Access for home fans

[ClaretTony]

Confirmed - no longer access via Ormerod yard

• Home supporters in the North Stand can no longer enter and exit the stadium via Ormerod Yard and will instead gain access and exit via the North East Car Park, next to the Clarets Store.
• Home supporters in the Barnfield Stand will also not have access to Ormerod Yard, instead supporters will enter and exit onto Harry Potts Way.

Arrival.jpg (129.74 KiB) Viewed 2101 times

Departure.jpg (129.52 KiB) Viewed 2101 times

[ClaretSam92]

That's going to be a nightmare. The bottle neck after the game on the corner of the club shop onto Harry Potts way is bad at the best of times. It's going to be dangerous

[JohnMcGreal]

Idiotic.

[Leisure]

Gonna be a bottleneck after games at the gate at the corner of the JMc with 12,000 or so having to go through it! But never mind, the away fans will have a nice smooth exit!

[ClaretTony]

On the club website, it says: "The developments aim to build stronger links between fans and players, ensuring that supporters visiting Turf Moor enjoy a memorable matchday experience."

Laughable

[clarethomer]

Wont be there on Saturday but its one way to push more people to find other ways of watching the game when they are making it more difficult for fans who pay and make the effort to come and support the team.

I’m able to walk this but I know many of our elderly clarets may not. Even worse in winter when the conditions are worse.

[Carport]

The Club were pleased to reveal exciting stadium transformation plans to enhance the matchday atmosphere and fan experience at Turf Moor recently.

The stadium renovations will be carried out in a phased approach and ahead of Saturday's home game against Sunderland the Club wish to inform supporters of access changes that may affect their entry and exit to and from the stadium.

How does this improve match day atmosphere and fan experience? Who agreed this nonsense?

[clarethomer]

Gonna be a bottleneck after games at the gate at the corner of the JMc with 12,000 or so having to go through it! But never mind, the away fans will have a nice smooth exit!

I would imagine there will be a portion of the north stand already exiting this way currently but get your point. Not sure if I can be arsed with it. It’s bad enough navigating the car park and tv trailers after the game currently - going to be awful experience for us at that end of the north stand

[Whitgord]

All this because a handful of idiots (home and away fans) can’t be grown up enough to walk near each other without fighting. It beggars belief.

[ClaretTony]

Wont be there on Saturday but its one way to push more people to find other ways of watching the game when they are making it more difficult for fans who pay and make the effort to come and support the team.

I’m able to walk this but I know many of our elderly clarets may not. Even worse in winter when the conditions are worse.

I'm a lot better than some people my age but it is still a nightmare for me from my seat in the Longside Upper to get to the bus station after the game, apart from the longer walk I will probably be catching a later bus. But Alan wants so Alan gets.

[LlandennyClaret]

These owners simply have no clue. Idiotic and dangerous decision.
How has this passed any form of Risk Assessment/Health & Safety Audit?
Zero enhancement of the match day experience.

[claretblue]

Burnley FC <hello@email.burnleyfootballclub.com>

[Elizabeth]

Disappointing news is an understatement

[ksrclaret]

Absolutely pathetic. Shoddy decision after shoddy decision. Idiots running the club.

[jrgbfc]

Agree completely about the bottle neck by the club shop. If i took kids down or was elderly i honestly think i'd either be leaving early or hanging back a bit, its that bad.

[clarethomer]

Wonder how empty the stand will look when we are out of games as surely fans will now think that I may as well leave a bit earlier to avoid that rush, having to wait for a later bus or trains etc.

Genuinely no idea what they are thinking with this.

Why can’t they hold away fans for 10 mins instead?

[daveisaclaret]

Always a puzzler when the club makes things worse and tell us it's for our benefit.

[Granny WeatherWax]

Wonder how the cricket club take this, might not matter as much this year with big away followings but.....

Absolutely mind boggling making 14,000 of us go through 1 exit.

[jrgbfc]

I'm really struggling to see the logic with this. Surely they aren't that desperate to try and push people to use the Fanzone?

