Ground capacity article in todays programme.
Nov 12, 2022 21:00:17 GMT
Topper Gas, richmace, and 6 more like this
Post by gasonthemount on Nov 12, 2022 21:00:17 GMT
KNOWLEDGE
Dear Gasheads, Welcome back to The Mem for what is a bumper run of home matches in the build-up to the festive period.
Following the responses from previous games, I have said that I would review the current capacities and the complexities around it that I know is an area of interest for many supporters.
I am aware that, in the past, the club has had attendances at The Mem in excess of 12,000; however, when our current Safety Officer joined us during Covid we had a maximum licensed capacity of 11,796. This was approved by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at the time and was certified by the local authority. However, the calculations were made
by the previous team.
The club is required to carry out an annual review of the stadium capacity as required by the SAG. Several reviews have been carried out, including the complete review for the socially- distanced crowds during Covid, although this was never used at The Mem.
The capacity review that was carried out for the 2020-21 season was an in-depth review, including the remeasuring of the stadium and review of the latest guidance issued by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Consideration of the latest EFL guidance was also reviewed and formed part of the review
process. This exercise resulted in the removal of the front level standing areas of the North, East and North-West terraces as per the EFL Guidelines. This review produced a new capacity of 10,538, which is the current licensed capacity.
Following the issue of the revised official stadium capacity, the club has taken the decision to introduce its own reduction on the terraces to allow for the following:
The ability to manage the yellow steps within the terraces that becomes challenging when the terraces are at
their maximum.
The comfort of its supporters. While the guidance produced a maximum capacity, this is often reduced by clubs to introduce a comfort factor.
Infrastructure challenges
The ability to manage the migration of supporters to different areas within the stadium.
⚫ Challenges with ticketing and access-control systems.
As all supporters will be aware, at the start of this season, we received a capacity reduction due to incidents at the end of last season, so these actions were required to mitigate future sanctions. This action resulted in a maximum capacity of 9,832.
Further to this, capacity is lost with the segregation areas on the East Terrace and the South Stand that will vary on a match-by-match basis, depending on how the stadium is configured for the
f@officialbristolrovers
fixture to accommodate the varying numbers of visiting supporters.
As a club, we are keeping our current capacity under constant review and I am working with our safety team to adjust this in certain areas; this will be done on a gradual basis if it is felt safe to do so. The club is keen to demonstrate its commitment to safety and does not wish to overcrowd areas, potentially causing injury or distress to supporters.
There was also lots of discussion regarding the decision to only open certain parts of the ground for the First Round of the FA Cup. The parts of the ground that were opened allowed us to house more than the expected capacity based on the attendances of these fixtures in previous rounds. Although we were able to find a solution for everyone that wanted a ticket, we are aware that there were some supporters who did not attend because of this set-up. We have spent some time reviewing this ahead of the Second Round fixture and
hope that all supporters will be happy with the options provided.
Moving forward, we are looking into all aspects of The Mem to see what options there are to further increase the capacity and the number of seats we have available in a cost- effective way as our ambition still remains to move away from the current site. Should we be able to do so, then we would look to work through next summer on new seating arrangements. We will provide more detail on this as soon as we are able to.
Rest assured we will do all we can to try and provide the best possible experience for as many supporters as we are able to safely house at The Mem.
Thank you all for your continued support and here's hoping for another enjoyable afternoon watching this young team continue to develop and improve and giving their all to make you proud
UTG
Tom
Dear Gasheads, Welcome back to The Mem for what is a bumper run of home matches in the build-up to the festive period.
Following the responses from previous games, I have said that I would review the current capacities and the complexities around it that I know is an area of interest for many supporters.
I am aware that, in the past, the club has had attendances at The Mem in excess of 12,000; however, when our current Safety Officer joined us during Covid we had a maximum licensed capacity of 11,796. This was approved by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at the time and was certified by the local authority. However, the calculations were made
by the previous team.
The club is required to carry out an annual review of the stadium capacity as required by the SAG. Several reviews have been carried out, including the complete review for the socially- distanced crowds during Covid, although this was never used at The Mem.
The capacity review that was carried out for the 2020-21 season was an in-depth review, including the remeasuring of the stadium and review of the latest guidance issued by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Consideration of the latest EFL guidance was also reviewed and formed part of the review
process. This exercise resulted in the removal of the front level standing areas of the North, East and North-West terraces as per the EFL Guidelines. This review produced a new capacity of 10,538, which is the current licensed capacity.
Following the issue of the revised official stadium capacity, the club has taken the decision to introduce its own reduction on the terraces to allow for the following:
The ability to manage the yellow steps within the terraces that becomes challenging when the terraces are at
their maximum.
The comfort of its supporters. While the guidance produced a maximum capacity, this is often reduced by clubs to introduce a comfort factor.
Infrastructure challenges
The ability to manage the migration of supporters to different areas within the stadium.
⚫ Challenges with ticketing and access-control systems.
As all supporters will be aware, at the start of this season, we received a capacity reduction due to incidents at the end of last season, so these actions were required to mitigate future sanctions. This action resulted in a maximum capacity of 9,832.
Further to this, capacity is lost with the segregation areas on the East Terrace and the South Stand that will vary on a match-by-match basis, depending on how the stadium is configured for the
f@officialbristolrovers
fixture to accommodate the varying numbers of visiting supporters.
As a club, we are keeping our current capacity under constant review and I am working with our safety team to adjust this in certain areas; this will be done on a gradual basis if it is felt safe to do so. The club is keen to demonstrate its commitment to safety and does not wish to overcrowd areas, potentially causing injury or distress to supporters.
There was also lots of discussion regarding the decision to only open certain parts of the ground for the First Round of the FA Cup. The parts of the ground that were opened allowed us to house more than the expected capacity based on the attendances of these fixtures in previous rounds. Although we were able to find a solution for everyone that wanted a ticket, we are aware that there were some supporters who did not attend because of this set-up. We have spent some time reviewing this ahead of the Second Round fixture and
hope that all supporters will be happy with the options provided.
Moving forward, we are looking into all aspects of The Mem to see what options there are to further increase the capacity and the number of seats we have available in a cost- effective way as our ambition still remains to move away from the current site. Should we be able to do so, then we would look to work through next summer on new seating arrangements. We will provide more detail on this as soon as we are able to.
Rest assured we will do all we can to try and provide the best possible experience for as many supporters as we are able to safely house at The Mem.
Thank you all for your continued support and here's hoping for another enjoyable afternoon watching this young team continue to develop and improve and giving their all to make you proud
UTG
Tom
