- Ground Configuration
- Pricing Policy
- Away Fixtures and Ticket Allocation
- European Travel
- Coca Cola Cup
- Appended Report - Juventus Away 10.12.97
1 Ground Configuration
1.1 The configuration of Old Trafford's seating plan is a major
concern for a large proportion of Manchester United's supporters.
IMUSA propose that stadiums should have specified areas for all
categories of fans, in much the same way that families have been
successfully been catered for since the implementation of family
stands in the early 1980's.
1.2 There are several different categories of fans that can be
sub-divided and defined in many ways. Executive facilities and
family facilities are available at every major club. The remainder
of supporters firstly includes those who's main enjoyment of
football is derived from actively encouraging their team in a vocal
and visual manner. The other element of fans are those that prefer
to watch and join in chanting and singing etc. occasionally. This
isn't to say both groups are mutually exclusive, but most supporters
could easily define their own personal preference.
1.3 At the present time, most clubs with all seater stadiums do
not differentiate between these two types of supporters. They are
categorised as one, as they were when terracing was available. When
standing on a terrace supporters could easily move to the area of
the ground in which they felt most comfortable, to areas where the
fans they were surrounded by would behave in a similar manner. This
is no longer the case as fans have to accept tickets wherever they
can get them, as many matches, especially for the 'big clubs' are
sold out. Consequently, there is a wide spectrum of the fan base in
every section. Generally, this can lead to disharmony at the least,
and increasingly frequently, genuine tension and ill feeling between
supporters of the same team.
1.4 Certainly, the ideal way to resolve these problems would be
the return of standing accommodation to all stadiums. This is an
issue that the Labour Party stressed that it would address if and
when it became a Government. IMUSA hope that the Labour Party
investigate the possibility that safe standing accommodation could
return to our stadiums. Given that the remaining terracing in
Leagues 2 and 3 prove that it is not terracing per se that is
dangerous but the capacity of a standing section. IMUSA feel an
in-depth study and feasibility survey should be a major
recommendation from the Football Taskforce.
1.5 Should the return to terracing prove a long term objective,
IMUSA propose that the Football Taskforce should participate in
dialogue between supporters' groups and clubs, regarding the
configuration of the seating sections. At Old Trafford, there are
many problems created by different types of fans being seated in the
same sections.
1.6 A long established aim of IMUSA is to create a singing
section of the ground for those supporters who wish to participate
fully in creating a noisy atmosphere. However, it appears that the
administration at Old Trafford are reluctant to implement such a
scheme as they believe the behaviour associated with such fans, such
as persistent standing could lead to the removal of the safety
certificate and closure of certain sections of the ground.
1.7 The Football Taskforce could clarify the legal situation of
lenient stewarding towards singing sections, establish on whose
authority such matters rest and ease the clubs fears that the parts
of ground are not under a realistic threat of closure if the
stewarding and security took a more liberal approach. In return,
IMUSA feel this would result in a fall in tension between different
types of supporters and actually lead to a fall in the number of
complaints made to the club in regard to the behaviour of individual
supporters. These problems are replicated throughout the country,
wherever supporters are allocated seats not necessarily where they
would prefer to sit.
1.8 In general, IMUSA would like to see a more structured
approach to the seating configuration. This would allow subsections
of supporters groups to be provided for.
1.9 To further improve atmosphere at matches and to allow greater
choice for supporters, certain sections of seating could be left
unreserved, so fans could choose where to sit and who to sit next to
within that area of the ground. Once again, this would lead to a
reduction in friction between fans and reduce friction between fans
and stewards/security. Experts in the field of crowd control
estimate that such arrangements would lead to a 10% reduction in
capacity in such areas.
1.10 The implementation of pay-on the-day admission to matches
would also increase the choices for supporters. This would allow
certain groups the opportunity of attending matches, where
previously they had effectively been excluded. Many supporters lack
the facilities, especially young fans; to purchase tickets weeks in
advance of the game. Credit cards and cheque books are not available
to many young supporters, so pay-on the-day admission would allow
these fans the chance to see their team play. Obviously, such
schemes may have to be abandoned for fixtures where demand may be so
high as to create a safety risk outside, but for many fixtures such
schemes should be considered by clubs and encouraged by the Football
Taskforce in the best interest of all supporters.
1.11 The decrease in young supporters attending matches could
also be reversed by a reduction in junior admission prices. Such
prices should be set at approximately half the full admission price,
available in all sections of the stadium, to supporters of both
teams and extended to include 16-18 year olds. IMUSA feel the
extension to such an age range is vitally important, many fans are
being lost to the game within this range as full admission prices
are beyond their budgets. The Football Taskforce's role would be to
recommend the standardising of such measures throughout the country,
so that no one club could gain a financial advantage over
competitors by not adopting such measures.
