Access for home fans

[Leisure]

Why does the exit route have to be instructed on Saturday by 2 buses and tonight by 1? Surely they could be left parked up against the fence and brought into position once the crowd has gone.

[corporal jones]

I’ve asked this same question a couple of times before but has anyone seen anything from the club explaining why it has been necessary to switch home and away fans in the CFS? We have been given some corporate waffle about enhancing experiences but what is the real reason? Does anyone outside of the boardroom actually know? People are arguing with each other and others were rightly worrying about the consequences so the way I see it is it has caused and continues to cause people aggravation but for what reason?

It has been clearly indicated that the intention is to develop the corner of BL and CF stands with a two storey building presumably with bars etc in. That could not be done with away fans turnstiles in that location.
As for access, it is now much easier to get up HP way without the away coaches parked up.

[dsr]

My dad never went on against Sunderland due to these daft changes. It took him all his time to navigate Ormerod Yard due to serious, grade 4 arthritis in his knee.

The best thing is he could cycle to the Turf as it's low impact but there's no cycle stations....even though we have this fantastic "town to turf"... but all Pace and co are bothered about is cheering the players off the coach, trying to stop people using the cricket club

....and let's not get started on the lousy, tinpot goal music which bismirches our history and proud tradition.

Rather than give it up altogether, perhaps he might consider getting a transport wheelchair? Presuming he's got someone fit to push it, of course. It's how my mother used to get there for a few years till we pushed the boat out and went in hospitality. You can always find somewhere in the ground to park a wheelchair - the stewards are well meaning if a little undertrained at times.

Useful for jumping the queue at airport security, too!

[claret wizard]

Just been chatting with our Chairman outside the JHU ... asked about a bigger gate to Memorial Garden and he agreed saying its on the agenda ...

How many Premier League Chairman wander around the ground talking to fans?

[ClaretPete001]

It has been clearly indicated that the intention is to develop the corner of BL and CF stands with a two storey building presumably with bars etc in. That could not be done with away fans turnstiles in that location.
As for access, it is now much easier to get up HP way without the away coaches parked up.

And probably in the end it will be for the better but it's not been that clear.

What is largely cited on the club's web site is:

'The developments, including the new player arrival experience, aim to build stronger links between fans and players and help create an impactful atmosphere as Premier League football returns to Turf Moor.'

I'm not greatly convinced the atmosphere will be improved by these changes. Football is created from a non-corporate desire to be tribal, to sing and to create an intimidating atmosphere for opponents as much as for bars and getting fans into the ground earlier to spend more money.

A debate about it is good. The hyperbole is just what happens on social media. This site is not as visceral and objectionable as most I've read.

[ecc]

"the new player arrival experience"

Imagine what somebody who's been on Mars/stuck in a cave for the last fifty years would make of that upon their return to Earth.

[Bosscat]

How many Premier League Chairman wander around the ground talking to fans?

Not many ...

[Row x]

"the new player arrival experience"

Imagine what somebody who's been on Mars/stuck in a cave for the last fifty years would make of that upon their return to Earth.

If they were sensible, they'd do a bit of research, and find that most premier league teams do the same, and they'd realise its the norm for clubs at this level
They'd probably wonder why people who've stayed on earth all that time, hadn't realised the same.

[Row x]

How many Premier League Chairman wander around the ground talking to fans?

I'll guess one

[fidelcastro]

If they were sensible, they'd do a bit of research, and find that most premier league teams do the same, and they'd realise its the norm for clubs at this level
They'd probably wonder why people who've stayed on earth all that time, hadn't realised the same.

Still on the payroll, then?

[Row x]

Still on the payroll, then?

Still being childish, then?

[fidelcastro]

Still being childish, then?

I never was.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Curious whether there were major problems with ticketing access yesterday? The guy in front of me in JHU wouldn’t get his season ticket card to work, he had two and neither worked, he was being told to go to the ticket office and miss kick off. He was incandescent and refused to leave until a supervisor came (blocking the turnstile at 1:45 but we snuck in the next door one so didn’t see the outcome). It was obvious from the body language that this guy was genuine and a long time STH.

How many STH cards do we think we had that didn’t work? Guessing this chap missed Sunderland.

[Leon_C]

Curious whether there were major problems with ticketing access yesterday? The guy in front of me in JHU wouldn’t get his season ticket card to work, he had two and neither worked, he was being told to go to the ticket office and miss kick off. He was incandescent and refused to leave until a supervisor came (blocking the turnstile at 1:45 but we snuck in the next door one so didn’t see the outcome). It was obvious from the body language that this guy was genuine and a long time STH.

How many STH cards do we think we had that didn’t work? Guessing this chap missed Sunderland.

