Dick's Bar: definitive (hopefullly!)opening times, rules re kids, plus Dark Star news

[NS Herald]

If the club have said no kids, lets respect that, as there is obviously a reason for it, and yes I do have kids of my own before anyone asks.
Kids have the family stand, leave the bar for the adults.

Hear hear - and now we've banned kids and away fans I think 1901er's should also be banned as they've got their own bars to have fun in?

 

[Bozza]

Anyway, I'm out. I've Asked the Club and I look forward to the response.

 

[wehatepalace]

Hear hear - and now we've banned kids and away fans I think 1901er's should also be banned as they've got their own bars to have fun in?

The clue is where this bar is situated, I think the club should make it exclusive to us north standers !

 

[Hotchilidog]

Given that capacity for the venue is only 250 I do not really see that this is a major issue. I normally drink in The Great Eastern before the game and they do not allow children and it's no worse a place for it. As has been said the concourses and the stadium itself should be more than enough for the kids to have a good day out. If the parents require a bar then there are plenty of pubs in Brighton and Lewes to cater for them. Dicks will be full every game, and to begin with at least will be full from 1.01pm, I do not think it unreasonable for it to be adults only.

 

[The Large One]

It's a bar , with limited capacity, why should kids be allowed to go in?

What sort of half-arsed argument is that?

One of the reasons behind the Licensing Act 2003 was to make pubs and bars more family-friendly.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It's a bar , with limited capacity, why should kids be allowed to go in?

What a ridiculous statement.

What about pensioners? Why should they be allowed in, using up the limited capacity, whilst only sipping half a bitter top?

What about women? They don't drink / spend as much as most blokes. Why should they be allowed in?

What about muslims? They don't drink at all. No point at all letting them in.

etc, etc, etc.

 

[ROSM]

BAMMO!

Why do kids need to be in the ADULTS bar?

Interesting - at which point was this deemed to be an adults bar? That certainly wasnt what was envisaged when the idea was first put forward and the very bars that were identified as examples why one was needed at falmer (when many at the club were anti having one at all) were the ones quoted by Bozza.

But hey ho - this clearly isnt as big an issue as the disabled stuff but interesting that that's now two main groups normally identified when talking about community clubs (less abled and young supporters) who have now been disenfranchised by policy changes late in the day.

 

[Colossal Squid]

1. No-one has ever said it is an "ADULTS bar". Until now.
2. The club have stated there is a legal reason stopping children entering on matchdays. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask "which law is that?" when things don't just stack up, as per my first post on this thread.
3. You seem to be pretty sure it's club policy not law. Why have we been told it's a legal constraint then?

Look - I'm not too bothered either way. I'm curious to know the details though, having enjoyed other fan bars where kids have always been present.

1. Bars, by their very nature, are ADULT venues. They're principally designed for the over 18s to enjoy alcoholic refreshment. Many child friendly bars and pubs exist, but this shouldn't be the norm. If parents of under 18s want to enjoy beers, wines or spirits in the company of their offspring there are plenty of options open to them. Just that this ONE small bar at the stadium is not one of them.
2. I understand your wanting clarification on what prevents the club from allowing children in the bar, as per their claims, and you've every right to question whether this is genuinely a legal issue.
3. I'm not sure of anything, I just cannot imagine there being any other law against having children in the bar if it is not a licensing restriction. It may well be the case that the cub have taken a decision not to allow children in (for any number of entirely valid and understandable reasons) but miscommunication or being sneaky has resulted in the decision being attributed to the authorities. In fairness, the club probably didn't expect anyone to follow it up with Brighton City Council - although you and I and everyone else have every right to do so.

Trouble is, if the club came out today and said "it is our policy not to allow kids in the bar on match days" would the issue go away?

I doubt it

 

[keaton]

What sort of half-arsed argument is that?

One of the reasons behind the Licensing Act 2003 was to make pubs and bars more family-friendly.

Maybe, it's half-arsed because you only quoted half a post?
I think there's something to be said for having an area without kids on a match day.
There are child-friendly pubs and non-child friendly pubs.
Attila seemed to suggest it's because for licensing purposes it's a cafe weekdays and a bar on match day

 

[keaton]

What a ridiculous statement.

What about pensioners? Why should they be allowed in, using up the limited capacity, whilst only sipping half a bitter top?

What about women? They don't drink / spend as much as most blokes. Why should they be allowed in?

What about muslims? They don't drink at all. No point at all letting them in.

etc, etc, etc.

I don't understand. You know of the licensing law, you know what discrimination is, why be a dickhead about it?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

It is law which stops them. We just don't know which one yet.

