Stewarding

[Teams like Morecambe]

Why do we have so many stewards at the home end yet there are very few at the away end? Away fans at The Globe seem to be able to behave as they want. A smoke bomb was let off after the goal yet there wasn't a steward in sight. Are smoke bombs banned by clubs through choice or are they breaking the law. I ask this because the group of police who stand by the segregated area didn't react. At Hartlepool we were thoroughly searched and even had an inflatable ball confiscated. Why do the stewards focus on our fans rather than visiting fans at home matches? What was the deal with the lads who had lights on there phones? Did I miss something because the stewards reacted as if a major crime had been committed?

[outsider]

I asked the question re phone lights, was given
The answer it could put the player's off the same as flash photos. When asked how about the brightness of the sun or Floodlights. They were stumped. Lazer pens I agree should be banned but lights on phones???????

[Seasider9601]

lights on phones???????

Don't like them mate. What's the point??

It's a football match, not a Take That concert !!

[George Dawes]

To my understanding 2 types of stewards at MFC.

Lingwood security ones, who are mainly SIA trained, and tend to work the away end, for obvious reasons. And cost more money to employ.

MFC ones, not trained and just do basic stewarding duties and ask for help if there's trouble, and tend to work the home ends with us fans being a well behaved lot compared to most others. And cost less money to employ.

[morecambeshrimp]

Section 2A Sporting Events Act 1985

(1)A person is guilty of an offence if he has an article or substance to which this section applies in his possession—

(a)at any time during the period of a designated sporting event when he is in any area of a designated sports ground from which the event may be directly viewed, or

(b)while entering or trying to enter a designated sports ground at any time during the period of a designated sporting event at the ground.

(2)It is a defence for the accused to prove that he had possession with lawful authority.

(3)This section applies to any article or substance whose main purpose is the emission of a flare for purposes of illuminating or signalling (as opposed to igniting or heating) or the emission of smoke or a visible gas; and in particular it applies to distress flares, fog signals, and pellets and capsules intended to be used as fumigators or for testing pipes, but not to matches, cigarette lighters or heaters.

(4)This section also applies to any article which is a firework

[morecambeshrimp]

Also giving a bunch of teenage reprobates a dressing down for purposefully trying to entice a fight between opposing fans by flashing lights at them (which is common between football fans) is not acceptable by any standards

[mrpotatohead]

I blame the parents.

[Teams like Morecambe]

Poor home numbers, vocally non existent until we went 2-1 up and decided actually we are all supporting the same team. Shame that most of those who create the atmosphere have been banned from the ground. Overzealous stewarding not helping matters, God help them if they actually encountered any real football hooliganism.

The stewarding today was even more laughable than usual. For those in the main stand who pay more to avoid such shambles, this is what happened. A lad (a little overweight) took his shirt off and the stewards didn't like what they saw. Im not sure what it was about this guys James Corden-esque body that upset the stewards. They just can't help themselves can they? It's always the fans who get hit hardest. Over priced tickets, travel costs etc. and now you can't even take your shirt off. The club provide incentives to get kids going to games then when they reach a certain age they ban them!

I'm currently watching the T20 cricket final. Fancy dress everywhere, alcohol flowing, inflatables etc. There's even a group of lads with their shirts off . Following a six by Jos Buttler the ball landed on the tarpaulin. A kid climbed over it to retrieve the ball, health and safety nightmare. However he was allowed to do this, why? BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS HAVING FUN!

The chants today of 'Heavy hands, empty stands' say it all.

[marky No.1]

Good original post!

[Keith]

Are smoke bombs banned by clubs through choice or are they breaking the law. I ask this because the group of police who stand by the segregated area didn't react. At Hartlepool we were thoroughly searched and even had an inflatable ball confiscated.

Yes, it is a criminal act. At Hartlepool, when their fans set off their smoke bomb, the police at the end of our stand spent about twenty minutes videoing the group that did it and talking with stewards to identify the culprit. I assume they would be acting later. Perhaps our stewards & police acted later rather than risk causing a problem by arresting someone in a crowd?

The inflatable ball that was confiscated, was that the inflatable ball that had gone on the pitch twice? The first time Barry handed it back, the second time a steward confiscated it. Or were there two balls confiscated?

[Teams like Morecambe]

Are smoke bombs banned by clubs through choice or are they breaking the law. I ask this because the group of police who stand by the segregated area didn't react. At Hartlepool we were thoroughly searched and even had an inflatable ball confiscated.

Yes, it is a criminal act. At Hartlepool, when their fans set off their smoke bomb, the police at the end of our stand spent about twenty minutes videoing the group that did it and talking with stewards to identify the culprit. I assume they would be acting later. Perhaps our stewards & police acted later rather than risk causing a problem by arresting someone in a crowd?

The inflatable ball that was confiscated, was that the inflatable ball that had gone on the pitch twice? The first time Barry handed it back, the second time a steward confiscated it. Or were there two balls confiscated?

Just the one. I see your point about the ball potentialy interfering with play (remember Liverpool at Sunderland?) but it just seems petty to me. At no other sporting event in this country will you find spectators being treated like football fans are. Entering a football stadium is like going through airport security, tense and intimidating. Carlisle last season was the perfect example of this. 'Random searches' which were only given to those under a certain age and a police escort also for the same group of people. It's hardly surprising attendances are falling. Who wants to pay £17 to watch fourth tier football with no atmosphere whilst being watched constantly by a group of jobsworths.

[morecambegeek]

Are smoke bombs banned by clubs through choice or are they breaking the law. I ask this because the group of police who stand by the segregated area didn't react. At Hartlepool we were thoroughly searched and even had an inflatable ball confiscated.

