New Bag Policy.
To attempt to help County Supporters better understand the new policy and raise our valid concerns about it we approached the Club just after mid-day today.
We received a reply just over 3 hours ago and a summary version of same and a complete copy of our original email are available here.
It by no means solves anything but we will look to maintain contact with the Club going forward making them aware of the issues as they become known to us.
Stockport County Supporters Cooperative
Copy of SCSC email sent 13.32 27 October 2023:-
Tom.
I hope you are well!
The Supporters Cooperative Board have asked me to write to you regarding the new `bag policy`.
We are concerned about the new bag policy that has been introduced at such short notice and without prior consultation. The board are disappointed that the matter was not flagged up on Monday when at our meeting in the Alexandra.
As a board we fully understand the need for diligent inspection of all bags brought into Edgeley Park on match days, but the new system places too great a limit on bag size to be either practical for or equitable to County supporters.
There has been considerable concern raised on message boards and social media particularly from families with young children, who have to carry a large number of items to ensure that their children are warm, have food and drink and are entertained.
For families with babies, we feel this policy would prevent parents from attending games, as they would need to bring sterilised bottles, nappies, change of clothing, toys, etc and this is not practical if they cannot bring a large bag.
Many County supporters travel large distances to get to home games, families with children who have particular medical issues, providing certification to support their condition would create a lot of logistic issues and we think this is impractical to implement. It could also cause a lot of negative publicity if fans with medical conditions are turned away, which we don’t want to see.
When the weather gets colder and wetter, matters will only be more negatively impacted by the new system.
Many supporters may not have learned yet of what is what in respect of bag policy thus it would be appreciated if some further clarification could be provided as to what the situation will be if supporters turn up with regular sized bags, there being no bag drop available. Can the club consider making a bag drop available?
We did indicate on Monday that we were willing to act as a `sounding board` giving you a valuable insight into the view of County Supporters on ideas you were thinking of introducing, this offer still stands and we would be happy to meet with you to discuss this particular matter further.
The Co-op do need to provide supporters with a reply, and we have made this commitment, in response to the concerns raised on social media.
Regards
Ian Brown
Stockport County Supporters Cooperative
The response to the Supporters Cooperative by Mr Tom Mahon, Chief Operating Officer for Stockport County.
The response is in summarised for to conform with Mr Mahon`s request.:-
Mr Mahon thanked the Supporters Cooperative for raising the issue starting off by saying that the new bag policy is about making Edgeley Park a safe, accessible and affordable matchday experience for supporters.
Regarding our point on not sharing with us, Mr Mahon stated that the bag policy wasn’t confirmed when we met on Monday but at a monthly management meeting on Wednesday following. With the next game in such close proximity there wasn’t time to put it out to consultation and also give supporters the time to adjust their plans accordingly.
The bag size decision was based on research across various other football clubs and stadia, and the A4 approach is broadly assumed as the standard.
Notwithstanding the above the club will adopt a common-sense approach for the next two games and beyond. Whilst some supporters will have to make some amendments to their previous matchday routine, the Club won’t be turning away supporters who have items required to feed, clothe, or change infants, and no fan with medical issues will be turned away.
In addition, Club staff will be briefed to have a common-sense approach at the upcoming two fixtures. The Club will then review and explore amendments to the policy or operation if they are required.
Mr Mahon indicated that the above follows on from a number of increased safety measures that have been introduced to Edgeley Park this season including traffic bollards at the Cheadle End, the text line service, new Supporter Liaison Officers and the Club will continue to assess and review their policies throughout the season, not just around safety but all elements of fan experience.
Mr Mahon indicated that the Club were willing to use the Co-operative as a sounding board on how the supporters feel and will seek to engage with us going forward.
In conclusion Mr Mahon re-iterated that the bag policy decision was based solely on safety considerations not commercial gain- extra stewarding and equipment is required which adds to operating costs but the implementation will make the Club more able to meet the upcoming requirements around Martyn’s Law that will apply to all stadia .
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