[Woodleyclaret]

We need gates in the fence adjacent to Jimmy Mac stand to allow fans to exit before Harry Potts way not walk all the way to the end of the fence

[Targetman]

On the club website, it says: "The developments aim to build stronger links between fans and players, ensuring that supporters visiting Turf Moor enjoy a memorable matchday experience."

Laughable

The club have once again used the word "exciting" in their description, that's also laughable!

[ClaretTony]

The club have once again used the word "exciting" in their description, that's also laughable!

They don't understand us and have never made any attempt to understand us

[ICL]

We knew this was coming, but when it’s laid out as enhancing the fan experience, it is beyond laughable. Why are they doing this? For what possible benefit? Truly shameful.

[summitclaret]

All this because a handful of idiots (home and away fans) can’t be grown up enough to walk near each other without fighting. It beggars belief.

No all because a few idiots on the pitch goading Sheff U players more like.

[gandhisflipflop]

They don't understand us and have never made any attempt to understand us

What is it that you want them to understand?

The only criticism I have is being emailed 3 days before the first home game.

[ClaretTony]

What is it that you want them to understand?

The only criticism I have is being emailed 3 days before the first home game.

Read the stuff they've put out. If you agree with that then fine, it just tells me they have no understanding of Burnley fans whatsoever and whatever their reason for doing this it is just inconveniencing lots of home supporters.

[fidelcastro]

No all because a few idiots on the pitch goading Sheff U players more like.

I don't see how moving the tunnel, swapping the home and away fans' seats and stopping people using Ormerod Yard, prevents pitch invasions and belmtards confronting opposition players/coaching staff.

[gandhisflipflop]

Read the stuff they've put out. If you agree with that then fine, it just tells me they have no understanding of Burnley fans whatsoever and whatever their reason for doing this it is just inconveniencing lots of home supporters.

They are inconveniencing home supporters I do agree with that. I’m referring to you saying they’ve never made any attempt to understand us.

[ClaretTony]

They are inconveniencing home supporters I do agree with that. I’m referring to you saying they’ve never made any attempt to understand us.

If you think what they've put out shows any understanding of us then fine, but I don't.

[ClaretTony]

I don't see how moving the tunnel, swapping the home and away fans' seats and stopping people using Ormerod Yard, prevents pitch invasions and belmtards confronting opposition players/coaching staff.

It is nothing to do with what happened last season, none of it.

[RVclaret]

Completely ridiculous this.

[fidelcastro]

It is nothing to do with what happened last season, none of it.

I didn't say it was. I was just replying to the poster who suggested it was for that reason, but it begs the question of why are they doing this?

[Den_Perry]

So much for wanting more fans to stay up to the final whistle and beyond. Will be half empty in the JH with 10 mins to go as people rush to avoid the bottleneck around the back of the Jimmy Mc….no thought has been put into this at all. Surely having 1-2 exit only gates say at either end of the fan zone to the path behind would have at least made some sort of sense?

[NottsClaret]

No need to get sidetracked by semantics guys, the issue here is the previously mentioned bottleneck in that corner. It was tight as it was.

[ksrclaret]

As mentioned a few times now, the club can have absolutely no complaints about fans leaving early and atmospheres being poor after the way they've taken these thoughtless decisions.

[PremierLeagueClass]

Massive own goal to pitch this as an enhancement.

[claretgimmer]

Why not just use the new tunnel for the away team to access and egress the pitch in front of their own supporters and leave everything else as was, other clubs have two tunnels for each team, would have been cheaper and created less havoc than what the new layout has potential to do. Short sighted stupidity at the very least.

[ClaretTony]

I didn't say it was. I was just replying to the poster who suggested it was for that reason, but it begs the question of why are they doing this?

The chairman wants it like this

[boyyanno]

Confirmed - no longer access via Ormerod yard

• Home supporters in the North Stand can no longer enter and exit the stadium via Ormerod Yard and will instead gain access and exit via the North East Car Park, next to the Clarets Store.
• Home supporters in the Barnfield Stand will also not have access to Ormerod Yard, instead supporters will enter and exit onto Harry Potts Way.



Arrival.jpg


Departure.jpg

It amazes me that the club looked at that image and didn't somehow see that a singular and small entry point could be dangerous.

