To be fair to them, I think they’ve done a phenomenal job getting as many there as they can in the time frame allowed. Of course plenty will be disappointed and I understand that and sympathise. But hopefully we will all be back soon enough.
Enjoy the game those who were lucky enough to get a ticket, just seen a piece on sky sports news and the procedures in place tonight. Looks like lots of hard work has gone into making it possible for 1k fans to attend.
Watching you all filing in on ifollow and standing about in your bubbles. I am raising my Walkers family pack bag in salute. Have limbless fun everyone and stay safe.
For anyone on the fence about attending games at the moment, my view was that the situation tonight was very well managed and that an additional 1000 could and should be accommodated against Coventry without any issues.
The staggered arrival and departure times meant that getting to and from your seat was possible with minimal, if any, need to bypass others.
Queuing on entry was managed sensibly and I don’t believe any other turnstiles were in operation (?) with people instead being admitted through the open gates.
I appreciate some will still not feel comfortable attending but hopefully this helps one or two that may be undecided.
The BBC news focussed on the match at Shrewsbury, with 2000 fans having been admitted. Interested to know how/why they were allowed that number when New Meadow has a similar capacity to AP? Is/was it because of being all-seater?
@adamspark said:
The BBC news focussed on the match at Shrewsbury, with 2000 fans having been admitted. Interested to know how/why they were allowed that number when New Meadow has a similar capacity to AP? Is/was it because of being all-seater?
We could have also had 2,000 fans and expect to next game. Wycombe decided to run a pilot for 1,000 first - according to the Sky News article, it was actually due to a mix up from the local council on protocols.
@adamspark said:
The BBC news focussed on the match at Shrewsbury, with 2000 fans having been admitted. Interested to know how/why they were allowed that number when New Meadow has a similar capacity to AP? Is/was it because of being all-seater?
Could it be access issues. From what I have seen Shrews ground is out in an open field? Just a wild guess.
I echo @Glenactico’s post. No hassle at all outside the ground - in fact eerily quiet. No problems inside either - stewards very strict even with people from the same household. Went to the toilets once mid second half and didn’t pass anyone other than a steward. Leaving the ground was controlled and pretty quick. Compared with what goes on in our supermarkets, it was a different world.
My top tips though;
? bring more than one of these. Nothing worse (or as ineffective) as a damp rag round your face
? got contact lenses? Wear them. Lots of fogging problems for many on a damp, cold night
? noses should be inside face coverings. Astounds me how many people still don’t get this
Was an absolute privilege to be back and to congratulate the team for what they’ve achieved while we’ve been away.
No, I didn’t see that. They were briefly off for some people when having a coffee at half-time, but that was it where I was sat. Stewards were very proactive and I think they will need to remain so. Obviously they can’t tell who’s from a family group, so there were technically unnecessary interventions, but for now I think that’s fair enough and builds confidence that it’s not a free for all.
The one thing causing the most need to shout where you could have talked was the ear-splitting rawk soundtrack belting out of the PA. I’m in two minds about this. Firstly, it made you less inclined to do the natural thing and chat to your neighbours but secondly when you did, you felt the need to shout, which is not a good thing.
I know pubs had regs about loud music to discourage shouting so was a bit surprised from a Covid point of view that similar conditions don’t apply in stadiums. The difference of course is that we’re outside I guess.
@DevC said:
Clubs who wish to admit fans first have to run a "test " event with a reduced capacity of 1000. Once they have passed that , they can admit 2000 fans.
A number of clubs (including Shrewsbury) had the opportunity to run test events earlier in the season, mostly in the FLT trophy thingy . We didn't.
Sky News disagrees with you here Dev. Suggestion being Wycombe thought what you've said was the case, but in actuality, a pilot was not necessary.
"A breakdown in communication between central government and the local council meant Wycombe had tailored their planning towards a pilot event, so only 1,000 supporters were permitted inside to see their struggling team take on Stoke on Wednesday evening."