Yes, it is a criminal act. At Hartlepool, when their fans set off their smoke bomb, the police at the end of our stand spent about twenty minutes videoing the group that did it and talking with stewards to identify the culprit. I assume they would be acting later. Perhaps our stewards & police acted later rather than risk causing a problem by arresting someone in a crowd?

The inflatable ball that was confiscated, was that the inflatable ball that had gone on the pitch twice? The first time Barry handed it back, the second time a steward confiscated it. Or were there two balls confiscated?

Just the one. I see your point about the ball potentialy interfering with play (remember Liverpool at Sunderland?) but it just seems petty to me. At no other sporting event in this country will you find spectators being treated like football fans are. Entering a football stadium is like going through airport security, tense and intimidating. Carlisle last season was the perfect example of this. 'Random searches' which were only given to those under a certain age and a police escort also for the same group of people. It's hardly surprising attendances are falling. Who wants to pay £17 to watch fourth tier football with no atmosphere whilst being watched constantly by a group of jobsworths.

Lets face it, football has a much higher proportion of dickheads watching it. Don't see flares being let off at rugby matches or lighters being chucked on the pitch, or corners full of opposition fans effing and blinding at someone taking a corner kick.

Having stood on the north terrace, some of the stuff the linesman has to put up with is disgusting. I'm no prude, I swear like a trooper most of the time, but it's just not funny, it's not banter, it's just horrible. Sure, they make mistakes, but someone hasn't died. Grow up. If football makes you that upset that you have to bawl and curse at someone's back for 90 minutes, get a new hobby. Maybe people just want to watch the match and not listen to twats like that.

[Phil Anderer]

Are smoke bombs banned by clubs through choice or are they breaking the law. I ask this because the group of police who stand by the segregated area didn't react. At Hartlepool we were thoroughly searched and even had an inflatable ball confiscated.

Yes, it is a criminal act. At Hartlepool, when their fans set off their smoke bomb, the police at the end of our stand spent about twenty minutes videoing the group that did it and talking with stewards to identify the culprit. I assume they would be acting later. Perhaps our stewards & police acted later rather than risk causing a problem by arresting someone in a crowd?

The inflatable ball that was confiscated, was that the inflatable ball that had gone on the pitch twice? The first time Barry handed it back, the second time a steward confiscated it. Or were there two balls confiscated?

Just the one. I see your point about the ball potentialy interfering with play (remember Liverpool at Sunderland?) but it just seems petty to me. At no other sporting event in this country will you find spectators being treated like football fans are. Entering a football stadium is like going through airport security, tense and intimidating. Carlisle last season was the perfect example of this. 'Random searches' which were only given to those under a certain age and a police escort also for the same group of people. It's hardly surprising attendances are falling. Who wants to pay £17 to watch fourth tier football with no atmosphere whilst being watched constantly by a group of jobsworths.

I can only assume this is either related to age or where you choose to go. I'm middle aged (47, if you must know), attend with my wife, and am a season ticket holder in a seating area. I regularly attend carrying a large rucksack, which holds seat pads, newspaper, additional clothing (especially in winter), and it doesn't get checked. I'm not an obvious target risk, and as the young uns get older, they'll hopefully fall into a similar bracket. I was more of a loose cannon when I was younger, albeit never violent, but I can understand where the stewards are coming from. The younger element should appreciate it when they get older, and if they can think about it now, rather than feel like people are just getting at them, which I understand it can feel like, then maybe there can be a more harmonious feeling in the home stand. Not being critical as such, just asking that the other side's point of view can be appreciated.

[Keith]

At no other sporting event in this country will you find spectators being treated like football fans are. Entering a football stadium is like going through airport security, tense and intimidating. Carlisle last season was the perfect example of this. 'Random searches' which were only given to those under a certain age and a police escort also for the same group of people. It's hardly surprising attendances are falling.

As I said in the Notts County match thread:

When I arrived at Hartlepool I was told they had extra stewards on and were being particularly strict on where our fans could go "because we've been warned about your trouble-makers". This 'warning' about a club that used to have a fantastic reputation for being trouble free and friendly wherever we went.

Unfortunately, we've now developed a reputation for having trouble makers, so we are stewarded in that manner. We reap what we sow.

[Teams like Morecambe]

At no other sporting event in this country will you find spectators being treated like football fans are. Entering a football stadium is like going through airport security, tense and intimidating. Carlisle last season was the perfect example of this. 'Random searches' which were only given to those under a certain age and a police escort also for the same group of people. It's hardly surprising attendances are falling.

As I said in the Notts County match thread:

When I arrived at Hartlepool I was told they had extra stewards on and were being particularly strict on where our fans could go "because we've been warned about your trouble-makers". This 'warning' about a club that used to have a fantastic reputation for being trouble free and friendly wherever we went.

Unfortunately, we've now developed a reputation for having trouble makers, so we are stewarded in that manner. We reap what we sow.

Unless I'm missing something I'm not sure where this reputation has come from. Having a group of youths roaming away destinations in Stone Island gear is not a crime (I will accept crime against fashion). Has anyone ever seen this group fighting opposition fans/firms?

Last season this group were being followed by police around Carlisle. They had been kicked out of a pub. Shortly after they were kicked out I entered this pub. The bar woman asked us 'are you from Morecambe'? Having replied with yes she then explained she wouldn't serve us due to the behaviour of the Morecambe fans who had just been ejected. What happened next confirmed my suspicions and speaks volumes of the struggles football fans face with reputations and stereotyping. A man at the bar (not a fan of either club) defended our lads saying they weren't causing any trouble just being a bit rowdy and they shouldnt have been thrown out. This man didn't need to speak up but he did because he witnessed an injustice.