Segregation

Quote: violetrwb "The north stand is not in my opinion a great place to view the game, some prefer standing at the end, some do not. For those that like to stand along the touchline without the sun in their face and actually see all corners of the ground then the western terrace is in my opinion the best place to do so.
I would agree that the north stand is not the be all and end all as some are saying. At other grounds I prefer to stand at the side as it is a better view. I don't like our shallow terrace at the side but have stood there.

Some people seem to be suggesting that it is all fans inherent duty to stand together in the north stand, and that the atmosphere generated there is somehow something special. The truth is that the noise generated there can barely be heard in other parts of the ground, wheras when the terraces are packed in the west and east standing areas this offers far more atmospheric value to the ground as a whole and support for the team. All that is of course subjective and broadly irrelevant to what is being discussed however.
That is just a case of you hear the noise around where you stand. Even standing at the side of the north stand you can't hear it that loud. Depends where you are.

The club have made a decision that they claim is because they're looking down the barrel of a £20k fine, something in itself is a matter of debate. The communication has been as ever amateurish, and at times on this very thread provocative and blunt. The main issue for me is that the group I have stood with pretty much my entire life on the west terrace now cannot do so, and the reason for this is because the club have made no effort to root out the trouble makers (who must number about six) and/or steward the area properly. Many of my group have already said that they will not buy memberships next year and just pay on the gate as away fans, because the best viewing position in the ground is being denied to them because of the lazy approach being taken.
Surely the club know what they are discussing with RFL better than we do. If they say £20k I'm prepared to believe it. The important thing is though that they feel they have to do something because it is not safe to not do. That is only the fault of the people causing trouble. None of the trouble is on a massive scale but it adds up and it is not nice for either away supporters or home supporters alike. I've been coming to Belle Vue since mid 70s and have rarely seen as much consistent trouble as I have over the last two seasons. Like I said, nothing major but bottle throwing on the field (Griffin seems to be a target but others too), bottle throwing at fans, Cas especially, racist abuse against Huddersfield, general antagonistic singing to players and away supporters. It's just unnecessary and only causes issues like we are having now with segregation to limit any escalation.

Key security are not impartial, the police aren't even at games, and rugby league is a family sport which thrives on fans mixing together. I don't see it as a coincidence that the encouraged segregation has coincided with more trouble, for decades there have been morons and idiots with bad language but having the fans mixed in together has always led to a great deal of self policing amongst the fans. Somebody shouts something daft and is immediately told to shut it by his peers - it's how it's always been.
That is no longer the case. In this day and age there is less peer intervention because of the numbers of people being too aggressive. Having to increase security increases costs, causes the club problems casg wise and causes us problems because it is bound to be reflected in the ticket price.

I go to the match to watch the match, yes it's a bonus if there's a fantastic atmosphere, but ultimately it's the match I want to watch, and I'd like to do that where I can see the game, and that's on the west.
I'd agree....but I'd add "safely"

The fact that Davide has come on here is admirable, but it only further highlights the haphazard approach to defining and communicating this new set of rules as he has moved position on a few points. Same old, same old from the new regime here - a poorly thought out policy, implemented poorly, and all the responses could have been predicted had they actually thought things through. Ultimately the whole thing is needless if they had the wit to tackle root cause
I disagree that it is poorly thought out in terms of decision. I do agree (as El Rey corrected me on it) that they didn't follow through with implementation and ultimately communication very well, but as I said before, if the rule is to be applied, it wouldn't have mattered when they told you, you still wouldn't have liked it.
If it means people are paying on the day rather than buying season tickets then it's more money for the club, albeit later. That might finance the security. However, if they then go to the western terrace and there is some trouble....they can't complain to the club about it and deserve criticism if it caused by them being there.

I've stood with away fans all my rugby watching life and never had any trouble personally. I argue and discuss with them, though I choose who to do it with, but significantly, I don't abuse players, I don't sing offensive songs. I don't want to be segregated, but I do want a safe environment at Belle Vue, and if the other fans can't control themselves, then it looks like we will have to have it..'"