The Safety Advisory Group wanted the club to run a pilot with maximum 1,000 fans to test the safety arrangements. Massive thank you to the fans for the way everyone complied with the instructions - particularly with leaving the ground. For the pilot, we were required to have everyone socially distanced whether or not they were in the same household / bubble. If the SAG deem the pilot to have been successful, we hope to be allowed to have 2,000 fans in for the Coventry an future games. To accommodate 2,000, it is proposed that fans will be allowed to sit together in their household bubble for this next step. We are in the hands of the SAG, but as you would expect, will be lobbying hard. Fingers crossed, we will also be allowed to offer food (and drinks) although don't know at this stage what conditions will be imposed. Very interested to know what those of you in attendance thought and whether there are any constructive ideas for improvements.
@ForeverBlue The arrangements were well thought out - a massive Eddie-Monsoon-style hats off to all those involved in developing them and implementing them.
@arnos_grove A really good point re the "ear-splitting rawk" (although it seemed a bit more listenable at half-time - David Byrne etc.). A great opportunity for some lo-fi tunes in the next few weeks. I'd start with Elliot Smith's Either/Or, Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and the collected works of Gillian Welch. @micra might have some nice Stranger on the Shore type suggestions.
@ForeverBlue said:
The Safety Advisory Group wanted the club to run a pilot with maximum 1,000 fans to test the safety arrangements. Massive thank you to the fans for the way everyone complied with the instructions - particularly with leaving the ground. For the pilot, we were required to have everyone socially distanced whether or not they were in the same household / bubble. If the SAG deem the pilot to have been successful, we hope to be allowed to have 2,000 fans in for the Coventry an future games. To accommodate 2,000, it is proposed that fans will be allowed to sit together in their household bubble for this next step. We are in the hands of the SAG, but as you would expect, will be lobbying hard. Fingers crossed, we will also be allowed to offer food (and drinks) although don't know at this stage what conditions will be imposed. Very interested to know what those of you in attendance thought and whether there are any constructive ideas for improvements.
One suggestion would be to split the queue behind the terrace. People were queueing for both gates to the upper and lower tier, but this seemed unnecessary and caused some very minor delay. Some barriers and signage to create two queues would solve this
No, I didn’t see that. They were briefly off for some people when having a coffee at half-time, but that was it where I was sat. Stewards were very proactive and I think they will need to remain so. Obviously they can’t tell who’s from a family group, so there were technically unnecessary interventions, but for now I think that’s fair enough and builds confidence that it’s not a free for all.
The one thing causing the most need to shout where you could have talked was the ear-splitting rawk soundtrack belting out of the PA. I’m in two minds about this. Firstly, it made you less inclined to do the natural thing and chat to your neighbours but secondly when you did, you felt the need to shout, which is not a good thing.
I know pubs had regs about loud music to discourage shouting so was a bit surprised from a Covid point of view that similar conditions don’t apply in stadiums. The difference of course is that we’re outside I guess.
Cheers, that is interesting. I was wondering if people dropped the masks when reacting to play/shouting, etc.
@ForeverBlue said:
The Safety Advisory Group wanted the club to run a pilot with maximum 1,000 fans to test the safety arrangements. Massive thank you to the fans for the way everyone complied with the instructions - particularly with leaving the ground. For the pilot, we were required to have everyone socially distanced whether or not they were in the same household / bubble. If the SAG deem the pilot to have been successful, we hope to be allowed to have 2,000 fans in for the Coventry an future games. To accommodate 2,000, it is proposed that fans will be allowed to sit together in their household bubble for this next step. We are in the hands of the SAG, but as you would expect, will be lobbying hard. Fingers crossed, we will also be allowed to offer food (and drinks) although don't know at this stage what conditions will be imposed. Very interested to know what those of you in attendance thought and whether there are any constructive ideas for improvements.
One suggestion would be to split the queue behind the terrace. People were queueing for both gates to the upper and lower tier, but this seemed unnecessary and caused some very minor delay. Some barriers and signage to create two queues would solve this
I was amused by one old timer just wandering past a few of us queuing and just strolling in at an advanced position. Then ignoring the dots on the floor until they were pointed out by a steward.
