STAR Reaction to Saturday's Stewarding Inadequacies

[Skin]

its happens everywhere....happened in b18 when i used to sit there.

end of the day, the team are nothing without our support...our support needs to be vocal.

stewards and old bill are preventing this....sort it out!!

So you are incapable of supporting our club without breaking RFC's rules?

don't wind me up.
so you never swear or stand at a match? ever?

[Oddesy2k]

I was talking to a friend of mine (who happens to be a orange jacket at the mad stand) and he said Reading against Chelsea only had about 10 policeman there.

Bit worrying.

[STAR Liaison]

Who gave these @rseholes, that can be randomly shipped in on any given game to steward us, the right and power to ban people when they feel like it? They don't care about the team and they don't care why people might want to stand and be vocal. They couldn't give a toss whether they are right or wrong in the first place, they have no comeback on their decisions, here one game, gone the next.

And can someone clarify wtf the old bill and stewards do with all the footage they record of people standing and making hand gestures, and god forbid, swearing, apart from stroking over it? Are we meant to be scared into believing this is where all the banning orders will come from?
If this is the price of being a Premiership supporter its toss.

Without passing comment at all on who, whether they should be or why they were banned, I can tell you that banning orders are not the decision of the stewards. It is the decision of the safety officer and the stadium manager - the two people who are held responsible by the authorities for enforcing the ground regulations and who have been in these positions for all the time we have been at the Madejski and so certainly not here today and gone tomorrow.

For those banned there will be CCTV footage of the relevant incidents and I have been assured that this footage will be available to STAR if we believe anyone has been wrongly banned. I was warned that there are many hours of CCTV available as each incident can be seen on footage from more than one camera.

This is not particular to the Premiership - it was just the same in the Championship and even what is now League 1. However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.

As far as the Police are concerned, they do not get involved in banning orders from the Madejski, only if a prosecution is deemed necessary to ban from other grounds as well. Although they have been involved in the Chelsea game as the Met have been sent CCTV footage to identify the Chelsea supporters involved, so don't believe that they have got away with it and only Reading fans suffered.

HTH

[Skin]

Without passing comment at all on who, whether they should be or why they were banned, I can tell you that banning orders are not the decision of the stewards. It is the decision of the safety officer and the stadium manager - the two people who are held responsible by the authorities for enforcing the ground regulations and who have been in these positions for all the time we have been at the Madejski and so certainly not here today and gone tomorrow.

For those banned there will be CCTV footage of the relevant incidents and I have been assured that this footage will be available to STAR if we believe anyone has been wrongly banned. I was warned that there are many hours of CCTV available as each incident can be seen on footage from more than one camera.

This is not particular to the Premiership - it was just the same in the Championship and even what is now League 1. However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.

As far as the Police are concerned, they do not get involved in banning orders from the Madejski, only if a prosecution is deemed necessary to ban from other grounds as well. Although they have been involved in the Chelsea game as the Met have been sent CCTV footage to identify the Chelsea supporters involved, so don't believe that they have got away with it and only Reading fans suffered.

HTH

Yes it does help but I've seen at first hand the 'normal contracted stewards' telling fans THEY would ban them for standing/answering back/claiming assault after a fan put his hand on a sholder etc etc so its not consistent with what you're saying. I believe the stewards involved are just on a power trip and like I said before love the power trip and don't really give a toss if its ruining someones season. Do they need actual evidence before taking it further then? I presume these temps are not given the final word in a 'my word v your word' case??

The behaviour has been barely different this season from last and I'm not the only one that thinks that. What we all believe is that in our biggest ever season we need to get behind the team more than ever. Of course passions will boil over from time to time but if the stewards just let it be, it would not be aggrivated further by them. Its rarely been an issue before so why now? Thats the sticking point.
The attitude of the stewards is worse than ever, thats the problem for a lot of fans and that inevitably will lead to friction, which I'm starting to believe these stewards want judging by (some of) their attitudes.

[RoyalBlue]

However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.

I'm very surprised by that statement from the club. Has anyone on here seen any evidence to support that claim? Indeed have STAR been shown any video evidence to back that up? Perhaps they ought to ask to see some because it is a very serious claim to be made 'in passing'.

As someone who last season was threatened with a ban for 'shouting too much/too loud' - at no point was I accused of swearing, using racist language etc. - I am very much of the opinion that some of the stewarding is completely OTT.

[Sharpy]

the club just wants to look good and get higher the hooligan rankings and banning orders

[Wycombe Royal]

but I've seen at first hand the 'normal contracted stewards' telling fans THEY would ban them for standing/answering back/claiming assault after a fan put his hand on a sholder etc etc so its not consistent with what you're saying.

