Stewards in the John Street Stand

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

I sit behind one of the exits on Lane end soide of the halfway line - where you often get two stewards who between them stand each side of the stairway so any fan going up or, especially, down the stairs has to use the middle rather than have access to the handrails.

Not a problem for most of us but tonight, an elderly gentleman with a stick, struggled to get on to the stairway and fell. His son followed after him but he went with a right wallop and didn't get up as he was obviously stunned and in pain.

After what seemed an eternity, probably 5 minutes, one of the stewards decided he should go and get help.

He ran down the steps to the side of the pitch and then all the way down to somewhere on the Kop.

Then he ran back about another 5 minutes.

Then about another 5 minutes later, two chaps with a carry chair jogged from the Kop area into the JSS and finally he got some attention of some sort.

Question 1 - why do our stewards think they are just there for a free match ticket without taking their responsibilities (seemingly) seriously - don't get me started on No Smoking in the stands and the fact that the stewards never seem to notice a mushroom cloud in the bogs!

Question 2 - Why do they lounge around on the handrails forcing fans to use the middle of the stairway?

Question 3 - Why do they not have walkie-talkies?

Question 4 - Why is the nearest medical aid about 100 yards away and why isn't there at least one medical person on duty in each stand?

Rant over - hope the old guy is OK

 

[lawlessdan]

I sit behind one of the exits on Lane end soide of the halfway line - where you often get two stewards who between them stand each side of the stairway so any fan going up or, especially, down the stairs has to use the middle rather than have access to the handrails.

Not a problem for most of us but tonight, an elderly gentleman with a stick, struggled to get on to the stairway and fell. His son followed after him but he went with a right wallop and didn't get up as he was obviously stunned and in pain.

After what seemed an eternity, probably 5 minutes, one of the stewards decided he should go and get help.

He ran down the steps to the side of the pitch and then all the way down to somewhere on the Kop.

Then he ran back about another 5 minutes.

Then about another 5 minutes later, two chaps with a carry chair jogged from the Kop area into the JSS and finally he got some attention of some sort.

Question 1 - why do our stewards think they are just there for a free match ticket without taking their responsibilities (seemingly) seriously - don't get me started on No Smoking in the stands and the fact that the stewards never seem to notice a mushroom cloud in the bogs!

Question 2 - Why do they lounge around on the handrails forcing fans to use the middle of the stairway?

Question 3 - Why do they not have walkie-talkies?

Question 4 - Why is the nearest medical aid about 100 yards away and why isn't there at least one medical person on duty in each stand?

Rant over - hope the old guy is OK

I do a lot of Door License/Stewarding work around the country so I shall have a go at answering a few of this points.

Question 1 - Unfortunately as with all jobs you get people like this who just want to as you say watch the event, I know of some people that will work for a company just so they can watch Take That once a year, and because of this it makes everyone elses job much harder. With the smoking in the toilets, the stewards can't really do anything, by that I mean obviously they can tell them to stop, but they don't have to listen and they also cannot eject them from the venue, you need to be a DL (SIA Door License) but obviously they can then tell the supervisor who can then radio for a response team.

Question 2 - At Bramall Lane (I've worked there once or twice but being a season ticket holder I don't work there often) They are meant to be stood at the top of the stairs of the gangway before kick off and half time actively looking to help people to seats/give directions and general enquires from customers. During the game they are told to stand on the steps in order to not block anybodys view. But this should be something the supervisor deals with.

Question 3 - The main problems with all staff having a radio is the cost (cost around £300 each) and when you have say 50 stewards on its a little bit of an unnecessary cost, and also when you work things like football matches or even gigs if all staff have a radio you will then get staff using the radio for every little issue that occurs and then it blocks up the radio channel for people that actually need to be in touch with each or
control.

Question 4 - Again the answer to this is the cost. You would be amazed how much it costs for a medic per hour.

Hope this hasn't come across as a bit of a "know it all" post, just giving my experiences

 

[SwissBlade]

BornOnShoreham might be worth dropping an email to the club safety officer or via the [email protected].

I'm sure the club would welcome the feedback.

If simple things like stewards not obstructing the handrails helps to improve access then I'm sure the club would be willing to act

 

[Sirius]

I do a lot of Door License/Stewarding work around the country so I shall have a go at answering a few of this points.

Question 1 - Unfortunately as with all jobs you get people like this who just want to as you say watch the event, I know of some people that will work for a company just so they can watch Take That once a year, and because of this it makes everyone elses job much harder. With the smoking in the toilets, the stewards can't really do anything, by that I mean obviously they can tell them to stop, but they don't have to listen and they also cannot eject them from the venue, you need to be a DL (SIA Door License) but obviously they can then tell the supervisor who can then radio for a response team.