My contactless ST didn't work. I tried it, the turnstile operator tried it - and fortunately, I had my 'classic' plastic card as a back-up, which worked just fine. The queue at -15mins was larger than I've seen for a while, and was slow-moving, I assume with other similar issues. Hopefully teething problems which will be eliminated.

[Loyalclaret]

I got two tickets for a Claret. They wouldn't scan from wallet, steward said "You'll have to go to the ticket office as some have been cancelled". Naturally I checked my bank, no refund or contact that I could find.

Ticket office printed out paper copies. Was a blag, as I was not with her when they were refused entry, so had to get down for ticket office part.

I successfully used a screenshot of my QR code as a test in the CFS.

[manuelbenny]

Rather than give it up altogether, perhaps he might consider getting a transport wheelchair? Presuming he's got someone fit to push it, of course. It's how my mother used to get there for a few years till we pushed the boat out and went in hospitality. You can always find somewhere in the ground to park a wheelchair - the stewards are well meaning if a little undertrained at times.

Useful for jumping the queue at airport security, too!

He's asked for somewhere to park his bike, but been fobbed off with "it's something we are looking into"...bike, wheelchair, it's same difference

[manuelbenny]

Curious whether there were major problems with ticketing access yesterday? The guy in front of me in JHU wouldn’t get his season ticket card to work, he had two and neither worked, he was being told to go to the ticket office and miss kick off. He was incandescent and refused to leave until a supervisor came (blocking the turnstile at 1:45 but we snuck in the next door one so didn’t see the outcome). It was obvious from the body language that this guy was genuine and a long time STH.

How many STH cards do we think we had that didn’t work? Guessing this chap missed Sunderland.

I've had this happen to me in the past when the odd times I've upgraded my daughter's season ticket, the QR code has failed to work. I have refused to leave the queue...shown my proof of upgrade and eventually they have let me through. It's a joke

[dsr]

He's asked for somewhere to park his bike, but been fobbed off with "it's something we are looking into"...bike, wheelchair, it's same difference

With my mother's, we left it anywhere we could find. This was coming in at the Bob Lord entrance nearer the cricket field end, but there was a hut (once used for selling programmes) that we could leave it in, or a flat space behind a rail half way up the steps. Basically the stewards were happy for us to put it anywhere as long as it was out of the way (and no longer their problem!)

[Leisure]

Curious whether there were major problems with ticketing access yesterday? The guy in front of me in JHU wouldn’t get his season ticket card to work, he had two and neither worked, he was being told to go to the ticket office and miss kick off. He was incandescent and refused to leave until a supervisor came (blocking the turnstile at 1:45 but we snuck in the next door one so didn’t see the outcome). It was obvious from the body language that this guy was genuine and a long time STH.

How many STH cards do we think we had that didn’t work? Guessing this chap missed Sunderland.

There was certainly a very long queue outside the TO at around 1.40pm.

[dsr]

The car park was a bit chaotic yesterday. We arrived a about noon for our disabled parking space, and the car park was supposedly locked down because of team coaches arriving but with an exception for disabled badge holders, and road closed signs were up all over, and all the disabled spaces were full of (presumably) non-disabled cars because they couldn't get to their own space, and eventually we had to park in the nearest (very narrow) gap. It was a case of "we've never done this before and we don't know what we're doing", which will hopefully turn into "Now we do know what we're doing and we will have got it organised" by Saturday. The senior steward looked well harrassed!

[Alan Young]

Anybody else exit via the Memorial Garden this afternoon?

Overcrowded and lots of standing water. Appreciate its been awful weather but I’m not looking forward to that route on the dark, winter nights.

[beddie]

Anybody else exit via the Memorial Garden this afternoon?

Overcrowded and lots of standing water. Appreciate its been awful weather but I’m not looking forward to that route on the dark, winter nights.

It was awful, lose flags with pools of water everywhere. It was a torrential downpour leaving the ground. It felt a long walk back to the car in wet clothes. Im still perplexed as to what benefit it is to the club by all the changes.

[Bosscat]

Thankfully weather like today is not that often ... but it was horrendous trying to negotiate muddy puddles to get back to the car.today.

[ClaretTony]

Just downright ridiculous what this club are putting us through for no obvious reason

[nil_desperandum]

Thankfully weather like today is not that often ... but it was horrendous trying to negotiate muddy puddles to get back to the car.today.

Agreed - rarely as wet as today, but typically the weather in Burnley in the winter months is more often than not cold, miserable and wet.
And from next month it will be dark at full-time - unless its a lunchtime kick-off.

[summitclaret]

Just downright ridiculous what this club are putting us through for no obvious reason

I've found a quicker partly dry route from the JHU back to town, but won't share because it would defeat the object. By the way the away team bus location is utterly ridiculous.

