[Albion] Albion thanks fans for Plan-B Assistance

[Bozza]

ALBION THANK FANS FOR PLAN-B ASSISTANCE

Brighton & Hove Albion deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber has thanked fans and club staff for their assistance with the new Covid checks introduced at Wednesday night’s Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the American Express Community Stadium.

Staff checked more than 49% of fans aged 18 or over on entry to the Amex for the Premier League match, with 92% of those fans checked showing a digital NHS Covid Pass to prove they were double vaccinated. Other fans relied on their international Covid passports, NHS letters, lateral-flow tests, or vaccine cards (although the cards are only acceptable for one more match).

Barber said, “The assistance from fans, including those of our visitors from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was exceptional and, while we were only required to randomly check 20% of those attending, a combination of randomly pre-selecting home fans for Covid pass checks, and a series of further random checks at turnstiles for home and away fans, allowed us to far exceed our target. We refused admission for just two supporters who were unable to demonstrate their Covid status.

“It’s a very encouraging start to what is, and will continue to be, a challenging process, and I would like to thank our supporters for their overwhelming support for the new measures, most of which we have been implementing since the season started in preparation and readiness for the possible imposition of the government’s Plan B.

“I’d also like to thank our staff, many of whom volunteered to work extra hours at last night’s match, and in the lead up to it, to provide us with extra support, worked incredibly hard to deliver Plan-B requirements at very short notice. Their professionalism across all areas was exceptional and I’m very grateful to them for their hard work.

“The willingness of supporters to cooperate with our staff and to comply with the new requirements helps us to keep everyone as safe as possible inside the stadium, and gives us confidence going forward that we can continue to welcome fans into the stadium while supporting efforts to protect the NHS at a critical time.”

The Plan-B measures will remain in place until further notice; the next home game is against Brentford on Boxing Day.

 

[Daddies_Sauce]

Not many Covid pass checks were being performed when we entered the stadium.
The COVID-19 declaration we were emailed just has a tick box for you to advise that you were double vaccinated - no confirmation or validation checks of your actual vaccination status undertaken.
I was surprised to see the hand sanitiser station removed from the front of the stadium.
No pies or pints were purchased by our group, we remained masked and went straight to our seats to get outside and not hang around on the concourse, looking at the numbers on the concourse when passing through, I'd guess a number of others in attendance had the same thoughts.

We have booked Park & ride for the Boxing day game, but a number in our group are now feeling more than a little uneasy about attending that game at the moment.

 

[Bob!]

ALBION THANK FANS FOR PLAN-B ASSISTANCE

Brighton & Hove Albion deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber has thanked fans and club staff for their assistance with the new Covid checks introduced at Wednesday night’s Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the American Express Community Stadium.

Staff checked more than 49% of fans aged 18 or over on entry to the Amex for the Premier League match, with 92% of those fans checked showing a digital NHS Covid Pass to prove they were double vaccinated. Other fans relied on their international Covid passports, NHS letters, lateral-flow tests, or vaccine cards (although the cards are only acceptable for one more match).

Barber said, “The assistance from fans, including those of our visitors from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was exceptional and, while we were only required to randomly check 20% of those attending, a combination of randomly pre-selecting home fans for Covid pass checks, and a series of further random checks at turnstiles for home and away fans, allowed us to far exceed our target. We refused admission for just two supporters who were unable to demonstrate their Covid status.

“It’s a very encouraging start to what is, and will continue to be, a challenging process, and I would like to thank our supporters for their overwhelming support for the new measures, most of which we have been implementing since the season started in preparation and readiness for the possible imposition of the government’s Plan B.

“I’d also like to thank our staff, many of whom volunteered to work extra hours at last night’s match, and in the lead up to it, to provide us with extra support, worked incredibly hard to deliver Plan-B requirements at very short notice. Their professionalism across all areas was exceptional and I’m very grateful to them for their hard work.

“The willingness of supporters to cooperate with our staff and to comply with the new requirements helps us to keep everyone as safe as possible inside the stadium, and gives us confidence going forward that we can continue to welcome fans into the stadium while supporting efforts to protect the NHS at a critical time.”

The Plan-B measures will remain in place until further notice; the next home game is against Brentford on Boxing Day.

So, does that 49% include those ST holders that completed the online form before the game then?

 

[trueblue]

Hmm. Hard to believe those figures but maybe the queue I was in for the WSU 25 minutes before kick-off was unusual, as not a single person was being asked to show a COVID pass.

 

[studio150]

I was asked to show my covid pass as others were when I entered the ground.

