Europa

Sorry to hear of your injuries Auld Jag, it is a dangerous place to be during warm up, used to be worse when the rugby were at Firhill and the kickers were doing practice kicks when you were walking past! A lot of seats get broken in the same area, if we put up a large net it may obscure the vision from the stand.....need to think of something, don't want fans going home injured.

Propco own the South Terrace and Main Stand (of which the club is a shareholder) but loan it to the club long term and get no revenue from it in any way. Europa don't own any part of the stadium or the club and do not get any direct revenue from the club or stadium events. Europa are a sub contractor to the club and deliver facilities management services to the club and get paid for what we do by the club.

The match commander completes a report that is issued to the club so the club are aware of most of the issues and would want to resolve them as they happen, however there may be incidents that are not brought to the attention of the club and although public forums work well the club can only really deal with direct correspondance with this type of situation.

As with all football grounds we need to comply with the Safety at Sports Ground Act as well as our licence conditions from Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and Scottish Ambulance Service. We must comply with our licence conditions otherwise the licence to operate will be withdrawn and we will be unable to host any events at Firhill. There is strict enforcement of the numbers of stewards required dependant on the layout of a stadium. There is also an ongoing training and development program for every steward employed at Firhill. We are not permitted to provide litter bins within the seating area of the stadium at Firhill as this becomes an obstruction in the event of an emergency, therefore the only option available to us is to litter pick the stand after each match. As part of the ground regulations certain articles cannot be brought into a stadium that may be used as a weapon or cause injury to others such as cans, bottles, alcohol and glass. There is a full list of the ground regulations printed and displayed outside each of the turnstile doors and within the concourse areas. The stewards can eject someone from the ground for smoking, bringing in a bottle or can, using cameras or mobile phones to record the event etc however we take a more relaxed approach and ask someone to stop filming or smoking or remove the bottle or can from them. If the person refuses or is a persistent offender or continues after being asked to stop then they will normally be ejected. You will not be ejected from the ground for dropping litter under your seat or for ripping up a 50/50 ticket and throwing it in the air like confetti, however if you start throwing objects such as pie trays, food or drink at other spectators, stewards or players then expect to be ejected from the stadium. Likewise if you are abusive towards other spectators, staff including stewards then expect to be ejected from the stadium. On a matchday the event is controlled from the police control room by the Police Inspector who is the match commander. Within the control room there is a team managing and monitoring the event for everyones safety and enjoyment of the event. There is a cctv operator who is scanning every seat with powerful zoom lens cameras looking for any sign of trouble and when anything is noticed a steward or a police officer will be sent to investigate and deal with as appropriate. The cctv system is continually recording and can be played back and reviewed to check at any future date. The police match commander is in control during the event and it will be his decision that stands. At todays match some of the police officers were wearing bodycams attached to thier jackets which also record sound. These cameras look set to be a familar sight on more police officers in particular at football grounds so please remember that the laws of the land still apply within football stadiums. If anyone feels that they have been treated unfairly by a steward or any member of staff then please contact the club direct and they will review each and every case.