Following our last communication on Persistent Standing in advance of the home game against Port Vale, stewards were tasked with communicating to supporters the importance of everyone sitting down. We would like to thank those people who followed our request but unfortunately there were still large numbers in the Norman Rimmington South Stand and in parts of the West Stand who stood up for the entirety of the game.
We cannot stress this matter seriously enough; if people do not sit down then the chances of stand closure increase match by match. We will continue to engage with supporters so that this message can be heard as loud as it can but if this is unsuccessful then the next step will be that we will have to identify those individuals via CCTV who are continually stood up and seriously consider de-activating tickets. This is not something we want to do but we may ultimately be forced into this position if the measures we are trialling are not successful.
Standing in areas that are designed for seated accommodation can be dangerous and in the absence of Oakwell not having ‘rail seating’ currently installed, we ask all supporters to work with us in adhering to the licence conditions of the ground. If we cannot address this situation and show improvement then it is likely that the Club will be forced to impose, or have imposed, stricter measures.
This is not unique to Barnsley FC and we have added a link to the Sports Ground Safety Authority enforcement approach (Enforcement Approach - Sports Grounds Safety AuthoritySports Grounds Safety Authority (sgsa.org.uk) that some supporters may find useful.
We understand that supporters will periodically want to stand up at times of excitement and it is not these moments that we are referring to. It is when supporters are standing for long, continual periods that is the matter of concern here.
Please work with us to create a safer environment and reduce the chances of the Club being subject to external enforcement.
Thank you for your support.