 

[jessiejames]

Put it another thread when I got to the front the stewards were told to stop checking. This was 10 to 7.

 

[PeterT]

When we arrived and joined the (short) queue to get in, we didn’t see anyone have their Covid pass checked. We drove but arrived just as a train was emptying and I would say no more than 25% got off that train wearing a mask, either that or they rapidly took them off the moment they left the carriage and I only saw them afterwards.

In the section we were sat in, East Upper, no one else was wearing a mask (wearing one under your chin doesn’t count!) yet plenty were coughing and spluttering. We moved seats a couple of times just to give ourselves a bit of distance from others, luckily as there were 25,000 empty seats it was possible to do that!

We didn’t leave the seat at half time, and left after about 9 minutes of injury time to avoid the Covid haze on the way out.

I would feel very uncomfortable going with a full house, having a bit of space to move around and being able to drive made it seem less risky than it otherwise would have done though.

 

[Machiavelli]

Barbs was on the opening bit of the R5 show from 7 tonight. Impressive as ever with his accurate, clear and pithy responses.*








*One of those descriptors might be wrong

 

[Steve in Japan]

Was that 49% of the ATTENDANCE or 49% of the PRETENDANCE?

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

Was that 49% of the ATTENDANCE or 49% of the PRETENDANCE?

That is a very good question , especially as there was a large difference between the two figures !
Also just to prove there is always one ( or in this case two ) i am wondering what the story was with those refused admission and whether they tried their luck again at an alternative entrance ?

 

[Lower West Stander]

What’s he on about?

Where does he get these numbers from? No one checked anyone in my queue although a couple of people waved their phones at the stewards who were standing by the railings. There’s no way he can come up with accurate figures.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[el punal]

Hmm. Hard to believe those figures but maybe the queue I was in for the WSU 25 minutes before kick-off was unusual, as not a single person was being asked to show a COVID pass.

Really? That certainly wasn’t the case at the WSU entrance at the South Stand end. Definitely doing Covid checks but not I.D. This was around 7.00 pm by the way.

 

[Seaview Seagull]

Really? That certainly wasn’t the case at the WSU entrance at the South Stand end. Definitely doing Covid checks but not I.D. This was around 7.00 pm by the way.

This was the case for me also. I guess the % is made up of a very high number of early arrivals and a much lower number of later ones.

 

[PeterT]

This was the case for me also. I guess the % is made up of a very high number of early arrivals and a much lower number of later ones.

We were early arrivals in the East Stand Upper, I didn’t see a single check being carried out.

 

[Bry Nylon]

ALBION THANK FANS FOR PLAN-B ASSISTANCE

Barber said, “…we refused admission for just two supporters who were unable to demonstrate their Covid status.

This feels proportionate for a first offence - but if they do it again they should be made to come in and watch the game.

 

[Doonhamer7]

This feels proportionate for a first offence - but if they do it again they should be made to come in and watch the game.

If I’d none it was going to that bad I’d have taken that option

 

[Jeremiah]

No Covid or ID check for me.

Plenty of people still wearing masks as chin straps or not at all !

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

No Covid or ID check for me.

Plenty of people still wearing masks as chin straps or not at all !

Climbing the stairs to the west upper i was overtaken by a chap wearing his mask on his left hand as he disappeared i shouted after him " nice to see your hand's protected " , there was no response . Then one flight later a young man late teens and what i guess was his father completely maskless so i said " you didn't get the memo then " , this time the older man responded with " well you are alright ! " . Completely missing the point about mask wearing offering some protection to others as well as yourself . I spoke to a steward about what i had seen and he accepted there was a problem but admitted they had neither the staff numbers nor the authority to do anything about it . So what is the point of plan b if people are still not going to be public spirited enough to do it voluntarily and there is no enforcement. Even if the Brentford game goes ahead maybe the responsible people should give it a miss and let the non mask wearers revel in their independence , although why they just cannot behave themselves is beyond me !

 

[ac gull]

been to one home game. got covid checked then. was an early arrival re west stand lower

 

[soistes]

The level of mask wearing in the concourse (among people who were not at the time eating or drinking) was pathetic - reckon 30% at best in West Lower and, as far as I could see, there was zero effort from stewards or staff to encourage, let alone enforce, the mask-wearing mandate. Given that being vaccinated doesn’t prevent transmission, my feeling is that encouraging/enforcing mask wearing is far more relevant to reducing risk in the stadium than the desultory efforts at vaccine certificate checking that Barber seems to be celebrating. But maybe I’m missing something.