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Return to Stadiums in September


Anniesland Jag
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7 hours ago, Woodstock Jag said:

It makes perfect sense to start with larger venues, where the prospects of social distancing for access routes is likely to be orders of magnitude easier than for smaller ones.

I am cautiously optimistic that, for stadiums like Firhill, Scotland will have crowds in excess of 500, and possibly in excess of 1000, before the end of October.

Your 1st paragraphs highlights exactly why having a test event at Celtic Park is not relevant to other grounds

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1 hour ago, Lenziejag said:

Your 1st paragraphs highlights exactly why having a test event at Celtic Park is not relevant to other grounds

No it is relevant.

The ground that is most likely to be safe is the one with the largest normal capacity, the most spaced out access routes and the most spacing between facilities within the ground.

If Celtic Park isn’t safe, none of the other grounds are.

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8 hours ago, Woodstock Jag said:

No it is relevant.

The ground that is most likely to be safe is the one with the largest normal capacity, the most spaced out access routes and the most spacing between facilities within the ground.

If Celtic Park isn’t safe, none of the other grounds are.

At the moment every ground is deemed to be unsafe. 

Does Celtic park have the most spaced out access ? They had an issue a season or two ago with a crush when the crowd had to funnel through a narrow area ?

How do you know it has more spacing between facilities ? Presumably, they have more toilets ? They might be closer together than at other grounds.

Letting Celtic be first doesn’t help other clubs as they will all need to carry out their own test event anyway.

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Surely a ground with sufficient standing room would be the safest? Limit the stands to elderly and fans with young kids.  

As I said before socially distancing fans in a grandstand is near impossible. I know from experience in the JHS just how often I've to stand up to allow folk to go to the loo etc. OK that would be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the crowd and folk might hold out till half time as the queuing will be lighter but coming into direct contact with other non bubble fans will still be considerable. Anyway problems will recur going back to your seat and towards the end of the match when many fans have to (or choose to) leave before the final whistle.

I'd be fairly confident that I could go to the likes of Station Park or Somerset Park and hardly break social distancing at all. Further we know that you're less likely to catch the virus outdoors. Most grandstands have an unavoidable element of the "indoors"about them in terms of access and concourse.

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The problem with Somerset is that there is a single gate to exit the terracing at the away end of the ground so that will prove difficult to maintain social distancing. I can't remember the layout at Forfar to be honest, but I think from our fans point of view we use a single exit at the corner.

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2 hours ago, Lenziejag said:

At the moment every ground is deemed to be unsafe. 

Does Celtic park have the most spaced out access ?

For a crowd the same size, yes.

It is categorically easier to space out (say) 100 or 1000, or even 10000 fans at Celtic Park than it is to do so at Firhill, Station Park or even Easter Road.

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They had an issue a season or two ago with a crush when the crowd had to funnel through a narrow area ?

When there are 50000 plus fans in a stadium maybe.

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How do you know it has more spacing between facilities ? Presumably, they have more toilets ? They might be closer together than at other grounds.

They have much more toilets and catering facilities and they are spread out over a much bigger area. Therefore they are better placed to admit, say, 10000 fans across four stands and four corners and multiple tiers than Thistle are to accommodate, say, 2000 fans with three stands.

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Letting Celtic be first doesn’t help other clubs as they will all need to carry out their own test event anyway.

But it can tell us whether it is pointless trying to carry out our own test event if the Celtic one is a massive failure in terms of containing the virus.

Edited by Woodstock Jag
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I'm not sure "testing" this at the likes of Murrayfield or Celtic Park will tell the authorities anything other than the obvious, ie, it's possible and safe with a minuscule crowd in a huge venue with umpteen exits and "space" around the grounds. It would be better to test from the other end of the spectrum as well - same percentage in crowd reduction in a far smaller stadium. As others have said, it's not the actual seating so much as crowding of people for entrance, toilets, food, exit etc.  Firhill is a good example because of the congregation at the gate at North Drive or the narrow exit from the front of the JLS.  The point above by Jaggy about Somerset Park with its narrow 90-degree turn out of the shed is an excellent example. The away gate at Hamilton is another good example.

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33 minutes ago, Woodstock Jag said:

For a crowd the same size, yes.

It is categorically easier to space out (say) 100 or 1000, or even 10000 fans at Celtic Park than it is to do so at Firhill, Station Park or even Easter Road.

When there are 50000 plus fans in a stadium maybe.

They have much more toilets and catering facilities and they are spread out over a much bigger area. Therefore they are better placed to admit, say, 10000 fans across four stands and four corners and multiple tiers than Thistle are to accommodate, say, 2000 fans with three stands.

But it can tell us whether it is pointless trying to carry out our own test event if the Celtic one is a massive failure in terms of containing the virus.

I understand what you are saying, but I don’t agree that if they can’t manage it it means no other ground can.

