Who is running football now?
December 06
Update:
We now have Stoke away. It has been moved to Friday evening. No reasoning has yet been offered by Stoke City, other than 'it clashes with Port Vale v Bradford City'. No explanation has been offered of why Sunday is not acceptable. Millwall FC has not been consulted at all.
November 06
Having issues with police forces comes with the territory when you are a Millwall fan, but the recent decision to move the FA Cup game to a Monday night at Fratton Park takes the biscuit. Welcome to modern day football Havant and Waterlooville.
Hampshire police insist the match can't be played at Havant. So it's moved to Fratton Park. As soon as the venue is agreed, Hampshire police decide there's a probability of disorder at the chosen location so they slap in a bill for £35k. Who's running football now, and who's making money from it?
Havant and Waterlooville's big day was stolen from them, especially the kids who were few in number at Fratton Park. A fun (although on a bit of a hiding to nothing) away trip was stolen from the Millwall fans. A venue was chosen where there isn't even any cover for away fans. Whilst H&W's average home attendance is less than 1,000, they have a safety certificate for 4,800.
Not surprisingly the crowd was tiny (5,793 including 411 away), way short of the 7,800 needed to break even, the atmosphere was non existant and both clubs made substantial losses. H & W had their historic big day more than stolen from them. You might like to ask H & W about 'the romance of the FA Cup'?
And how many old bill does it take to police 411 fans? Not £35 grand's worth.
But incredibly there's more!
Having slightly fortuitously seen off Havant & Waterlooville, we have been drawn away to Bradford City. And hey presto, West Yorkshire Police are refusing to police the match on the Saturday as they have Leeds v Barnsley the same day. So it's moved to Friday night. Again many, especially away fans, are denied the chance to support their team, again the 2 clubs lose a heap of much needed cash. Again, how many old bill does it take to police what will probably be 300 fans, 200 miles from home? In my opinion about 10, plus a contingent at Leeds station, but they'll be there anyway.
So, who IS running football now?
The Trust has been in contact with a number of organisations, including Supporters Direct, other Trusts and the Football Supporters Federation. This is an issue that affects all football fans and one which we should and will be shouting very loudly about.
Get Involved:
This is an issue that affects all football fans, so write to your MP copying in the Football Supporters Federation. The powers that be need to know we're not just jumping up and down for the sake of making a noise. |