Question 2 - At Bramall Lane (I've worked there once or twice but being a season ticket holder I don't work there often) They are meant to be stood at the top of the stairs of the gangway before kick off and half time actively looking to help people to seats/give directions and general enquires from customers. During the game they are told to stand on the steps in order to not block anybodys view. But this should be something the supervisor deals with.

Question 3 - The main problems with all staff having a radio is the cost (cost around £300 each) and when you have say 50 stewards on its a little bit of an unnecessary cost, and also when you work things like football matches or even gigs if all staff have a radio you will then get staff using the radio for every little issue that occurs and then it blocks up the radio channel for people that actually need to be in touch with each or
control.

Question 4 - Again the answer to this is the cost. You would be amazed how much it costs for a medic per hour.

Hope this hasn't come across as a bit of a "know it all" post, just giving my experiences

thanks Dan for your reply. Perhaps one radio, for the chief steward in a n area would be an improvement. It cannot be an easy job to do. I have to say though,as a matter of common courtesy they should have moved to allow the guy to use the handrail

 

[Linz]

Stewards standing in the way on stairwells after the game is a bit of a bugbear of mine, considering I have to help my Nannan with the stairs... luckily most of the other chaps on the South Stand take a more proactive approach to shoving them out of the way and they've scuttled off by the time we've got to the top of the stairs.

Will mention it at the next meeting (19th December)

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Appreciated, Linz

 

[lawlessdan]

thanks Dan for your reply. Perhaps one radio, for the chief steward in a n area would be an improvement. It cannot be an easy job to do. I have to say though,as a matter of common courtesy they should have moved to allow the guy to use the handrail

I find this kind of work easy, nine times out ten it is as easy as you make it. I've personally only done Bramall Lane twice but at least two supervisors are in each stand (granted I only worked the league cup and JPT games) and they will have a radio as well as the response teams. The stewards also know that there are at two telephones that put you straight through to the control room. It probably doesn't help that is isn't just one secuirty company that works at the lane, there are another two companies that are sub contracted in. But as I say I'm not fully clued up on how everything works at Bramall Lane as I do the majority of my football work at Man City (bloody hate City fans more than most because of this!), but I would assume it is pretty similar.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Appreciated, Linz

He was at the match on Saturday - a bit shaken with a badly bruised shoulder but all in once piece

 

[mattbianco1]

Did anybody see the steward run after the one of the lads that got on the pitch Saturday? He was never going to catch the lad up the Kop steps and the other steward at the top of the stairs was commical. He literally let him run past then all of a sudden span round and ran after him.

Do these people get banned for encroaching the pitch or just lobbed out? Bit extreme to chase a lad all the way up the stairs just to throw him out. I'm sure the stewards just like a scrap. Especially the ones stationed at the away end.

Do we really "have to" throw people out everytime we concede a goal at home or is it merely small man syndrome, blokes just wanting to lob people out to make themselves feel better?

 

[Foxy]

Did anybody see the steward run after the one of the lads that got on the pitch Saturday? He was never going to catch the lad up the Kop steps and the other steward at the top of the stairs was commical. He literally let him run past then all of a sudden span round and ran after him.

Do these people get banned for encroaching the pitch or just lobbed out? Bit extreme to chase a lad all the way up the stairs just to throw him out. I'm sure the stewards just like a scrap. Especially the ones stationed at the away end.

In my mind, embarrassing us by having a pitch invasion for going one-up against Swindon from our lowly bottom of division three place should be at least a couple of games locked outside

 

[mattbianco1]

In my mind, embarrassing us by having a pitch invasion for going one-up against Swindon from our lowly bottom of division three place should be at least a couple of games locked outside

I know what you mean. Random time to encroach the pitch but football in this day and age is rubbish. Punished for celebrating a goal with your players. Players being booked for jumping into the crowd to celebrate.

Did people get locked up at Brentford last season when Doncaster won the league? Surely that's forgiven?

 

[Foxy]

Punished for celebrating a goal with your players. Players being booked for jumping into the crowd to celebrate.

Don't get me wrong, the only thing that really irks me about it is the embarrassing part and the fact that the club may get fined - Football should allow the outpouring of the emotions it's still clutching on to evoking.

Did people get locked up at Brentford last season when Doncaster won the league? Surely that's forgiven?

Not sure, I'd be annoyed for them if they did. I mean, you are stupid to think you can get away with anything as a fan these days at football - but in circumstances like that, common sense should prevail.