[Bordeauxclaret]

I've found a quicker partly dry route from the JHU back to town, but won't share because it would defeat the object. By the way the away team bus location is utterly ridiculous.

Was it you running across the pitch?

[Burnleybabe]

Just downright ridiculous what this club are putting us through for no obvious reason

Totally agree it is totally stupid what we are supposed to do leaving the ground.
I really cannot see the reason for this change.
It was awful today what with the coach and the bottleneck.
We were ****** wet through, by the time we got back to the car.
Maybe the people who made this decision, should leave their heated seats and walk the route they expect us fans to do
Better matchday experience my arse.

[GetIntoEm]

Can't believe the club allowed weather such as today without personally consulting 20000 fans. Don't they know some people don't like walking? Pace out

[Burnleybabe]

Can't believe the club allowed weather such as today without personally consulting 20000 fans. Don't they know some people don't like walking? Pace out

Don't be so bloody flippant

Its not just the weather though.
It will be dark soon and with the amount of fans going that way it will be dangerous.
Especially when you are trying to keep an eye on youngsters.
Personally I find it hard work, as do a lot of older and disabled fans walking the extra distance.

[GetIntoEm]

Don't be so bloody flippant

Its not just the weather though.
It will be dark soon and with the amount of fans going that way it will be dangerous.
Especially when you are trying to keep an eye on youngsters.
Personally I find it hard work, as do a lot of older and disabled fans walking the extra distance.

I've walked that way for at least the last 20 years and it's been no more busier or difficult this season than any other season.

[ksrclaret]

Don't be so bloody flippant

Its not just the weather though.
It will be dark soon and with the amount of fans going that way it will be dangerous.
Especially when you are trying to keep an eye on youngsters.
Personally I find it hard work, as do a lot of older and disabled fans walking the extra distance.

Don’t let him/ her get a rise out of you. That’s exactly what he/ she wants. Always after an argument with someone.

[alwaysaclaret]

May seem a stupid question, but do the away team actually board the coach where it's parked at the corner of the JM/JH stand when leaving the stadium, or are they driven round closer to the changing rooms at the CF stand on Harry Potts way.

[jos]

My mates and I are now early leavers because of these changes.

It makes a difference. We live miles away.

[Somethingfishy]

I stayed behind a little longer than I normally do after the Liverpool game with the end being so dramatic and controversial just to see if there was any fallout on the pitch and with the ref. Big mistake. I experienced the crush and the shuffle towards the club shop gap first hand.
With that experience in mind and with the weather how it was then I made the sane decision to leave a couple of minutes before the end of added time. I sit in Block 2 of the JHU and so walked the full length of the concourse and out at the end. Away coaches were still there but all barriered off sensibly. Fans of like mind were around but I certainly beat the crush and encountered no issues. I can only imagine the scene a few minutes later.
Surely they have to do something about this if they have any inkling of respect for the supporters.

[Rileybobs]

I stayed behind a little longer than I normally do after the Liverpool game with the end being so dramatic and controversial just to see if there was any fallout on the pitch and with the ref. Big mistake. I experienced the crush and the shuffle towards the club shop gap first hand.
With that experience in mind and with the weather how it was then I made the sane decision to leave a couple of minutes before the end of added time. I sit in Block 2 of the JHU and so walked the full length of the concourse and out at the end. Away coaches were still there but all barriered off sensibly. Fans of like mind were around but I certainly beat the crush and encountered no issues. I can only imagine the scene a few minutes later.
Surely they have to do something about this if they have any inkling of respect for the supporters.

I’m not on board with how all this has played out, but there is nothing like a crush near the club shop when leaving the ground.

[beeholeclaret]

Didn’t find it easy getting out of the North Stand upper after today’s game. It has always been busy using the stairs at the end of the stand to exit the ground but today th ey were met with sweeping rain and water in the gullys but worst of all access was clocked by two coaches which were positioned near the exit. This had the effect of funnelling hundreds of other people exiting from further along the North stand instead of heading the old way past the cricket club.

As for what met us after squeezing into this bottleneck was a further crush at the corner of JM stand heading towards Harry Potts Way the hundreds literally became what must’ve been a few thousand as everyone was pushing through an exit Kane which is probably about 20 yards wide.

I saw elderly people with sticks and visually impaired people with white sticks trying to navigate and glad that despite being age 66 I am quite tall and mobile. Help us all went it becomes dark and icy in winter months.

First thing would be to move the coaches well away from this corner until most people are clear of the ground. By the time the players have showered and met their hospitality obligations most people will have gone therefore the coaches can return to this position.

To coin a well used phrase at our house “you couldn’t write this stuff”.

Despite this whinge I do support the board and club in their efforts to make improvements. I just think they fail to think things through sometimes. Not of common sense would help on occasions.

