As if today's match wasn't painful enough to watch, the regular dwellers in the Main Stand had to endure gangs of unruly and squawking children roaming all over the place all afternoon!
At times, the screeching from the young girls was so penetrating that I thought I had stumbled into a McFly concert by mistake.
What a nightmare!
Even the poor stewards looked cheesed off with trying to prevent the mob from running up and down the steps, which was a Health & Safety calamity waiting to happen.
Seriously....PLEASE....never again!
Cult,
You have had the run of the main stand over recent years, at times never mind a seat you can choose a whole row if you like. I don't want those days to come back. Moreover, i don't want to return to the sound of dropping pins.
I was sat there and thought it lent to the atmosphere a bit, they're only kids and i nioticed less swearing than usual. They're the future mate, there was more than could be accomodated in the family stand so main it is. I think if the game was a bit better they might sit still a bit longer. If only 5-10% of the youngsters who came today come even semi regularly over the years it's worthwhile.
I think the decision to let kids in for nowt the latter end of the 90-91 season, altho i thought it strange at the time, has to be one of the best decisons ever made by any football club. I genuinely feel that has kept this club afloat through the years.
Can't they be accommodated in the Family Stand in future?
Bit bemused about the constant gripe about the bar door to be honest. It only needs manning from 14:00 when the turnstiles open and can bring hundreds of pounds into the club when a club brings a decent support. Whats the difference in a steward standing there or behind the goal prior to the match?
Also you say "the club" invited them so "the club" should look after them. Are the stewards independent of the club?
I thought we are all in this together, from bar staff to fans.
Jez,
I was around eight years of age when my father first brought me to Moss Lane.
Unlike the majority of parents there yesterday, he certainly ensured that I didn't run around the Main Stand like a headless chicken (and, no, that is not a reference to Peter Band, before Mrs Band comes on here to reprimand me!!).
Yesterday was an accident waiting to happen in terms of children falling and injuring themselves and must have given the Alty stewards kittens.
No doubt then, the parents would have blamed the club for any incident!
Ballers,
If you seriously think that a gang of screaming young girls creates atmosphere, then I suggest that you spend your money on going to Westlife concerts rather than Moss Lane!
You are deluding yourself if you seriously believe that the seven and eight year old girls who were present yesterday are the future at Moss Lane!
They weren't interested and neither were their parents.
End of rant.
These kids aren't Jedis,imagine if they were and we had a whole underling following, my word the jedi mind control would be invaluable with some refs! who are quite literally our sith sometimes! oooh star wars analagys half an ounce of sh*t geek anyone????
In respect of comments about the potential legal consequences of kids falling and hurting themselves I would suggest it might be wise to have a few signs put up which clearly indicate that parents are responsible for the behaviour of their children and the club cannot be held liable for any injuries sustained as a result of inappropriate behaviour.
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect parents to control their kids.
George Heslop as Yoda, perhaps?!
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.
Why does that door that leads to a restricted area until 14:00 need to be open with a steward on it? No one has any reason to go through it. Why can it not be locked? Its creating work.
Or will I be told to lock it myself if I want it locking?
Ecky,
As you know I have a huge amount of respect for what you have done and continue to do for the Football Club....however I really cannot see where this exchange is taking us to. A decision has been made by the Football Club that a Steward will be positioned on the Bar door, is that not sufficient grounds for the steward being there?
There does sometimes seem to be an inordinate amount of criticism of the Stewarding staff in general and of myself and my posts in particular rather than just accepting that things seem generally to operate in a wholly satisfactory manner at present
I do hope that I don't detect a hint of sarcasm or criticism in your last paragraph above as iIreally do think that you would be letting yourself down if it were ???
??? ???
Can't believe you're moaning about kids at Moss Lane. Get a life. I'll be taking my neice to Old Trafford if she's not welcome at Moss Lane.
>:( >:( >:(
Can't believe you're moaning about kids at Moss Lane. Get a life. I'll be taking my neice to Old Trafford if she's not welcome at Moss Lane.
>:( >:( >:(
Maybe it would better if the kids sit still for 90 minutes with their fingers on their lips. I'm sure they'll want to return again.
Why does that door that leads to a restricted area until 14:00 need to be open with a steward on it? No one has any reason to go through it. Why can it not be locked? Its creating work.
Or will I be told to lock it myself if I want it locking?
Ecky,
As you know I have a huge amount of respect for what you have done and continue to do for the Football Club....however I really cannot see where this exchange is taking us to. A decision has been made by the Football Club that a Steward will be positioned on the Bar door, is that not sufficient grounds for the steward being there?
There does sometimes seem to be an inordinate amount of criticism of the Stewarding staff in general and of myself and my posts in particular rather than just accepting that things seem generally to operate in a wholly satisfactory manner at present
I do hope that I don't detect a hint of sarcasm or criticism in your last paragraph above as iIreally do think that you would be letting yourself down if it were ???
??? ???
I'm not criticising stewards in any way. I am criticising the fact that a lot is made of a steward having to stand at a door that doesn't need to be open until 14:00.
Why is this point being constantly skipped?
Why is that door open before 14:00? No one has any reason to go through it until they have paid to get in the ground.
Thats my point. I'm also a bit baffled by this "the club" tense that is used. To me that would be a phrase used if an outside security firm was used and "the club" had told them they wanted certain things doing.
I am not criticising stewards. I know we cannot operate without them and I do not want to be one. They do a good job. I just feel that we are making work for them and there is an easier way.
Maybe it would better if the kids sit still for 90 minutes with their fingers on their lips. I'm sure they'll want to return again.
Where has anyone suggested this?
How many more straw man arguments are you going to present?
Maybe it would better if the kids sit still for 90 minutes with their fingers on their lips. I'm sure they'll want to return again.
Where has anyone suggested this?
How many more straw man arguments are you going to present?
I've just suggested it. ::)
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)
I think most of the people who have posted so far agree that the idea of bringing the children in for games is good for the club- new supporting blood and good for our links with the community. I think the idea of a 'child friendly steward' is a good one, I am not volunteering, I come to watch Alty to get away from talking to kids, I do it every day. It needs to be made clear to the accompanying adults (teachers or parents) that there are ground regulations, health and safety issues and there has to consideration for other people too. Maybe a set of guidelines needs to be drawn up that is issued to visiting groups, not rules, but guidelines that explain that the club is considering everybody's safety and enjoyment, and a copy of these guidlelines be given to each adult so that they cannot say that they didn't know. It is exciting for a child to visit a 'real' football ground and watch a 'real' match, we try and make every effort to help them enjoy it safely, but they and their accompanying adults have got to do their bit too.
By the way, if there are any doubters still amongst you about this scheme, as a Junior manager this is one of the best ideas the club have come up with. Three or four of my own team have enquired about going to Alty youth when they are 17-18, so this can only be of great benefit to the club, albeit more long term. There are a wealth of great teams and players in this league at all the clubs, one or two possibly premiership standard, certainly future conference players. The club are only trying to tap into this, but I really applaud both Timperley and District and the club for this scheme. All big clubs want to do is pinch all your best players whilst giving nothing back, Alty are doing a great deal to make this mutually beneficial to us and them, THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE.
You may not see the benefits as yet, but you will in time to come. A few of Alty's local players are from Timperley and District. While we are on the subject, Danny Higginbotham and Danny/Chris Adams are both ex Unicorn Athletic Juniors; what more evidence do you need.