The forgotton fans

[Sharpy]

So, bit of a rant/request (that will probably go un-noticed as im not one of the keen keyboard warriors on here).

My Grandad recently had to go in to hospital for a hip replacement, which has left him less than mobile! Now being a season ticket holder (with my Granny) in the main stand he'd love to go to games to get a bit of normality back and do the things he enjoys doing. However - there is no danger he will be able to climb the steps to his seat.

He has written to PMG a couple of times about the issue (he was struggling to get up the steps towards the end of last season) and suggested maybe putting a hand rail up the steps. Seems a pretty reasonable idea to me - most people in the main stand are older fans as it means they can sit during the game. He's still not had a reply... Now i don't expect PMG to open and read every letter he gets, but it's a pretty shit state of affairs that NO ONE at the club has sent a reply - even to acknowledge receipt of the letters!

Grandad has been a supporter for longer than i've been alive, he took me to my first game about 20 years ago and i've been a lifelong fan since. He's had a season ticket for god knows how long, bought bricks when the old North Stand was built, is a shareholder and attends the club agm's etc. Seems the club has slipped up a bit here, it would have been the easiest thing in the world to send a letter back to him...

So i guess my point is two fold - why does the club/board not reply to letters (even if it's a stock reply), and if it's feasible to put a few hand rails around the place (which i sure it is) surely it's a small thing that would make a huge difference to a good number of fans that the club should put into action. a- it would mean more elderly fans can get to seats in the main stand and b-it would mean they can get up and down easier at half time for the loo/a coffee + pie or whatever (every little extra income helps right?).

As i say, no doubt this will be overlooked/picked apart by those keyboard warriors on here, but to me at least it seems like a low cost/high benefit idea that at least deserves some acknowledgement...

[Shrimpy]

I can imagine the response would be along the lines of "we can't afford to put hand rails in up and down the steps but would be happy to move his season ticket to a seat on the front row".

[Arnside Red]

Unfortunately as Sharpy has pointed out we do not know what the response will be.....as no-one at the club has had the courtesy to reply to TWO letters sent by an 80+ year old fan...who as Sharpy says has supported the club for 50 years plus....the result will be 3 s/t not being renewed next season.....I thought MFC were the caring family club...different from other clubs......regarding this particular case nothing would appear to be further from the truth...........

[George Dawes]

I have known problems in the past contacting the club.

think its a case of getting the right e-mail address(person) to speak to.

Sharpy try this address- > markdixon@morecambefc.com

[black morse]

This is really not good enough. The letters must have been opened by someone and if they haven't been directed to the right person the club has a duty (for their own sake) to find out what went wrong. Come on someone from the club sort this out. In any business if an error is made there is an opportunity to put it right quickly not just ignore it.

[shrimpnsave]

Sadly its the times we live in/some dont give a "F"

[KenH]

Doesn't surprise me. My wife phoned the club twice to ask for details etc to book a children's birthday party, but never got the promised call-backs.

[Keith]

Doesn't surprise me. My wife phoned the club twice to ask for details etc to book a children's birthday party, but never got the promised call-backs.

We have a new Commercial Manager (whose name I can't remember) so perhaps try again?

As for the rails, I must admit even before I became disabled I thought it was odd that we didn't have grab rails, if someone fell at the end of the game when lots of people leaving together, they could create a domino affect. It would be an interesting Health & Safety Risk Assessment that suggests rails aren't required.

That said, moving seats to a lower row would be a sensible move surely?

[mrpotatohead]

can he use the disabled area on the terrace outside the w and l suite, and access the stadium in the lift at reception?

[George Dawes]

As for the rails, I must admit even before I became disabled I thought it was odd that we didn't have grab rails, if someone fell at the end of the game when lots of people leaving together, they could create a domino affect. It would be an interesting Health & Safety Risk Assessment that suggests rails aren't required.

I wonder if there is a reason, can't say I have noticed them at other grounds?

if other grounds do have them then so should we, it's an accident waiting to happen.

plus i'm not that happy with them, I nearly slipped when it was raining when the steps were wet, there slippy, they should be painted with anti slip paint with sand grit in the paint.

[shrimpnsave]

that would be Steven Brown - stevenbrown@morecambefc.com

[Arnside Red]

I did ask about using the lift but was told this wouldn't be allowed.........Graham in the shop has said he would be able to move my Father to a lower seat.......the real issues here are really
1)The fact that 2 letters have been totally ignored...my Father was expecting at least an acknowledgement of them and
2) the H and S issue.....
I was actually at the Wycombe game and the lad walking out with me...aged mid 50's stumbled twice going down the steps...he said...they need a rail....I just said......fat chance......

[mrpotatohead]

we sometimes get the club putting things on here, can anyone give sharpy a shrimpsvoices user name connected with the club that he can PM

I have a friend on the board I can mention it to, don't know if it will help but i'll text him.

[George Dawes]

there is a reason why you don't seem to see hand rails on some staircases at football grounds in the uk

The Wheatley Committee

The Wheatley Committee was set up in 1972 in response to a large number of spectators who had died in a disaster at Ibrox Park, Glasgow. This was the result of structural failure, the steel barriers on stairway 13 gave way and a total of sixty-six people were suffocated to death and many more injured in the resulting crush. Following the recommendations of this committee the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 came on the statute books. Up to then there was no statute about sports grounds as such, though building regulations had references to specific buildings. Accidents at sports venues were dealt with on the basis of common law principles about occupiers and their visitors.

