STAR Stewarding Forum Notes

If Member Cards are free what is to stop away fans getting one and coming into the home stands?

It is part of the ground regulations that away fans cannot enter the home stands, and the stewards are aware and do remove away fans from the home stands because of the potential public disorder. This is the basic principle but if there are thousands of away fans in home stands and there is no confrontation, then they will be stewarded (such as friendly games). Away fans should always but through the away club and it is possible to pick up purchasing patterns even if they got a Member Card. Hospitality is slightly different - box holders are companies and often think it appropriate to invite their branch employees/customers from the area of the away team and it can cause conflict.

Are all fans videoed, and what happens to it?

Yes the CCTV videos all fans in the whole stadium at one time or another. The video is written to hard disk on a weekly basis. We video some areas row by row after risk assessment to determine who is sitting with who. The concourses are also videoed, as those who try to cover up their faces need to remove it if they want a drink. The real hooligan element of the Reading support has been eliminated from the Madejski Stadium gradually through a concerted effort since the move here. The camera popping is not necessary for the stewarding of the stadium, other to make people aware that they have been photographed.

This brings us to the Police action at the Stoke game;

Thames Valley Police is intelligence driven and 40% of games are policed although not necessarily at the stadium (often just town centre policing). Reading had a group of 40 or so who had gone to Coventry City the week before looking for trouble and the intelligence was that they would be active. Also Stoke City were suppose to be bringing their own version to the game in Reading. The Public Order Evidence Gathering team came to the Madejski that day with the intention of identifying them at the game and so they were photographing many people in the East Stand. The senior police management, the Madejski Stadium management and the police liaison officer all thought this photographing was over the top, and in the match de-brief made that clear and that is why the Cardiff game (which easily could have been worse) was not so bad. However the intelligence was proved to be correct when a fight broke out in the town centre that evening when there was little Police cover as they were assisting at the Ufton Nervet train crash. The photos taken were to identify specific people and photos of other supporters were destroyed.

Standing is not allowed in the stadium and this is well documented but I worry at people in the front row of the Upper West holding children above the level of barrier.

Stewards are aware of the danger but we will look at it again to see if we can do more to ensure the safety of those in the Upper West.

There are obvious difficulties in the away stand but what measures do you take?

Some clubs have a history of standing and the club has decided to steward them this season with their own stewards and leafleting them to ask them to sit. Leeds were more obedient than expected but Cardiff were not. Next season, if we play them, they may have a reduced capacity and the club is asking for higher prices from those fans to compensate the club for reduced income. Away fans only come to the Madejski Stadium once a season but it is noticeable that some teams who have been here successive years are learning that we try to enforce sitting and are standing less each year. The away yellow coats are active to get the away fans to sit, but sometimes the risk assessment of the tangos is that it is too dangerous for the stewards to be active and then the relevant club is informed. The tactics used are not always obvious from the other stands; for instance at a recent game 36 were not allowed into the stadium at just one gate, and the technique of extracting fans on the concourse means that it is not visible (and provocative) to the home fans.

Do the Member Cards not having seat numbers on them cause problems?

We try to make sure we know where the customer service people are with their PDA's, but even then you can only swipe at a time. Today it will be a real test as it is a capacity crowd.

If the stadium was made non-smoking you would have to enforce the rule - would it cause problems?

It is noticeable how much more pleasant the atmosphere in the East Stand is now (if a little colder) which shows what a change in ban would make. It would cause problems but if that is part of the ground regulations it would be enforced. When the South Stand is sold to Reading fans as a Kids for a Quid scheme it is non-smoking and there is seldom problems (it is usually through ignorance of the rule that in defiance that people light up).

Why are there barriers around the away teams coach?

It is for safety - last year a Reading "fan" got onto an away coach after we lost and abused the away team, and on another occasion equipment was stolen. The safety of the players (and certain managers) and the stewards (after a steward was run over at Coventry).

The meeting ended at 2pm as with a capacity crowd the stewards and tangos needed to get to their posts.

This was the second forum and, as in case of the first, was informative and enabled supporters to get their points across.