Tottenham combatting fan group trying to improve atmosphere

[clippedgull]

source: The Guardian

Tottenham Hotspur are actively taking steps to try to combat the "unacceptable" behaviour of a supporters' group set up to improve the much-criticised atmosphere at White Hart Lane, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The latest minutes of the Tottenham Safety and Advisory Group (SAG) reveal the club are concerned about an organisation of supporters who want to bring the noise back to the stadium on the back of André Villas-Boas's comments that it is too "anxious and negative".

The 1882 movement, set up by the Fighting Cock fanzine and podcast, encourages supporters "to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us". However, the minutes reveal there are moves being made behind the scenes to try to prevent the people behind it gathering in a designated area of the ground.

Bob McIver, head of building control at Haringey council, has written to Darren Eales, the Spurs director of football administration, to put the club "on warning" about this group. According to the documents, the club have decided they will not be allowed to go into J block, as they did for the recent Capital One Cup tie against Hull City. McIver's view is that "this group have to be monitored at future fixtures" and, since that meeting, the relevant supporters have been moved to another area behind one of the goals.

Tottenham have been speaking to their Supporters' Trust about the problem with the atmosphere and the club say they want to work closely with 1882 group. McIver is "aware it is hard to stop this group getting seats together as they arrange this among themselves via social media".

Sue Tilling, Tottenham's safety officer, depicts the 1882 movement as "a group of supporters aged 15 to 25 who are trying to improve the atmosphere at White Hart Lane". The SAG is "fully aware this fixture [against Hull] came just after AVB's interview regarding the lack of atmosphere at the stadium". However, there were reports of people standing, against stewards' instructions, and they "will therefore not be allowed to buy seats in this area". The group "stood and migrated [and] this is not acceptable".

The 1882 group was set up in the 2011-12 season, originally for youth-team and under-21 fixtures. According to its website, "the aim of the 1882 movement is to support our team and the shirt they play in and to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us. We want to hark back to the days before the Premier League, when how loud you sang and how passionate you became wasn't dependent on how well Tottenham were playing. We simply want to make noise and get behind the team, which hopefully creates a more enjoyable match-day experience."

The SAG meeting took place on 5 November, including representatives from Metropolitan police, the ambulance and fire services and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. West Ham's supporters were identified as having caused the most issues at White Hart Lane this season because of "increased, organised problematic fans". Their followers were "not the best to deal with and had ignited a smoke bomb".

 

[Mackenzie]

That should spur them on even more.

 

[ExmouthExile]

Perhaps they should get Pukka Pies to sponsor them?

 

[pastafarian]

the updated(nov 2013) safety report from sports ground safety authority makes for an interesting read

Case study 2 sounds suspiciously like the Amex

http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.or...ublications/standing-in-seated-areas-2013.pdf

 

[Husty]

the updated(nov 2013) safety report from sports ground safety authority makes for an interesting read

Case study 2 sounds suspiciously like the Amex

http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.or...ublications/standing-in-seated-areas-2013.pdf

It does rather

A club saw the opportunity of a move to a new 22,500 capacity stadium as a chanceto make a change.

 

[Diego Napier]

"the aim of the 1882 movement is to support our team and the shirt they play in and to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us. We want to hark back to the days before the Premier League, when how loud you sang and how passionate you became wasn't dependent on how well Tottenham were playing. We simply want to make noise and get behind the team, which hopefully creates a more enjoyable match-day experience."

That sentiment wouldn't go amiss at the Amex although I don't imagine it would go down to well with the NSC boo boys and the "I pays my money I can sit in silence if I want, don't tell me what to do, singing doesn't help the team" brigades.

 

[hoveboyslim]

the updated(nov 2013) safety report from sports ground safety authority makes for an interesting read

Case study 2 sounds suspiciously like the Amex

http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.or...ublications/standing-in-seated-areas-2013.pdf

Excellent. We are all part of a case study. I feel like a lab rat.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Case study 2 must be the Amex

 

[Hamilton]

I don't remember my season ticket presentation telling me how I had to behave. A little bit of retro fitting the truth there in case study 2.

 

[pastafarian]

I don't remember my season ticket presentation telling me how I had to behave. A little bit of retro fitting the truth there in case study 2.

thank goodness its not just me not remembering that part of the presentation,i thought maybe i just wasnt paying attention.

That is of course case study 2 is actually referring to us.

 

[Husty]

thank goodness its not just me not remembering that part of the presentation,i thought maybe i just wasnt paying attention.

That is of course case study 2 is actually referring to us.

What other club has moved into a 22500 seater stadium recently and sold out all home areas to STHs?