-> https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-safety ... of-sports/

[Keith]

there is a reason why you don't seem to see hand rails on some staircases at football grounds in the uk

The Wheatley Committee

The Wheatley Committee was set up in 1972 in response to a large number of spectators who had died in a disaster at Ibrox Park, Glasgow. This was the result of structural failure, the steel barriers on stairway 13 gave way and a total of sixty-six people were suffocated to death and many more injured in the resulting crush. Following the recommendations of this committee the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 came on the statute books. Up to then there was no statute about sports grounds as such, though building regulations had references to specific buildings. Accidents at sports venues were dealt with on the basis of common law principles about occupiers and their visitors.

-> https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-safety ... of-sports/

Someone should tell Wembley!

The Ibrox situation was entirely different.

[Jack Poulton]

I've often wondered about this as I leave the main stand and shuffle down the steps at the end of games. It's easy to lose balance and could be a disaster waiting to happen as everyone tries to descent the steps at the same time. Quite a few who sit around me have commented about it and some of the more elderly who have some mobility issues have said that they are considering future attendance as they have difficulty in getting up the steps without support rails. A serious matter for the club to think about and also it has to be a Health & Safety issue.

[mrpotatohead]

I have just screen shot your post sharpy, and forwarded it by email to the club,and my friend, I would suggest that others do the same, if you pm your number to me i will forward it to my friend by text,to his phone. might help,dunno.

[sandgrown]

sadly, this lack of response to ordinary supporters thoughts, has been growing since we left CP; where at least you could feel we were all in it together, now it feels like them and us !

[George Dawes]

Someone should tell Wembley!

The Ibrox situation was entirely different.

No it isn't! People can still get crushed! what I a fight broke out causing a stampede or if somebody fell over at the end over the match with people landing on each other like mini Hysel?

MFC can not just get some random bloke out of the local newspaper and put up hand rails willynilly, they have to go down the proper channels, and approval.

-> http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk ... -guide.pdf

[Keith]

No it isn't! People can still get crushed! what I a fight broke out causing a stampede or if somebody fell over at the end over the match with people landing on each other like mini Hysel?

MFC can not just get some random bloke out of the local newspaper and put up hand rails willynilly, they have to go down the proper channels, and approval.

-> http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk ... -guide.pdf

So you are saying Wembley is wrong? Because you can quite clearly see hand rails in the photo!

What if people fall over? Surely they are less likely to fall over if they have a rail (like they have at Wembley!) Someone is more likely to fall over if there isn't a rail.

As for your comment that Ibrox isn't different, that's just a dumb comment! This was a standing area, no seats. The rails were to keep masses of fans in 'funnels', so when a rail collapsed, one funnel spilled in to the next, which caused the crush. Are you seriously saying that a hand rail such as the ones at Wembley would make a riot more likely or more damaging?

[edit:] PS Your link doesn't work.

[Shrimpy]

No it isn't! People can still get crushed! what I a fight broke out causing a stampede or if somebody fell over at the end over the match with people landing on each other like mini Hysel?

MFC can not just get some random bloke out of the local newspaper and put up hand rails willynilly, they have to go down the proper channels, and approval.

-> http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk ... -guide.pdf

So you are saying Wembley is wrong? Because you can quite clearly see hand rails in the photo!

What if people fall over? Surely they are less likely to fall over if they have a rail (like they have at Wembley!) Someone is more likely to fall over if there isn't a rail.

As for your comment that Ibrox isn't different, that's just a dumb comment! This was a standing area, no seats. The rails were to keep masses of fans in 'funnels', so when a rail collapsed, one funnel spilled in to the next, which caused the crush. Are you seriously saying that a hand rail such as the ones at Wembley would make a riot more likely or more damaging?

[edit:] PS Your link doesn't work.

Surely the ground will be "safe" in that it will have been awarded a safety certificate? If it was a requirement to have hand rails then we would surey have failed and wouldn't be allowed to host games?

[George Dawes]

just pointing out there could be good reason why MFC havnt got railings in the first place, and have already looked into it when the ground were getting built.




I suspect they will have always planned to offer alternative seating with these type of cases.

[George Dawes]

As for your comment that Ibrox isn't different, that's just a dumb comment! This was a standing area, no seats. The rails were to keep masses of fans in 'funnels', so when a rail collapsed, one funnel spilled in to the next, which caused the crush. Are you seriously saying that a hand rail such as the ones at Wembley would make a riot more likely or more damaging?
.

Standing area? Don't talk rubbish.. It's was a exit staircase with handrails like the one shown on that Wembley photo

. The 1971 Ibrox disaster was a crush among the crowd at an Old Firm football game, which led to 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries. It happened on 2 January 1971 in an exit stairway at Ibrox Park (now Ibrox Stadium) in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the worst British football disaster until the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, England, in 1989.

[marky No.1]

[edit:] PS Your link doesn't work.

http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk ... reen-guide

Put the kettle on, there are 220 pages

[Teams like Morecambe]

For the record this is stairway 13. Absolutely no relevance to this topic.