[NottsClaret]

Let's say it's 1-1 on Saturday, an afternoon kick off, a close finish so not many leave early. 5 minutes later you've got around 14,000 people leaving via this. It will probably all be fine, it'll certainly take a while though.

exit.jpg (434.67 KiB) Viewed 1379 times

[fidelcastro]

It does make me wonder if some, mainly older, fans will actually call it a day because of this.

A sad situation, if that's the case.

[fidelcastro]

The chairman wants it like this

I know he does, but why?

[ClaretTony]

I know he does, but why?

I can't read his mind and to be honest I wouldn't want to

[Orangebernard]

I get the impression that maybe one or two decisions have had a domino effect of consequences that haven’t been properly thought through. I’m thinking of wanting to move the tunnel necessitated the need to swap home and away fans to be either side of the tunnel plus wanting to make the players coaches arriving down Harry Potts Way ‘an event’ meant that they didn’t want away supporter coaches parked on HPW. I have no idea why they wanted to move the tunnel or who they are expecting to be lining the streets 90 minutes before KO to see the players dash into the ground to avoid the inevitable Burnley weather but I do know that they didn’t consult with anyone who actually understands the mind set of ordinary football fans. Not only is this affecting thousands of home fans detrimentally but I believe it will hand the noisy initiative to the away fans to create their own atmosphere.

[123EasyasBFC]

The chairman wants it like this

Do we know this has come directly from the chairman or has it come from the operations director Doug Metcalf.

Not sure someone who is part of a new independent supporters group should be putting things like ‘what Alan wants Alan gets’ it really does make you sound like you have a personal problem with Alan Pace himself.

Just my opinion.

[Rosehill Claret]

Let's say it's 1-1 on Saturday, an afternoon kick off, a close finish so not many leave early. 5 minutes later you've got around 14,000 people leaving via this. It will probably all be fine, it'll certainly take a while though.


exit.jpg

Is it possible for that gate next to the car to be pushed back up against the wall, so it doubles the current width of that point?

[Claretnick]

Confirmed - no longer access via Ormerod yard

• Home supporters in the North Stand can no longer enter and exit the stadium via Ormerod Yard and will instead gain access and exit via the North East Car Park, next to the Clarets Store.
• Home supporters in the Barnfield Stand will also not have access to Ormerod Yard, instead supporters will enter and exit onto Harry Potts Way.

Now that the club has made this official announcement is there any way we as supporters can ask the local authorities responsible for health and safety in the outside area if they are satisfied with the safety of the departing crowd at this bottleneck or pinch point.
Just asking the question as I don't know who we can ask if satisfactory checks have been made.
I remember as a child leaving the terracing being lifted off my feet in this area by the crowd which is not a happy feeling, as the Ormerod Yard was not accessible back then.
Who would be responsible Burnley Borough Council, Lancs County Council or the Police?

[thingandwhere]

Wonder how the cricket club take this, might not matter as much this year with big away followings but.....

We've had a lot of questions received about whether we're open, offering parking, etc etc... Fuelled at their heart by the summer's rumour mill about whether these access changes have been coming.

The answer is a big YES. The cricket club is still open and offering all the usual amenities (plus even more before the game for kids and families with various food trucks and drinks offers) with the regular happy hour post-match offers too.

[boyyanno]

I know it's cynical but it just stinks to me of them wanting to drive people to the fan zone/club shop, wether the cricket club are also a consideration is possible I guess- but whatever the reason it's not to improve the match day experience.

I also hate the spin they put on this stuff.

[Indecisive]

Do we know it’s a completely unilateral decision made solely by Alan Pace?

For access things like this you’d imagine there would be some modelling to check the actual feasibility. The consequences of them being some real safety concerns would surely have been addressed and presumably ruled out.

On the surface it does seem an odd decision but really there must be some logic behind it (even if it’s flawed).

Sometimes comments on here read like there’s a thought that Pace’s sole intention in all decisions like this is to irritate the fanbase. I don’t buy that. I do appreciate the the keeping the fans happy takes a backseat to making ££, but I feel that’s now the case with 99% of clubs.