And then asking about the team lineup at the same time! Let's get into the ground safely first eh?
@ForeverBlue said:
The Safety Advisory Group wanted the club to run a pilot with maximum 1,000 fans to test the safety arrangements. Massive thank you to the fans for the way everyone complied with the instructions - particularly with leaving the ground. For the pilot, we were required to have everyone socially distanced whether or not they were in the same household / bubble. If the SAG deem the pilot to have been successful, we hope to be allowed to have 2,000 fans in for the Coventry an future games. To accommodate 2,000, it is proposed that fans will be allowed to sit together in their household bubble for this next step. We are in the hands of the SAG, but as you would expect, will be lobbying hard. Fingers crossed, we will also be allowed to offer food (and drinks) although don't know at this stage what conditions will be imposed. Very interested to know what those of you in attendance thought and whether there are any constructive ideas for improvements.
Once they factor in those "bubbles" the arrangements must get a lot more awkward!
So thanks to the club for putting such a shift in over this!
One thing I did notice on ifollow last night whenever they planned into the crowd there always seemed to be one person that had their mask just over their chin, not mouth and nose
@DevC said:
Then I must stand corrected. Certainly pilot events were my understanding.
Dissapointed @DevC . I had you down as the person who would track down the definitive answer.
For what it is worth I was very comfortable amongst 1,000 people. Far safer than a supermarket trip and no anti maskers that I saw. Not so sure on 2,000 yet though.
Comments
To be fair to them, I think they’ve done a phenomenal job getting as many there as they can in the time frame allowed. Of course plenty will be disappointed and I understand that and sympathise. But hopefully we will all be back soon enough.
Yes, kudos to the club. Would not an easy thing to orchestrate at such short notice in normal times, let alone now.
Enjoy the game those who were lucky enough to get a ticket, just seen a piece on sky sports news and the procedures in place tonight. Looks like lots of hard work has gone into making it possible for 1k fans to attend.
Well done to all the staff who’ve made it happen.
Just fired up iFollow. Lovely to see cars up in the field.
Watching you all filing in on ifollow and standing about in your bubbles. I am raising my Walkers family pack bag in salute. Have limbless fun everyone and stay safe.
Hoping, hoping and hoping you all have a goal or two or three to celebrate.
Lovely to see GA walking the touchline and applauding the fans.
Just on Channel 4 news.
A live spot from C4 News.
For anyone on the fence about attending games at the moment, my view was that the situation tonight was very well managed and that an additional 1000 could and should be accommodated against Coventry without any issues.
The staggered arrival and departure times meant that getting to and from your seat was possible with minimal, if any, need to bypass others.
Queuing on entry was managed sensibly and I don’t believe any other turnstiles were in operation (?) with people instead being admitted through the open gates.
I appreciate some will still not feel comfortable attending but hopefully this helps one or two that may be undecided.
Lovely piece from BBC Sport on the return of fans to AP https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55168211
The BBC news focussed on the match at Shrewsbury, with 2000 fans having been admitted. Interested to know how/why they were allowed that number when New Meadow has a similar capacity to AP? Is/was it because of being all-seater?
We could have also had 2,000 fans and expect to next game. Wycombe decided to run a pilot for 1,000 first - according to the Sky News article, it was actually due to a mix up from the local council on protocols.
Tony Hector and another fan were just on the BBC Today radio programme.
Could it be access issues. From what I have seen Shrews ground is out in an open field? Just a wild guess.
I echo @Glenactico’s post. No hassle at all outside the ground - in fact eerily quiet. No problems inside either - stewards very strict even with people from the same household. Went to the toilets once mid second half and didn’t pass anyone other than a steward. Leaving the ground was controlled and pretty quick. Compared with what goes on in our supermarkets, it was a different world.
My top tips though;
? bring more than one of these. Nothing worse (or as ineffective) as a damp rag round your face
? got contact lenses? Wear them. Lots of fogging problems for many on a damp, cold night
? noses should be inside face coverings. Astounds me how many people still don’t get this
Was an absolute privilege to be back and to congratulate the team for what they’ve achieved while we’ve been away.
