www.altyfans.co.uk

Anyone know what time the draw is please?

I've just had a call from the Safety Officer at Grays with the following information;

The match is segregated with Away Supporters Access via Bradbourne Road. Alty fans will be accommodated on an open tiered terrace although there is a small area which is covered. Access to a seated area may be possible for the elderly / disabled at the discretion of the Club.

There will be no access to the Grays Social Club before the match. Supporters are recommended to use the Bricklayers Arms which is on the same road as the Ground.

I hope this info is useful. If I hear anything else I will post accordingly

Phil

I've not even mentioned the kids debate so would be grateful to be left out of that one.

I raised a point, explained it and then gave a what I thought to be a solution.  I wasn't aware thata steward had to be there at all times.

However I still believe my point was valid that the door onto the ground does not need to be open until 2:00.  No one has a reason to go through it until then.

And just beause someone is a volunteer, does that mean that we dare not criticise or offer comment?   i was regularly criticised as chairman of SAFE on various points.  I still look forward to being criticised if the coach hits no traffic on a  five hour journey and gets there a 45 mins earlier than I (or the AA autoroute) believed possible.  The term disgusting has even been used.

To me asking a steward to steward a bar door (where a steward apparently has to be) isn't that extreme.

The bar is a lifeline to the club and we should be doing all we can to maximise revenue not find ways of not doing so.

Sorry Ecky but could you please highlight for me where any comment has been made which suggests that we do not try to maximise revenue.

re the Bar Door, in a utopian scenario there would indeed be no necessity for anyone to go through that door before 2.00pm but sadly we do not live in Utopia (although Alty is a very close second I must admit) hence to maintain the needful levels of security and control a steward is positioned on the bar door.

Many apologies if i misconstrued any of your other comments as being related to the 'kiddygate' debate

 

Having now had the opportunity to reflect on Saturday and the comments received both directly and via the forum I feel the necessity to comment (sorry)

There are no group of individuals more committed to this Football Club nor more aware of the need to attract both new supporters and additional revenue than the Stewards, who I would remind you again are all volunteers. I find the criticism of the Stewards totally unacceptable and, to be honest very sad.

As has been posted elsewhere the Stewards, in addition to the duties set down in the Safety Procedures Manual (necessary for the Safety Certificate and therefore the operation of the ground) now cover supervision of the Car Park and also the Bar Door.
The Club has a responsibility to provide a certain number of reserved parking spaces for Match Officials, Sponsors, League Officials, the list goes on and without the sterling work of the Steward(s) doing this work, and I would remind you all being abused by people who cannot access the Car Park any more, the Club would fail in its reponsibilities on this issue.
The Bar, as we all know is a great source of Revenue for the Club and therefore its potential should be maximised. Unfortunately the Bar needs a licence and there are requirements incumbent upon the Club as conditions of that licence (together with the Safety Certificate) which necessitate the presence of a Steward on the Bar Door whilst it is open and, in fact until it has been vacated.
Also, very sadly there are people who come in to the Bar area who do try to ‘sneak’ through the back of the Bar thereby gaining entry to the match without paying. Again the Stewarding presence stops this from happening.

Maybe some other kindly individuals would like to assist the Stewarding Staff with these two tasks?

With regard to Saturday and the comments not only of  ‘Cult of’ but also comments made to the Stewarding Staff and myself personally my personal views are as follows.

I concur with the need to attract young supporters into the ground but it cannot be at the cost of current supporters. Many people who have been coming for many years and are ‘guaranteed’ sources of both support and funds quite clearly were very unhappy with events on Saturday and some have indicated that, should these events become too recurrent they would seriously consider whether to continue to provide the support and consequent revenue to the Club.

If an individual parent brings their children, perhaps with a friend or two then in the majority of cases they will, quite correctly in my view, take steps to ensure that the children are adequately supervised and not permitted to run about shrieking and disturbing other people.
I strongly believe that, where groups of children are invited, such as was the case on Saturday (in my view a very positive move) it must be made clear to the accompanying adults that they are expected to exercise a degree of supervision over their charges.




On Saturday the Stewarding staff were put in an invidious position, complaints from regular supporters were responded to by polite requests to the Children to sit down and not to disturb the enjoyment of other supporters. These requests were generally totally ignored and when the Steward(s) spoke again to the Child they were accused of being heavy handed. I personally asked two young children to sit down rather than stand blocking both a staircase out of the stand and the view of other supporters and the away bench and was told , by a parent, that they were only kids and that I should leave them alone.

I feel that the poster who suggested that, should a Child fall down the stairs and injure themselves the Club would not be sued is being, at best naïve and at worst blind to todays litigious society and, what happens if a child careering around the stand trips an elderly spectator who then falls and sustains a serious injury (fractured hip etc)? Do you think that the Club would be excused any responsibility for that?

It has been suggested that the Children be accommodated in the Family Stand, excellent idea, that’s what it’s there for eh? 
Sorry, slight problem – the sponsors who sit in there complaining to the Stewards about the noise and their enjoyment being disturbed.

If, as certain posters have suggested the Children should be welcomed and it is the responsibility of the Stewards to control them without upsetting them or their parents then maybe they’d like to volunteer to help next time we have an influx such as Saturday. (MarkEcky, Ballers, SW over to you)

Quite bizarrely (is there such a word??) Anderson Sports in the Square in School Road is owned by the same Company as Cooper Sports so they might be helpful perhaps

I got one of those too....except it wasn't Heidi...it was The Jungle Book. On one side of the record was the story and on the other side two songs from the film....Bear Necessities and 'I wanna be like you' as immortalised in the Royle Family on Sunday night

As for my first record...I honestly can't remember but I bet I'd be horrified if I could.

I'd have Pete Densmore, Nicky Daws, Peter Conning and the legend that is Ronnie Ellis....but I suppose that, as a previous poster indicated, this just identifies my age range