Criminalisation of Supporters

[Jackie Brown]

Had the displeasure of standing in the Terrace disabled section with my young sister last night and got witness the event sec heavies at work.

If a member of the public has purchased a Terrace ticket they should be allowed access to the terrace, simple. The number of souls turned away with single and season tickets was out of order. Are the UB over selling the terrace? If I had paid money to stand on the terrace and denied access I'd be straight over to the ticket office to demand a refund. Friends of mine were beyond half way and said they had loads of space.

It appears cans of coke from the bar are not allowed on the terrace. Seriously! Have you sat in a wheel chair with two small plastic cups in each hand filled to the brim with coke while being pushed through crowds to the terrace. It's like a game from the Crystal Maze. Very little was left in either cup by the time we arrived.

It appears it's now UB/Eventsec/Stasi policy to treat supporters as children/thugs/hooligans (delete as appropriate). Currently penning a letter.

[ColinM]

Were they turning folk away to walk all along the back of the stand and down the steps?

[ruckover]

Letting people stand on the walkway behind the Prom last night. Massive overflow.

[Snipe Watson]

Some Eventsec staff have no clue. There was a cub in an ill-fitting coat who just watched as hoards of people marched up the steps on halfway when it was clear that there was no more room. Our usual flame haired overseer came over and cleared the confusion only for him to let it happen again twice more.

It’s that stupid policy they have of not filling the Aquinas end of the terrace until just before kick-off.

[AyeYerMa]

Were they turning folk away to walk all along the back of the stand and down the steps?

No. Well, they were but that wasn't the issue.

They were flat knocking back people from entering the terrace.

Edit:- Have to say that everyone I saw knocked back took it with much better grace than I would have done.

[ColinM]

Were they turning folk away to walk all along the back of the stand and down the steps?

No. Well, they were but that wasn't the issue.

They were flat knocking back people from entering the terrace.

The only possible reason for that is that their useless colleagues couldnt be arsed to find the gaps and get people into them!

[CIMANFOREVER]

Had the displeasure of standing in the Terrace disabled section with my young sister last night and got witness the event sec heavies at work.

If a member of the public has purchased a Terrace ticket they should be allowed access to the terrace, simple. The number of souls turned away with single and season tickets was out of order. Are the UB over selling the terrace? If I had paid money to stand on the terrace and denied access I'd be straight over to the ticket office to demand a refund. Friends of mine were beyond half way and said they had loads of space.

It appears cans of coke from the bar are not allowed on the terrace. Seriously! Have you sat in a wheel chair with two small plastic cups in each hand filled to the brim with coke while being pushed through crowds to the terrace. It's like a game from the Crystal Maze. Very little was left in either cup by the time we arrived.

It appears it's now UB/Eventsec/Stasi policy to treat supporters as children/thugs/hooligans (delete as appropriate). Currently penning a letter.

Agree Totally Jackie. I got into a stand off a couple of seasons ago vs Munster due to the same issue. I'd paid for a terrace spot, and me and the missus couldn't get a space. They tried to push us around to the Aquinas in the pouring rain, and I point blank refused, despite their Heavies intimidation. Ended up they let it lie, but others may not have been as hard nosed as me, and went. I'm a big guy so stood up to them, but some women, others etc. walked grudgingly round.Seen same last night from my position just down from you at the 22. Not good, and sends out the wrong message to the casual supporter just getting into the experience. Ulster really need to take this on and deal with it. Eventsec are by and large poor imo, and many of their stewards/goons operate by intimidation. They are old style "bouncer" standard tbh, suited to illicit drinking dens rather than the family environment we are cultivating.

[AyeYerMa]

That or the terrace being oversold. Looked fairly chokka from my perspective, but if there was space as others have stated then it's a bit of a farce from the stewarding perspective.

That sort of treatment is likely to leave my Friday night persona in a cell or A&E.

[Jackie Brown]

It was a case of flatly denying any access to the Terrace.

[Boutye]

There was me thinking I was the only victim, a wee hi vis Hitler asked me and my wife to go the whole way round to Onslow parade to gain entry even though I was clearly limping from an ankle injury, I asked him was he serious to which he replied " deadly" I should have lied about my tickets that pay his wages.

[AyeYerMa]

The nominated gates and walking the long way on to the terrace are both a pain in the rear (or ankle in your case) but being denied admission to the section of the ground you've paid for through no fault of your own just isn't on at all.

[big mervyn]

What time did this happen? Could well be an issue next week.

[Neil F]

Jackie, I mean this response, in no way, to stand against the point you make, here - being refused access to a portion of the ground for which one has purchased a ticket is a poor sign. I wonder, however, how the terrace is defined in the small-print. Obviously, anyone who has attended Ravenhill for a number of seasons has an image of what the "terrace" is but that may well not be the legal definition. Is it possible, for example, to buy tickets that only allow access to the Aquinas End / Memorial End? If not, I'd imagine those areas are also defined as the "terrace". This is suggestive of something Ulster Rugby need to sort out, though.

I think a lot of individuals here have a tendency to blame EventSec for these events. Indeed, the heavy-handed and intimidating approach is something that I think Ulster Rugby need to deal with. We've been hearing these stories for a number of seasons, now - although I personally feel that Ulster Rugby, in some ways, have their hands tied. Complaints directed to UR, I think, are limited in what they can achieve. I think serious complaints about individual security guards, which is often the issue I see on this forum, should be directed to EventSec themselves. Force the offending guards to identify themselves (a completely legal right) and complain directly to EventSec about their intimidating behaviour.

There is a wider issue here with ground access at Ravenhill, however. It really is appalling; especially the movement around once you are inside the stadium walls. There is no immediate reason why the Aquinas End of the terrace is any less desirable than the Memorial End, from a rugby perspective - simple, that it's a longer walk to an access point. In the seated areas, at least you have a single designated area for each ticket. In the standing areas of Ravenhill, you currently have 8,000 or so people with a ticket that allows them access to one of two standing areas. Other than that, there is (an expectation) of complete freedom of choice of where to stand.

I appreciate this suggestion is only valid for the terrace and not the prom, but it seems that UR need to apportion tickets to particular sections of the terrace (or at least, particular access points to the terrace). At the moment, you have 5,000 or so people wanting a short walk and to get as close to the halfway line as possible. This is a bad recipe, if you ask me and I think a lot of the problems that occur, including some of the unpleasant confrontations with EventSec staff occur as a result of what, I think, is a fairly poor ticketing policy from UR.

[AyeYerMa]

Is it possible, for example, to buy tickets that only allow access to the Aquinas End / Memorial End?

Yes it is, at least for HEC & interpro games and you aren't allowed admission to the ends with a terrace ticket.


Edit:- Don't think I'm talking too much out of school when I say that, in my experience & to my surprise, Friday night Ravers is a particularly unpopular duty with the Eventsec rank & file, so I don't think we get their first fifteen.

[browner]

Vent your frustrations here....


http://ursc.co/?p=2742