Naylor's Law Moany NSCers will form a sizeable number of punters at Dick's Bar so we have to piss them off

 

[hans kraay fan club]

1. Bars, by their very nature, are ADULT venues.

Some are, others are not. What people are questionning is why this one should be. I've not seen a single valid reason from yourself or others, as to why. 'So they don't use up the precious capacity' is not a reason. £3.50 for a coke and a cake, bought for a child is just as valid as the same figure as a pint of dark Star bought for an adult. And before you say there are alternatives, for families - no there are not, not whilst there are no seating areas, tables or shelves on the concourses.

Trouble is, if the club came out today and said "it is our policy not to allow kids in the bar on match days" would the issue go away?

It wouldn't 'go away', but the focus would shift, from "Why are children not able to be allowed in?", to "Why have the club chosen not to allow children in?"

 

[wehatepalace]

What a ridiculous statement.

What about pensioners? Why should they be allowed in, using up the limited capacity, whilst only sipping half a bitter top?

What about women? They don't drink / spend as much as most blokes. Why should they be allowed in?

What about muslims? They don't drink at all. No point at all letting them in.

etc, etc, etc.

Each of those points you have made are excellent, we should ask the club to enforce them.

 

[Colossal Squid]

Quite. A publican would be BREAKING THE LAW refusing to let (over 18) wheelchair users drink in his bar (assuming they weren't already hammered or causing a nuisance) just as if he were to discriminate on grounds of race or sex. Regardless of how much or how little they're drinking he can't just tell them no, he only wants the heavy drinking lads in.

HOWEVER he is perfectly entitled to refuse entry to children. They have no place being there and the law allows for this.

If he wants to make allowances for families then he can obviously do so, but he should never be EXPECTED to.

We're talking about a BAR, not a family restaurant

 

[The Large One]

Maybe, it's half-arsed because you only quoted half a post?
I think there's something to be said for having an area without kids on a match day.
There are child-friendly pubs and non-child friendly pubs.
Attila seemed to suggest it's because for licensing purposes it's a cafe weekdays and a bar on match day

I quoted the pertinent part - the part that implies children shouldn't be allowed in a bar.

By law, they are perfectly entitled to be in the bar, unless the individual venue deems otherwise. Just because you have problems with (for example) my 15 year-old nephew having a Coca-Cola and sandwich while I have my Harvey's in the comfort of Dick's Bar with a few of my friends, does that follow that I have to have that problem?

 

[Colossal Squid]

Some are, others are not. What people are questionning is why this one should be. I've not seen a single valid reason from yourself or others, as to why. 'So they don't use up the precious capacity' is not a reason. £3.50 for a coke and a cake, bought for a child is just as valid as the same figure as a pint of dark Star bought for an adult. And before you say there are alternatives, for families - no there are not, not whilst there are no seating areas, tables or shelves on the concourses.

Well on this I agree. We SHOULD have more areas for people to sit down with tables and/or shelves. But at the moment this isn't the case, and this tiny bar was never going to be the answer to that particular problem.

It strikes me that a lot of people seem to think it is a RIGHT rather than a PRIVILEGE that they be allowed to take their children into a licensed bar.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't understand. You know of the licensing law, you know what discrimination is, why be a dickhead about it?

er, yes - I know that the licensing law does NOT disbar children from being there. What is your point?

 

[ROSM]

Well on this I agree. We SHOULD have more areas for people to sit down with tables and/or shelves. But at the moment this isn't the case, and this tiny bar was never going to be the answer to that particular problem.

It strikes me that a lot of people seem to think it is a RIGHT rather than a PRIVILEGE that they be allowed to take their children into a licensed bar.

I'm interested that you know so much about what this bar was, and more importantly wasn't, going to be. Perhaps you can enlighten us mere mortals?

 

[rool]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, or that it's not the way the club needs to move forward, but it's clear now that any decisions made by the club are purely based on profitability rather than the needs or desire of fans.
I don't think we can believe that anything is done purely for the fans' benefit out of the goodness of the club's heart. I include Dick's Bar in that, Let's not be fooled, if the business model didn't work it wouldn't have been included.
That may sit uncomfortably with some hence the need to smokescreen decisions made by the club for commercial reasons on points of law.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Talking about making mountain out of a molehill, this is classic NSC moaning. The fact that Dicks is not going to cater for children is not really a big deal considering how many people the place can fit in the place, and it is not as if there are no alternative options for pre-match activities for those who are accompanying children. It's discussions like this that make me appreciate why Martin Perry's blood starts to boil.