1.12 IMUSA propose that the regulation of stewards and security
is now urgently required as the number of incidents involving
aggressive security is on the increase. Security staff at Old
Trafford are unaccountable as the Club employ an outside company.
They do not have name badges or identification numbers and cannot be
identified in any manner accept visually. IMUSA feel a code of
conduct and stringent training should be implemented for such staff
to stop the documented abuse of power that has been witnessed. In
addition, the Club should ensure supporters are informed of their
rights concerning the actions of such security staff, as it appears
to be a grey area for many fans. A properly administered scheme
should have in built appeals procedures allowing supporters a right
of appeal against any unfair actions. Such an appeals system would
build supporter confidence in a club's crowd control methods.
1.13 To summarise, IMUSA feel all these issues are interconnected
and require direction from an independent body to mediate between
the club and fans. It is also felt that most of these problems could
be alleviated by an increase in capacity. Obviously, the return of
standing accommodation would increase capacity and therefore it
would solve many problems between supporters, security and the club.
It is hard to envisage how capacities could be increased across the
nation at such a low cost, especially as many stadiums are enclosed
by housing, roads and other companies etc. Standing accommodation
will solve many problems and hopefully not create any new ones. The
time is ripe for a thorough review of football in England
post-Taylor.
2 Pricing Policy
2.1 Ticket prices have risen out of all proportion to inflation
and wage increases during the past seven years. Prices have risen
across the country, yet such is the popularity of football at the
moment, attendances continue to rise.
2.2 However, this doesn't mean rapidly rising prices do not
create problems. Many working class or young fans find themselves
squeezed out of the game, as they can no longer find the admission
money, several weeks in advance of the match.
2.3 Any pricing policy must be investigated by an independent
national body, which must include supporter representation. The
Football Taskforce seems to be the obvious body to co-ordinate and
pressure all clubs into a fairer pricing policy.
2.4 IMUSA would like to see prices for Manchester United fixtures
linked to the retail price index or to salary and wage rises. As
stated such a scheme would prove infeasible for just Manchester
United, so IMUSA suggest all clubs could agree an informal formula
to link admission prices to inflation or regional inflation.
2.5 A large proportion of supporters are now season ticket
holders and are required to pay for their tickets in one instalment,
usually at the end of the season. This causes a problem for the less
affluent fan, but clubs prefer payment in advance for many reasons.
The obvious solution is credit agencies that provide the initial
outlay, and are paid interest in return. As season ticket payments
offer low risk (season tickets can be reclaimed) it is reasonable to
suggest relatively low interest should be charged. IMUSA recommend
there should be an approved list of credit agencies the clubs could
and should accept supporters using. The clubs have nothing to lose
yet many refuse, including MUFC, to allow such agencies, as they see
nothing to gain. As the supporters would be given increased choice
via credit agencies, clubs could be influenced to accept credit
payments for season tickets, rather than forcing fans to pay in a
single instalment or use expensive credit cards.
3 Away Fixtures and Ticket Allocation
3.1 There is currently a recommendation that roughly 10% of
capacity should be provided for visiting fans. This should be become
mandatory and a possible increase to 15%, as away allocations are
usually full to capacity, when home sections are often not. The 10%
should be enforced vigorously, should the visiting supporters wish
to accept their full entitlement.
3.2 IMUSA believe away tickets should be distributed to those
fans that travel most regularly to support the team. In short, when
tickets are in high demand, preference should be given to those who
travel away most frequently. Although obviously a matter for
individual clubs to negotiate with their own supporters, the general
principle should be established.
3.3 Ticket prices quite often discriminate against away fans.
Away fans must be charged the same price as home fans for equivalent
facilities. This should be mandatory, with penalties for those not
abiding by this rule. Additionally concessionary prices for juniors
and OAPs must be enforced.
3.4 Many clubs categorise their fixtures as A, B, and C fixtures
etc. Away fans should be charged at a single rate, the average at a
single rate, the average of the bands applied to home fans. Although
Manchester United at home may be an attractive fixture for
Southampton fans, why should Manchester United fans have to pay more
than Coventry fans to watch their team play away at Southampton.
This pricing policy discriminates against supporters of large and/or
successful clubs.
3.5 Moves should be made to offer visiting fans a choice of
seating. All to frequently they receive the worst seats in the
ground, and pay more for the privilege. As home supporters have 90%
of capacity to choose from, the 10% of fans supporting the visiting
team should be offered average seating if it is infeasible to offer
them varying quality seats.
4 European Travel
4.1 There are several recommendations and laws relating to
European away fixtures that seem to be ignored.