 

[pastafarian]

What other club has moved into a 22500 seater stadium recently and sold out all home areas to STHs?

i should have added i am convinced its us

 

[Miami Seagull]

i should have added i am convinced its us

Without a doubt its us.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Atmosphere at grounds will never improve all the time the authorities are instantly militant towards groups like this

 

[Surf's Up]

Case study 2 is clearly us. They should've added a small coda to the effect that everything described in the case study has conspired to destroy the atmosphere as well as making it ultra safe so the way forward is to try and reconcile safety and atmosphere .... i.e. Safe Standing

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

Can someone cut and paste case study 2 on here please. My phone won't let me read it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Can someone cut and paste case study 2 on here please. My phone won't let me read it.

Thanks in advance.

Here you go.....

Case 2:

What was the situation?
A club saw the opportunity of a move to a new 22,500 capacity stadium as a chance to make a change. At its old ground it experienced problems of persistent standing by both home and away supporters
The club wanted to produce a ground and safety management operation that aimed to make each spectator day an event not just a match and one which sought to put customer service and quality at the forefront of all plans. It decided that seating, for both home and away supporters, would not be to the minimum standard permitted by the Green Guide but would be quality padded seats with ample leg room and excellent sightlines which would encourage spectators to sit. The club’s staff would not assume that supporters would misbehave but would treat supporters in the way they would themselves wish to be treated. Staff would be friendly and helpful and treat supporters in respect. Spectators were not only made aware of what the club was offering them but also the level of behaviour the club expected in return.
The quality of what the club was offering not only attracted increased support but also one that was more diverse. As a consequence the home areas of the ground were sold in their entirety to season ticket holders. While not seeking to condone standing in any areas of the new ground the club took a decision that while there should be zero tolerance of standing in some parts of the ground, for example in the stand that housed the family section, there would be others where there would be greater tolerance but where the club would work through the stewards to eradicate it.
What did ground management do?
Before any spectator could buy a season ticket for any part of the ground they were required to attend a presentation which included the behaviour that the club would expect of supporters in particular areas. It was made clear to anyone purchasing a ticket for those areas where there was to be zero tolerance of persistent standing that if they stood they could expect their ticket to be withdrawn. Such an approach was made easier by the fact the stadium was access controlled and all home areas were sold to season ticket holders. Where the club has denied access as a result of persistent standing there has been little sympathy for the barred individual from other supporters. The general view being that we were all told the levels of behaviour the club expected.
To improve the safety in the upper tier of the ground the 800mm barrier in front of the front row of seats has effectively been increased to 1100 mm by the addition of a toughened glass barrier on top of the wall. The glass barrier does not impede sightlines nor has it encouraged spectators to stand.
The quality of the spectator accommodation offered to the visiting supporters is of the same high quality as that offered to the home supporters. To make the visiting supporters “feel at home” lighting is used to dress the away section in the visiting team’s colours, the beer and refreshments available reflect what is popular at the visiting teams ground the screens show action from the visiting teams matches.
What was the impact?
Although the approach adopted by the club has not totally eliminated persistent standing it has contained it to one small manageable area of the ground and to a small group of around 250 spectators.
In terms of the visiting areas, the club feel that their approach of making visiting spectators feel like valued customers has led to a general improvement in behaviour from that experienced in the old ground. In so far as persistent standing is concerned those clubs whose supporters stand wherever they go have continued to stand at the new ground but on the whole those spectators that stand at some grounds but not others have generally tended to sit.

 

[Bozza]

There's an inaccuracy in that 'Case Study 2' though...

To improve the safety in the upper tier of the ground the 800mm barrier in front of the front row of seats has effectively been increased to 1100 mm by the addition of a toughened glass barrier on top of the wall.

The glass barrier is not in front of the seats, but in front of the stairwells used to access the WSU. There is no barrier, glass or otherwise, in front of the seats themselves.

 

[mikeyjh]

Staggers (but shouldn't) me that clubs such as Spurs wish to maintain this idea of football as sanitised day out more like a visit to the cinema than a vibrant & passionate sporting experience. I find it very sad that some administrators don't recognise the importance of that side of the game to a alot of people.

I'm delighted with the approach that Derby are taking at the iPro - While the place IS just one massive advertising board with the requisite Greggs, Starbucks etc, they are doing things to improve the atmosphere, moving away fans to the corner, giving the home fans both 'ends' and are firmly behind safe standing.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Staggers (but shouldn't) me that clubs such as Spurs wish to maintain this idea of football as sanitised day out more like a visit to the cinema than a vibrant & passionate sporting experience. I find it very sad that some administrators don't recognise the importance of that side of the game to a alot of people.

I found it a little weird that a steward asked my brother to calm down when he was having a little rant at the linesman after his shocking offside decisions as my bro wasn't swearing or using any bad language (we are in the family stand) but simply joining in with many other hundreds of fans in that stand and thousands more across the stadium. As a kid, I witnessed far worse and it never made me want to attack anyone or stick a knife in them. For the record I like the steward in question and respect him. I think that is a sanitizing action and stops the atmosphere building though.