Bristol City will increase stewarding around the Dolman Stand and have warned of longer queues to gain entry to Ashton Gate for this Saturday’s Championship fixture against Blackburn Rovers after the surge of fans into that area of the stadium last weekend.
Block E34 of the Doland Stand was packed for the 4-2 victory over Birmingham City with supporters gathering there as it represents the part of the ground closest to the away supporters congregated in the Atyeo Stand.
It helped make for an eclectic atmosphere in BS3 (also aided by the Robins' four goals in what was their first home win for three months), whereas traditionally the bulk of the noise is made in Section 82 - in the corner of where the South Stand meets the Dolman - there were two areas constantly singing.
However, the new found popularity of E34 also seems to have come at a price with hundreds of supporters standing throughout the game in a seated area, while some also occupied seats designated for season ticket holders who either had to move elsewhere or themselves stand. The club have received complaints from some supporters as a result.
The overpopulation also seems to have been caused by some fans duplicating tickets to gain unauthorised access. City claim to have refused entry or ejected those who were found with duplicate tickets, but clearly a number slipped through the net.
As a result City will beef up their checks for the weekend game against Blackburn and have warned supporters contravening rules that they will be ejected, with fan safety at the heart of their response.
“Bristol City Football Club would like to remind supporters that match tickets in the E34 block of the Dolman Stand are reserved seating only,” a club statement read.
“At Saturday’s fixture against Birmingham City, large numbers of supporters were stood throughout the game and many not in their correct seats. This resulted in a number of Season Ticket holders being unable to get to their designated seats and having to stand throughout the game.
“Upon physical ticket checks, stewards discovered that supporters were duplicating tickets in an attempt to gain unauthorised access to the block. A large number of supporters with duplicate tickets were subsequently refused entry and those who had gained access were removed where safely possible.
“As a result, there will be increased stewarding in place for this weekend’s fixture against Blackburn Rovers (January 21st, 3pm) and physical ticket checks in place, which may result in longer queues, as Bristol City Football Club and Ashton Gate underline its commitment to fan safety.
“Supporters who have purchased tickets in the E34 block are advised to take only the seat specified on their match ticket. If supporters are found to ignore their seating instruction they will also face removal from the stand.”
Ideas to improve the atmosphere at Ashton Gate and make it a more intimidating environment for visiting teams have been discussed for several years with the main bone of contention being the away support having a whole stand to themselves. With the “singing section”, which also incorporates a safe standing area, tucked away in the corner, the sound from home supporters doesn’t always travel around the stadium.
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