4.2 The level of ticket allocation seems to be arbitrary when the
implications of not issuing enough tickets to away fans is far
greater than domestic away fixtures. Many fans are forced to make
travel plans before they know they have been able to obtain a match
ticket. If they are not allocated a ticket they are left with the
choice of losing their deposit for their travel costs, or travelling
without a ticket inevitably, a proportion of fans will travel
without tickets. Therefore, tickets should be allocated with the
emphasis on satisfying demand for tickets from away fans. Obviously
this would have to be reciprocated by English clubs where the need
arises.
4.3 The distribution of tickets may be in contravention of
European law. If a club, by way of its distribution of tickets,
promotes its own travel company, ahead of the competition, surely
this is against European competition law. IMUSA believe tickets
should be allocated irrespective of which travel company the
individual fan chooses to use. The right to choose must be
protected.
4.4 The price level of tickets for European away matches also
causes concern. The principle established in Britain, that away fans
should be charged the same for comparative facilities, as home fans
should be extended to European competitions. As Manchester United
fans we have been charged up to four times the price of home fans at
some European away fixtures.
4.5 Ground safety has become an issue for many European away
matches. As the highest profile clubs compete for large amounts of
money, surely ground safety should be enforced to a standard similar
to those in the Taylor Report. Similarly policing and stewarding
needs to be improved, via increased communication between
authorities to erase confusion that so often leads to violence.
4.6 Civil rights issues have been given much publicity, but most
travelling supporters do not know what rights they have. A guide
explaining what the police and stewards are legally allowed to do
would help many fans. It could also include what rights you have
should you be arrested, and what help is available to you and how to
get it.
4.7 The N.C.I.S. database may be a great help to police forces
domestically, but its use should be monitored more closely for
offences alleged to have occurred abroad. There have been numerous
instances of supporters being deported for simply being in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Any information on the database should not
be used against fans (i.e. to stop them travelling) unless there are
genuine reasons, such as prosecutions against them. There is a need
for a properly administered appeals procedure for supporters who
feel they have been wrongly included on any 'black list'.
5 Coca Cola Cup
5.1 Fan's opinion towards the Coca-Cola Cup could be expressed
better through a central body. It is generally felt that the
Coca-Cola Cup is an inferior competition to the Premier League and
FA Cup, yet admission prices do not reflect this. In terms of
prices, the Coca-Cola Cup should have lower admission prices if it
is to hold any interest amongst the supporters of the clubs
qualifying for Europe.
5.2 Most Manchester United fans agree that the Coca-Cola Cup
still has too many games. Semi-Finals should consist of one leg to
reduce the number of games a club would need to play to get to the
Final.
5.3 Most IMUSA members feel that the Coca-Cola Cup should finish
before the quarter-final stages of the European competitions begin.
There is no reason it can't finish before Christmas as in Scotland.
Appendix: Juventus away 10.12.97
Introduction
This is a proactive report, produced in an attempt to avoid any
potential problems for Manchester United fans travelling in Europe
and particularly to Turin for the forthcoming Champions League
fixture against Juventus on 10th December 1997.
Ticket Allocation
The desire to see your team play in Europe is a very real one for
many football fans, a desire only satisfied for the few. We are
fortunate as supporters of MUFC to have had a great many
opportunities to travel abroad to watch the team play. This past
experience has increased our desire yet further, combined with the
improvements in international travel making the trip more readily
available.
Manchester United Football Club control the distribution of all
official tickets for European away fixtures. From time to time, they
choose to allocate tickets to favoured travel companies. A supporter
wishing to travel to see MUFC play abroad must apply to the Club for
an 'official' ticket in advance of the fixture or one of the
aforementioned 'independent' travel companies.
Often this distribution method, or ballot, is held so close to
the date of the game that it is impossible for fans to make their
own travel arrangements. For the recent game against Feynoord
success, or otherwise, in the ballot was only revealed a few days
prior to the game. Leaving many fans with ferry/plane tickets booked
but no tickets.
Experience of booking any type of foreign travel will bear
witness to the fact that, unless reservations are made early, travel
and accommodation become either impossible to secure or
prohibitively expensive. Such knowledge and past experience of this
ticket ballot scheme has led to fans taking one of the following
courses of action:
- Book travel arrangements for the game well in advance of any
knowledge of being able to obtain a ticket
- Pay the asking price demanded of the Club on the 'Official
Trip'
- Go with an independent tour operator who promises that tickets
will be made available even if they are not in the 'official
MUFC allocation'
- Make your own way to the game hoping to pick up a ticket on
arrival
IMUSA document "Redprint for Change" states that when
Manchester United fans are travelling abroad they often wish to
spend some time in the country they are visiting. The one or two day
trip on offer by the Club does not meet this legitimate desire,
necessitating the need for independent arrangements to be made.
In the last two years MUFC have released an increasing number of
tickets to independent travellers and for this they are to be
applauded. Their actions compare well to those of other English
clubs in Europe this season. For example, Newcastle United where the
recent trip to Barcelona was described by some as 'a glorified
school trip'.