That is obviously just a threat as they do not have the power to enforce it. All they can do is report the fan to those that do have the authority.

[Elm Park]

I have just been on Kumb for something to do and see their reaction to West Hams result last night. Apparently they are currently banning fans for standing as well although they are only giving out 2 match bans ATM. So it may be that directions have been sent down from up high.

STAR is it worth putting forward the suggestion that those who have not been banned in the past have a 2 match warning ban and any further transgressions will result in a ban for the rest of the season.

[MartinRdg]

LMAO that wil never happen!! you cant control who the away fans are....get real!!

But it has happened.

I have asked this on the thread on Club Policies and got one positive response so will ask it here too. Is there a demand for another stewards forum? This enables you to explain your thoughts to the stewards in authority as well as for them to explain some of the problems they face and why they react as they do (which is sometimes because of rules and laws determined elsewhere than Reading).

It would be a chance to do something rather than moan on here.

Maybe a few common sense directions for the stewards. For instance, at the end of the match, don't stand in the way of all the supporters as they leave. If they need to keep an eye on people, stand just to the side (in the disabled areas). Also, when all the people who leave 5 minutes early decide they will watch from the exits and block the exits and the stairs (obstructing the views of other people), the stewards should keep them moving.

[Stranded]

the club just wants to look good and get higher the hooligan rankings and banning orders

That is possibly one of the most stupid things ever said on here.

How on earth does the club appearing near the top of a banning order list make it look good? Surely the ideal is to have a situation whereby banning orders are not necessary so you want to be as low down that list as possible.

[Dirk Gently]

However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.

I'm very surprised by that statement from the club. Has anyone on here seen any evidence to support that claim? Indeed have STAR been shown any video evidence to back that up? Perhaps they ought to ask to see some because it is a very serious claim to be made 'in passing'.

As someone who last season was threatened with a ban for 'shouting too much/too loud' - at no point was I accused of swearing, using racist language etc. - I am very much of the opinion that some of the stewarding is completely OTT.

My interpretation of that statement is that the away crowds this season have been larger, more vociferous and worse behaved compared to last season. This means that some of the more excitable and easily influenced in the home crowd have been more tempted to react to them in the same way.

[Andy M]

I'm not sure if this applies to those supporters subjected to a two match ban or anybody but you are entitled to write to the club and ask them for any electronic images the club have of you and the club is duty bound to supply them; they may make a charge for this.


Under the Data Protection Act the club will have to send anybody who asks for the electronic images that they or their agents hold and they have to do so within a certain timeframe.

*Apologies, just read the thread properly and it appears I'm just repeating what has been said elsewhere.

[weybridgewanderer]

I have just been on Kumb for something to do and see their reaction to West Hams result last night. Apparently they are currently banning fans for standing as well although they are only giving out 2 match bans ATM. So it may be that directions have been sent down from up high.

STAR is it worth putting forward the suggestion that those who have not been banned in the past have a 2 match warning ban and any further transgressions will result in a ban for the rest of the season.

west ham have a problem that the local authority will reduce the capacity of their crowd as the crowd insist on standing

if portions of our crowd persist to stand again the local authority can reduce the capacity of the ground before issuing the saftey certificate

This has happened elsewhere as well. Interestingly what happened at Ibrox was when a portion of around 500 insisted on standing the loacal authority threatened to reduce capacity on the safety certificate by 500
Spooky that!

[weybridgewanderer]

Maybe a few common sense directions for the stewards. For instance, at the end of the match, don't stand in the way of all the supporters as they leave. If they need to keep an eye on people, stand just to the side (in the disabled areas). Also, when all the people who leave 5 minutes early decide they will watch from the exits and block the exits and the stairs (obstructing the views of other people), the stewards should keep them moving.

Totally agree

it is quite common in my section of the North stand the stewards are the ones blocking the entrance I frequently need to ask them to move of the way!

[Jerry St Clair]

RFCs attitude to a number of safety issues perplexes me. For example:

Fans blocking exits before the end of a game - ACCEPTABLE
Stewards blocking exits before the end of a game - ACCEPTABLE
Cars weaving in and out of a mass of pedestrians after a game - ACCEPTABLE
All roads around the stadium open before a game combined with a lack of pedestrian crossings meaning fans playing chicken with traffic - ACCEPTABLE
Buses full of fans mounting pavements full of pedestrians after a game - ACCEPTABLE
Away fans invading the pitch - TOLERATED
Away fans standing - ACCEPTABLE
Home fans standing - UNACCEPTABLE
Standing at events other than football matches (e.g. music events) - ACCEPTABLE

I would venture to suggest that banning home fans for standing is the easiest out of all the problems listed above to resolve, and therefore the club clamp down with enthusiasm.