@arnos_grove were there many people pulling down their masks to shout, etc?
No, I didn’t see that. They were briefly off for some people when having a coffee at half-time, but that was it where I was sat. Stewards were very proactive and I think they will need to remain so. Obviously they can’t tell who’s from a family group, so there were technically unnecessary interventions, but for now I think that’s fair enough and builds confidence that it’s not a free for all.
The one thing causing the most need to shout where you could have talked was the ear-splitting rawk soundtrack belting out of the PA. I’m in two minds about this. Firstly, it made you less inclined to do the natural thing and chat to your neighbours but secondly when you did, you felt the need to shout, which is not a good thing.
I know pubs had regs about loud music to discourage shouting so was a bit surprised from a Covid point of view that similar conditions don’t apply in stadiums. The difference of course is that we’re outside I guess.
Clubs who wish to admit fans first have to run a "test " event with a reduced capacity of 1000. Once they have passed that , they can admit 2000 fans.
A number of clubs (including Shrewsbury) had the opportunity to run test events earlier in the season, mostly in the FLT trophy thingy . We didn't.
Sky News disagrees with you here Dev. Suggestion being Wycombe thought what you've said was the case, but in actuality, a pilot was not necessary.
"A breakdown in communication between central government and the local council meant Wycombe had tailored their planning towards a pilot event, so only 1,000 supporters were permitted inside to see their struggling team take on Stoke on Wednesday evening."
https://news.sky.com/story/back-to-the-agony-and-the-ecstasy-fans-return-to-football-stadiums-12149655
The Safety Advisory Group wanted the club to run a pilot with maximum 1,000 fans to test the safety arrangements. Massive thank you to the fans for the way everyone complied with the instructions - particularly with leaving the ground. For the pilot, we were required to have everyone socially distanced whether or not they were in the same household / bubble. If the SAG deem the pilot to have been successful, we hope to be allowed to have 2,000 fans in for the Coventry an future games. To accommodate 2,000, it is proposed that fans will be allowed to sit together in their household bubble for this next step. We are in the hands of the SAG, but as you would expect, will be lobbying hard. Fingers crossed, we will also be allowed to offer food (and drinks) although don't know at this stage what conditions will be imposed. Very interested to know what those of you in attendance thought and whether there are any constructive ideas for improvements.
Then I must stand corrected. Certainly pilot events were my understanding.
@ForeverBlue The arrangements were well thought out - a massive Eddie-Monsoon-style hats off to all those involved in developing them and implementing them.
@arnos_grove A really good point re the "ear-splitting rawk" (although it seemed a bit more listenable at half-time - David Byrne etc.). A great opportunity for some lo-fi tunes in the next few weeks. I'd start with Elliot Smith's Either/Or, Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and the collected works of Gillian Welch. @micra might have some nice Stranger on the Shore type suggestions.
oh and some late period Talk Talk/Mark Hollis, for the gasroom fanclub.
One suggestion would be to split the queue behind the terrace. People were queueing for both gates to the upper and lower tier, but this seemed unnecessary and caused some very minor delay. Some barriers and signage to create two queues would solve this
Cheers, that is interesting. I was wondering if people dropped the masks when reacting to play/shouting, etc.
Could definitely get some Stax on the go at AP
I was amused by one old timer just wandering past a few of us queuing and just strolling in at an advanced position. Then ignoring the dots on the floor until they were pointed out by a steward.
And then asking about the team lineup at the same time! Let's get into the ground safely first eh?
Once they factor in those "bubbles" the arrangements must get a lot more awkward!
So thanks to the club for putting such a shift in over this!
One thing I did notice on ifollow last night whenever they planned into the crowd there always seemed to be one person that had their mask just over their chin, not mouth and nose
Dissapointed @DevC . I had you down as the person who would track down the definitive answer.
For what it is worth I was very comfortable amongst 1,000 people. Far safer than a supermarket trip and no anti maskers that I saw. Not so sure on 2,000 yet though.