no room for them to stand - they simply barge in and plonk themselves absolutely anywhere they can, even if it means penning people in behind them or completely obstructing the views of others. Furthermore, these young 'uns feel compelled to throw themselves about and swing their arms if we score a goal, meaning people falling over seats and knocking others over. I've no problem with going mad over a goal, but when you're potentially endangering others with your celebrations (including the very old fellow just in front and to the left of us who has been knocked down and lost his glasses already this season) then it becomes an issue.

I'm guessing things like this are why they've taken the action they have. As I say, I can't really complain too much because I attend the match with a gang of people who don't sit in their allocated seats. But it's a great shame to punish those who've never caused the issues and I don't think folk will be happy with this at all.

Hecky has said how much of a difference the fans can make when we make the noise. That ain't made by people sat down and being well behaved. There's a balance to be struck which I'd argue has been fine until this season when, at least where we are, people are squeezing into areas where there's quite clearly no room. I believe we may be moving stands for next season for the reasons outlined above.
 
Linz said:
My point exactly.

It's not a case of "it's our ground and we'll do what we want in it."
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Yeah, I think that’s me done now. I’ve already had a moan on another thread about how difficult it’s become to get tickets for gigs and football, fucking around with apps and websites that don’t work properly. The “hooliganism” that’s started to re-appear over the last few years is a bit depressing, I don’t want to have to argue with a bunch of 6’5” teenagers because they’re sat in my seat or chucking shit around and I’m finding I don’t really want to go anymore. So, unless things change, I can’t see myself going to the Lane again for the foreseeable future and perhaps not even away games in London. I’d rather put the money into my pension and retire a bit earlier than arse about on a computer trying to get tickets, end up stood next to some bunch of arseholes and get filmed by the plod for just being there whilst there’s a full on fight going off down the road, queue for overpriced “food” and miss half the second half….
 
The worrying part of this is that I don't see it being resolved.

There are too many fans that instead of complying are going to carry on doing it. Therefore they could end up closing the stand.

I'm not an advocate of keeping seated during matches, for me if you are at your seat standing to sign/cheer is fine.
I also think safe standing is a a good idea.

However standing on the steps/gangways or out of your seat and sitting in the wrong seats (Especially given our crowds are currently pretty near capacity) Is something that shouldn't be hard to do. If fans continue to do it it will get worse not better.
 
Cappy said:
There are two young brothers who sit in front of me on row A of the Kop. They're probably about 3 and 6 years old. On multiple occasions this year they have swapped seats. If they do it again against Burnley and risk us all getting banned, I'm gonna knock the youngest one clean out (eldest is pretty tall for 6)!!!
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Your hard
 
TJB. said:
Don't really know what to make of this. Me and my mates have season tickets on the Kop and we've always stood at the back of gangway E, but mine is the only ticket where my seat is actually situated where we stand. Me dad also joins us back there whenever he gets a ticket.

That makes it sounds like we're part of the problem and there's probably an argument to be made there. However, we've done this in the same spot for over ten years now and overcrowding has never really been an issue, with the possible exception of the big and important game where it's to be expected.

This season, our area has been horrendously overcrowded due to a large influx of younger supporters who seem to have come from nowhere. This lot don't seem to care if there's quite clearly no room for them to stand - they simply barge in and plonk themselves absolutely anywhere they can, even if it means penning people in behind them or completely obstructing the views of others. Furthermore, these young 'uns feel compelled to throw themselves about and swing their arms if we score a goal, meaning people falling over seats and knocking others over. I've no problem with going mad over a goal, but when you're potentially endangering others with your celebrations (including the very old fellow just in front and to the left of us who has been knocked down and lost his glasses already this season) then it becomes an issue.

I'm guessing things like this are why they've taken the action they have. As I say, I can't really complain too much because I attend the match with a gang of people who don't sit in their seats. But it's a great shame to punish those who've never caused the issues and I don't think folk will be happy with this at all.

Hecky has said how much of a difference the fans can make when we make the noise. That ain't made by people sat down and being well behaved. There's a balance to be struck which I'd argue has been fine until this season when, at least where we are, people are squeezing into areas where there's quite clearly no room. I believe we may be moving stands for next season for the reasons outlined above.
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Whilst these lads have been stood there, have the stewards taken any action to move them to their seats/question where they should be?
 

Call me a bedwetter but Why would you buy a ticket and go and sit in somebody elses seat ?


Why cant we just get a singing/standing section problem solved
 
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