But, whilst, the club continue to show a complete lack of regard for safety in a huge number of areas other than standing, I will continue to treat their holier-than-thou attitude to fans with the disdain it deserves.

[Royal Lady]

Do the police have footage of the Chelsea fans who ran on the pitch and of those who threw things into the Reading end? If so, are Chelsea going to ban them from Chelsea home and away games for the rest of the season? I bet they don't.

[STAR Liaison]

I have just been on Kumb for something to do and see their reaction to West Hams result last night. Apparently they are currently banning fans for standing as well although they are only giving out 2 match bans ATM. So it may be that directions have been sent down from up high.

STAR is it worth putting forward the suggestion that those who have not been banned in the past have a 2 match warning ban and any further transgressions will result in a ban for the rest of the season.

I really wish a few more people would come to the stewards forums so that some of these misapprehensions could be laid to rest.

As far as I am aware banning orders for standing are often only for a very few games, assuming it is appealed and the person is warned that further infringements would be a longer ban so your suggestion is the current procedure. This is the way it has been operated for as long as I have been talking to the stewards. Previously RFC sometimes moved people to another stand but now three stands are full that is not an option.

The season long bans after Chelsea are supposed to be for throwing things. I was told how much cash was picked up, can't remember how much now and not enough for a weeks wage for a player bit much more than I would have expected, also other things thrown were lighters (why? was it anger at not smoking?)

[zac naloen]

Do the police have footage of the Chelsea fans who ran on the pitch and of those who threw things into the Reading end? If so, are Chelsea going to ban them from Chelsea home and away games for the rest of the season? I bet they don't.

That entirely outside of RFC's hands, the best they can do is send footage to the appropriate authorities. Handing out banning orders would be down to chelsea. You can't criticise RFC for taking a stand in their own stadium, despite what other clubs do.

[STAR Liaison]

However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.

I'm very surprised by that statement from the club. Has anyone on here seen any evidence to support that claim? Indeed have STAR been shown any video evidence to back that up? Perhaps they ought to ask to see some because it is a very serious claim to be made 'in passing'.

As someone who last season was threatened with a ban for 'shouting too much/too loud' - at no point was I accused of swearing, using racist language etc. - I am very much of the opinion that some of the stewarding is completely OTT.

As you sit in the same seat from what you have said before, how can you know if behaviour is better or worse? Do you spend the whole game watching the crowd? That is what the people in the control room do, and they also make an effort to not escalate things. For instance, everyone on here says that they never do anything to away fans. This is not true they often eject (steward speak for throwing out) away fans but they don't march them down the stand surrounded by stewards do they - they wait until they go to the concourse and then they approach them and eject them, so as far as the home fans are concerned nothing had happened.

As has been said on here before a steward threatening you with a banning order for standing may be the same as a mother saying 'wait until your father gets home'. If they have been instructed to warn you of a banning order they have to give you a written warning, otherwise it is their way of dealing with you, which may or may not be effective.

As far as the video evidence, yes it has been offered but I have no desire to sit and watch it without any constructive outcome. I give enough of my time free to help Reading fans and will not sit and watch it unless it is to help an individual. Yet again I will offer a chance to come and talk to senior stewards so that we can clear up some of these misapprehensions but so far only one person has agreed it to be a good idea, so I am again led to believe that there is no real desire to change things.

[Im Spartacus]

RFCs attitude to a number of safety issues perplexes me. For example:

Fans blocking exits before the end of a game - ACCEPTABLE
Stewards blocking exits before the end of a game - ACCEPTABLE
Cars weaving in and out of a mass of pedestrians after a game - ACCEPTABLE
All roads around the stadium open before a game combined with a lack of pedestrian crossings meaning fans playing chicken with traffic - ACCEPTABLE
Buses full of fans mounting pavements full of pedestrians after a game - ACCEPTABLE
Away fans invading the pitch - TOLERATED
Away fans standing - ACCEPTABLE
Home fans standing - UNACCEPTABLE
Standing at events other than football matches (e.g. music events) - ACCEPTABLE

I would venture to suggest that banning home fans for standing is the easiest out of all the problems listed above to resolve, and therefore the club clamp down with enthusiasm.

But, whilst, the club continue to show a complete lack of regard for safety in a huge number of areas other than standing, I will continue to treat their holier-than-thou attitude to fans with the disdain it deserves.

Add to that list.

Stewards standing at the exits DURING the game and blocking peoples view - ENCOURAGED