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1 hour ago, jaggy said:

The problem with Somerset is that there is a single gate to exit the terracing at the away end of the ground so that will prove difficult to maintain social distancing. I can't remember the layout at Forfar to be honest, but I think from our fans point of view we use a single exit at the corner.

I don't think away fans will be allowed in most grounds. By the time the social distancing measures are put into practice most grounds will only have room for their own fans. Heard on sportsound that St.Johnstone v St.Mirren next Saturday is also in line for a limited crowd.

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1 hour ago, a f kincaid said:

I'm not sure "testing" this at the likes of Murrayfield or Celtic Park will tell the authorities anything other than the obvious, ie, it's possible and safe with a minuscule crowd in a huge venue with umpteen exits and "space" around the grounds. It would be better to test from the other end of the spectrum as well - same percentage in crowd reduction in a far smaller stadium. As others have said, it's not the actual seating so much as crowding of people for entrance, toilets, food, exit etc.  Firhill is a good example because of the congregation at the gate at North Drive or the narrow exit from the front of the JLS.  The point above by Jaggy about Somerset Park with its narrow 90-degree turn out of the shed is an excellent example. The away gate at Hamilton is another good example.

Hamilton has two exits at either side of the away stand. That should certainly help to ease crowding on the way out.

On the downside, Hamilton has the slowest turnstile/ticket operators in the history of the world. Even if both entrance turnstiles are open, I can see the socially distanced queue stretching right back to Blantyre.

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1 hour ago, Auld Jag said:

I don't think away fans will be allowed in most grounds. By the time the social distancing measures are put into practice most grounds will only have room for their own fans. Heard on sportsound that St.Johnstone v St.Mirren next Saturday is also in line for a limited crowd.

That’ll be a shame for the 15 Clyde fans

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2 hours ago, jlsarmy said:

That’ll be a shame for the 15 Clyde fans

Could they come down the canal by barge, narrow boat, canoe, coracle or raft, with online payment and ticketing  in advance, and an exclusive poly-tunnel all the way from waterside to inside of stadium to avoid contact with any other human beings?

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1 hour ago, partickthedog said:

Could they come down the canal by barge, narrow boat, canoe, coracle or raft, with online payment and ticketing  in advance, and an exclusive poly-tunnel all the way from waterside to inside of stadium to avoid contact with any other human beings?

Excellent idea! While we are at it attach bells around their necks as they enter the stadium to confirm their diseased status.

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1 hour ago, partickthedog said:

Could they come down the canal by barge, narrow boat, canoe, coracle or raft, with online payment and ticketing  in advance, and an exclusive poly-tunnel all the way from waterside to inside of stadium to avoid contact with any other human beings?

Does the NGE have a U-Boat?

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4 hours ago, partickthedog said:

Could they come down the canal by barge, narrow boat, canoe, coracle or raft, with online payment and ticketing  in advance, and an exclusive poly-tunnel all the way from waterside to inside of stadium to avoid contact with any other human beings?

Is my memory playing tricks on me or did something like this not happen a few years back fans arriving by boat or barge..

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On 8/22/2020 at 2:58 PM, Lenziejag said:

Again I am unsure. Those test venues will learn things, but how will that be helpful for PTFC. Our access routes are different, our stadium is laid out differently. I think every ground needs to have tests and I don’t know why big grounds should get 1st shot.

Agree with this in terms of every ground being different which makes the argument for individual risk assessments a strong one. 

However it also makes it sensible to 'pilot' the bigger grounds assuming these grounds are built in a manner which enables very large crowds to disperse quickly.  Therefore it is reasonable to assume spectators can enter and exit such Stadia without congestion occurring. 

In the case of Firhill  with the old main stand closed together with the South end of the ground being un-developed we are a bit limited as we have, generally speaking, only two entrance and exit areas - the back of the JHS and the West Side of the North Stand! 

Could we in the short term reopen the old Stand? If it's still fit for purpose it would give us a few more options! 

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17 minutes ago, exiledjag said:

Agree with this in terms of every ground being different which makes the argument for individual risk assessments a strong one. 

However it also makes it sensible to 'pilot' the bigger grounds assuming these grounds are built in a manner which enables very large crowds to disperse quickly.  Therefore it is reasonable to assume spectators can enter and exit such Stadia without congestion occurring. 

In the case of Firhill  with the old main stand closed together with the South end of the ground being un-developed we are a bit limited as we have, generally speaking, only two entrance and exit areas - the back of the JHS and the West Side of the North Stand! 

Could we in the short term reopen the old Stand? If it's still fit for purpose it would give us a few more options! 

Whilst there are plenty of exits in the JHS, the south drive is a pinch point, this I think would be the limiting factor for that stand.

JLS has one exit, somehow stewards would need to limit when folk get up and leave. One aisle down front next via back of stand? But again they meet at one double gate

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