Following a couple of questions to the club recently, we’ve published the responses we received.
1) What is the situation with fans being searched when going into the ground? Some fans were searched at the Pearl St end before the Port Vale game whereas supporters in other stands were not. At the Bury game one steward at the Sandy Lane turnstiles was searching fans thoroughly, while another let fans past without a second glance. Could there be some communication from the club about the current policy around searching supporters entering the ground with an assurance that there is a consistent approach implemented?
Can I first of all state that we would prefer not to have to search people but unfortunately we have an obligation to be trying to prevent things being brought in to the ground that contrive the ground regulations.
In recent times flares have become more “popular” at football grounds and it is very easy to hide these on a person and in a place where we are unable to search. At recent games despite our efforts we have seen flares ignited at the Wigan Athletic games and the Bury game.
Following the Wigan game we received a letter from the Football Association (FA) asking us for our observations on the igniting of two flares that were reported by the match referee. In our response to the FA we explain about our planning for the match, which was a policed game with additional stewarding, we highlight that searches are carried out and where those who are caught igniting flares we confirm that arrests are made and Football Banning Orders (FBO) are sought and imposed.
When these incidents are reported by the referee to the FA the club can face a charge that could lead to fines and areas of the ground being closed. I can report that the FA accepted all the work that we did at the Wigan game and there were arrests that are seen as positives and we have not been charged but further incidents could lead to charges.
Our policy on searching is to try and not be intrusive, we are mindful of our senior and junior supporters and train our stewarding staff to be polite. Some of our stewarding staff are more comfortable conducting searches than others but we do train the staff in searching and our stewarding supervisors are encouraged to ensure a consistent approach to searching.
We have a zero tolerance on flares being brought in to the ground for a number of reasons, first of all they are dangerous and secondly the consequences we can face as a club.
I would conclude by saying that our searches have been successful on a number of fronts. We will need to continue to carry out searches in the future and we thank all supporters for their cooperation and understanding.
2) With the changes that sometimes occur with all ticket games, specifically fans being told that they will be able to purchase tickets on the day of the game once police agree, could the admin fees incurred for buying online etc be waived? If not, will there be a process in place to refund these supporters in some way?
If not, what plans are in place to ensure those fans who have used these methods before aren’t potentially waiting to see if they can pay on the day in the future? Should the police not allow this to happen, the club could miss out on significant revenue.
Can I assure all supporters that we would prefer not to have all ticket games but when we do so it is with the sole purpose of trying to ensure spectator safety.
We do appreciate that it is not always convenient for some supporters to come to the ground to purchase their tickets and we will always try to offer at least one game prior to an all ticket match where supporters can come to the game and purchase tickets for an all ticket match.
In terms of the Bury FA Cup match we achieved this by making them available at the Port Vale match on the 28th November where there were no restrictions as sales were open to both season ticket holders and general sale. In addition we now have tickets available online, which does carry a booking fee and is very similar to most other online ticket purchases. Please note the booking fee is a fee applied by our ticketing software company and not by Rochdale AFC.
We do apologise if anyone was inconvenienced in the purchasing of tickets for the Bury game. We have very few games that are all ticket and we will endeavour to keep these to a minimum in the future and request that all supporters assist the club in purchasing tickets ahead of the day of the game for future all tickets matches.
I have tried to be thorough in my replies and have tried to give additional information to try and give supporters an insight in to some of the issues behind what we do and why we do it, if I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me. Please thank all our supporters for their understanding and cooperation as well as their continued support.
The Trust would like to thank Colin Garlick for his replies to the questions.