However, arrangements could be improved still further, reducing
the potential for supporters arriving abroad to see a match without
tickets. Manchester United fans abroad should be trusted as they
have surely earned that trust by their good behaviour in recent
years.
The allocation of tickets should be made as soon as possible
after the draw for the next round is made. This would be assisted if
UEFA were to ask clubs to indicate in advance of the draw how many
tickets they will make available to travelling fans. Immediately on
completion of the draw opposing teams would be able to make
arrangements for the allocation proposed and speed up the
distribution of tickets accordingly.
Additionally, UEFA must recognise that English club sides take
more fans to away fixtures than most other competing nations and
ensure that accommodation is sought accordingly at stadiums where
English sides are scheduled to play.
For MUFC, once the draw is announced, arrangements could be set
in place to distribute tickets to members making an application.
This should be conducted on a first come first served basis. The
only discriminating factor to be considered in the event of demand
exceeding supply should be the individual member's previous record
of travel. e.g. those travelling to more fixtures gain greater
priority. Certainly no favouritism should be given to fans simply
for holding executive facilities over and above those of ordinary
members.
The earliest possible notification that a member has been
allocated a ticket in the distribution would allow fans to then make
their travel arrangements - with the 'official trip' or otherwise.
No tickets need be distributed until nearer to the game but fans
could book travel and accommodation secure in the knowledge that
they had a ticket. The Ticket Office could, as now only hand out
tickets when the member produces 'bona fide' travel documents. Any
failure to collect tickets by this method would render the
application invalid with the resultant ticket going to a reserve
list of members. This method recognises the desire of the club to
maintain some element of control over the final usage of the ticket
whilst meeting the needs of the supporter
Ticket Prices
In our experience, tickets for European away matches are nearly
always substantially cheaper for home fans than for Manchester
United fans. It seems ironic that for the forthcoming match in
Turin, Manchester United fans are being charged £14.00 but last
year we were charged £30.00. We believe that this is as a result of
pressure from organisations such as IMUSA and now hope that ALL
European clubs follow this example from Juventus.
Police
In light of the recent England v Italy match in Rome and our own
experiences in Turin last year, Manchester United fans have severe
reservations about Police treatment on arrival in Turin. IMUSA
believe that Manchester United F.C. should, as a matter of urgency,
seek Ber assurances from the Turin Police and Authorities. We
believe that travelling Manchester United fans should be treated the
same as other tourists and not like some kind of third class
citizen.
"Stop & search" for items like keys and coins
should only be done if applied to ALL fans from both clubs. We
recommend that IMUSA representatives be present at all discussions
that take place prior to any European away fixture at Club, FA and
UEFA levels. This course of action would enable the relevant
decision makers to fully understand the actual travelling fans
experiences and viewpoint. It is our conviction that this
involvement could help to prevent incidents such as in Turin 96,
Porto 97 and Rome 97 (England).
Manchester United F.C. Security & Stewarding
For fans travelling on official club trips, it is Club policy
that stewarding is done by Manchester United's own private security
firm. Whilst on first impression, this seems to give fans a degree
of security (MUFC security guards are everywhere when fans arrive at
Manchester Airport), the reality is that when fans arrive on foreign
soil the security we take with us have no authority and are both
powerless and unwilling to help alleviate any of the many problems
sometimes faced by fans e.g. Police brutality etc. Indeed their only
duty seems to be the distribution of tickets, which, as in the case
of our recent trip to Rotterdam was done on our way to board the
plane in Manchester - they could have, and may as well have, gone
home once that task was completed. IMUSA accept the need for
stewarding but it should be done with more authority and conviction
on reaching our destination.
Additionally fans must be kept informed at all times of decisions
taken which affect them and their safety. It is unacceptable for
announcements to be made without there being a translation into the
language of the visiting teams. e.g. At Juventus last season no
announcements were made in English at all.
Conclusions
- Manchester United F.C. to improve the distribution of tickets
to members
- UEFA to ensure parity of ticket prices to home and away fans
- Relevant authorities in England to seek firm assurances from
Turin Police
- Stewards (not security guards) to be given more responsibility
by host clubs
- UEFA to ensure that all announcements to supporters be
bi-lingual. If the host club fails to provide an English
interpreter for United's travelling support then MUFC will do so
- IMUSA representatives to be involved, at the earliest possible
stage, in planning for all European away matches
Whilst we well understand the fears that foreign Police and
authorities may have with the vast number of British football
supporters visiting their shores, we can not condone the heavy
handed attitudes that have become so prevalent during such visits.
We believe with better dialogue between all concerned parties, some
of the past troubles, and indeed tragedies could well have been
avoided.