[beeholeclaret]

Apologies for typos on above post. Edit facility failed!

[Woodleyclaret]

We need gates so fans can exit onto the estate before the Jimmy Mac stand .The crush yesterday was horrendous by the corner onto HPW

[Lew200100]

I got told on the way out this was all about keeping Burnley fans away from supporting the cricket club. Obviously this is to starve them of income as they won’t give any of there footprint to the football club.I was the same as everyone else baffled by why we are now expected to exit the stadium and a lad heard me mourning to my sons and he said that is the reason and to me it makes sense.

Just wished I’d have known before I bought the tickets for the season.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Totally agree it is totally stupid what we are supposed to do leaving the ground.
I really cannot see the reason for this change.
It was awful today what with the coach and the bottleneck.
We were ****** wet through, by the time we got back to the car.
Maybe the people who made this decision, should leave their heated seats and walk the route they expect us fans to do
Better matchday experience my arse.

Would you not have been ‘******’ wet through regardless of the ‘bottleneck’?
God knows what people would have made coming off Old Trafford a few weeks ago.

[beddie]

I should have invited Mr Pace to leave with me and my wife from the JHL down to the turning point past the memorial garden and through the mud, deep puddles, lose flags all the way up through Holcombe drive to the tennis club, it took us a lot longer and in awful conditions. Thanks Mr Pace for all this inconvenience, you really do know how to give fans a match day experience. I omitted to add that we have to leave a couple of minutes before the final whistle in order to avoid the crush, that in itself is really annoying.

[NewClaret]

I should have invited Mr Pace to leave with me and my wife from the JHL down to the turning point past the memorial garden and through the mud, deep puddles, lose flags all the way up through Holcombe drive to the tennis club, it took us a lot longer and in awful conditions. Thanks Mr Pace for all this inconvenience, you really do know how to give fans a match day experience. I omitted to add that we have to leave a couple of minutes before the final whistle in order to avoid the crush, that in itself is really annoying.

Oddly enough, I noticed there were a lot more staying late yesterday and applauding the team off. Maybe they were reluctant to go out in the rain or maybe the close game played its part, but it was much better than previous seasons in that respect.

No crush coming off for me and I left not long after the players left the field, as usual. Not sure if it was just a case of less fans on, or something has changed, but I pretty much walked off like normal - which was not the experience at Liverpool.

[Barlickclaret]

I should have invited Mr Pace to leave with me and my wife from the JHL down to the turning point past the memorial garden and through the mud, deep puddles, lose flags all the way up through Holcombe drive to the tennis club, it took us a lot longer and in awful conditions. Thanks Mr Pace for all this inconvenience, you really do know how to give fans a match day experience. I omitted to add that we have to leave a couple of minutes before the final whistle in order to avoid the crush, that in itself is really annoying.

Think you need to email or ring the council, the mud,deep puddles,loose flags are nothing to do with Mr pace and the club.

[IanMcL]

I've found a quicker partly dry route from the JHU back to town, but won't share because it would defeat the object. By the way the away team bus location is utterly ridiculous.

Can't think of more than 2 routes in total for exit.

[wilks_bfc]

Can't think of more than 2 routes in total for exit.

I noticed a cable/line from the corner of the JH to my he corner of CFS so my theory is they freeclimb up the inside of the JH, zip line across, scramble across the underside of the CFS roof, dropping down and out onto Harry Potts Way

[bfcmik]

I know this is a thread about access, but I saw some things regarding stewarding in the new Cricket Field quarter yesterday.

Smaller kids have always been allowed to go down to the front (seating arrangements are a lot more 'flexible' in the CFS) but yesterday the stewards decided that, unlike the 2 previous games, the kids couldn't stay there as the seats are for the disabled - none of whom have ever been admitted to the CFS as there was, literally, no provision in the stand at all for accessible access before this season (and I'm not certain there is even now)!

[beddie]

Think you need to email or ring the council, the mud,deep puddles,loose flags are nothing to do with Mr pace and the club.

Yes I’m fully aware of that, it was in order to show him the inconvenience of it all rather than the preferable walk up Ormerod Yard to the pedestrian highway.

[blatherwickstattoos]

Cricket field stand walkway to enter and exit the stand is far far narrower. People congregating towards the end of the match stood still blocking the exit. Saw a few people struggling to move past. Atmosphere in there much better though with it being compact. Bob lord even got a song going yesterday which was very pleasing. Well done old chaps and ladies

[IanMcL]

I noticed a cable/line from the corner of the JH to my he corner of CFS so my theory is they freeclimb up the inside of the JH, zip line across, scramble across the underside of the CFS roof, dropping down and out onto Harry Potts Way

Then they deserve the quick getaway!