I went to Huddersfield before our BUBBLE game last season.There is no history of our fans causing trouble there.I parked near the ground next to a ploice van full of coppers eating sandwiches 3 hours before kick off.I asked them if it was ok to park there .They seemed confused as I was wearing the scarf of the Italian team I used to watch when I lived there. Walking into town I passed many riot vans in the back streets and when I got into the centre for our protest march there were lots of police and horses.At 1pm I was the lone Hull fan in the town square.When the march began there were as many Hudders fans as Hull and a couple of Stoke fans. It must have cost a fortune to police a peaceful event.We did get a climb down from WYP but too late not to not ruin a bank holiday fixture
Sunderland AFC has announced that it is to subsidise the cost of tickets for the forthcoming derby for its fans by £20.Adult tickets for the trip to St James’ Park are currently priced at £47 and will now be reduced to £27, over-65 and full-time student concessions will be £18 and under-18s will be priced at just £5.All Sunderland supporters attending the game are required to travel to St James’ Park on official transport. This will include a fleet of buses departing from the Stadium of Light, official supporters’ branch transport, which will depart from their normal locations and a number of departure points across the region (to be confirmed shortly), as the club works to minimise any inconvenience to its fans.All coach transport, including the official supporters’ branch buses, will be provided free of charge by Sunderland AFC.Sunderland AFC’s chief executive Margaret Byrne has explained the rationale behind the decision in her programme notes ahead of Tuesday night’s Capital One Cup semi final first leg to give supporters a clear understanding of why the change has had to be made.She said: “I understand and sympathise with the concerns expressed by our fans and I can assure them it is not an approach that we have agreed to lightly. “The reality is that all clubs, for games such as this deemed as ‘high risk’, have to request special police services in order to comply with the conditions of the Safety Certificate issued by the local authority. "The police then determine the number of officers they require to provide those special services. With the events after last year’s derby game and the damage caused in Newcastle City Centre, the requirements are more stringent on both clubs and include more than just special police services. “Northumbria Police have identified that a major cause of potential problems (and where our supporters are most at risk) is in and around Central Station and on the walk to St James’ Park from this area. Hence, our supporters travelling to the game by Metro became an issue. Likewise, supporters driving through independently and the police having no control of their whereabouts presented a further safety risk to them. “Again, I must stress the focus is on ensuring our supporters' safety, not because of any risk our supporters pose.“On one hand, we have Northumbria Police highlighting, quite rightly, how the safety of supporters and the wider public cannot be jeopardised and on the other hand we have the Premier League frustrated that our games cannot be televised in later slots, like other clubs’ derby fixtures, as they are not permitted to be played after a certain time. "We as a club are also frustrated with the situation and are trying to find a workable compromise that all parties are happy with. “I know many supporters will be inconvenienced by the arrangements and we are very sorry for that. We are trying to minimise this inconvenience as much as possible and I hope supporters will understand the reasons behind this change.”SAFC season card holders who have eight or more loyalty points can apply for tickets online or in person at the Stadium of Light ticket office. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday (January 6). Any supporter who has already reserved tickets but does not wish to travel on the official transport will be able to refund their match ticket.
NEWCASTLE and Sunderland fans are joining forces in opposing police plans to force supporters travelling to next month’s derby to do so on official coaches. Thousands have hit out after it was announced that Black Cats fans will have to go to next month’s game at St James’s Park on official transport – or they will not be allowed into the ground. The so-called “bubble trip” has been slammed by chiefs at Sunderland’s Seventy3 fanzine, who said the plans, agreed on by both football clubs and Northumbria Police, were “flawed”. It comes after violence flared in Newcastle city centre following last year’s game on Tyneside, where scores of people were arrested amid disorder after Sunderland won 3-0. Newcastle supporters have also spoken out, fearing the police tactic will become the norm for all future Tyne-Wear derby encounters. Michael Martin, editor of NUFC fanzine True Faith, wrote: “As well as the restrictions placed upon civil liberties, this is also wholly inconvenient for ordinary football supporters, many of who live well away from Sunderland, where I expect the buses will leave from. “Of course, the excuse for this action will be that it is in response to the scenes at the last derby at St James’ Park. “I do not recall any other area of public life where the many are punished for the sins of the few, such as represented by this Draconian action. “The disorder after last April’s game was caused, by and large, after the game by people who had mostly not been to the match. “The trouble was mostly also not caused by Sunderland fans travelling to and from the game. “Yet it is long-standing Sunderland fans, and we’ll be next, who face being punished for idiots who do not attend matches.” Sunderland fans hoping to go to the game on Saturday, February 1, will have to go on official coaches, many of which will leave from the Stadium of Light on the morning of the game. Other coaches will take alternative routes and pick-up passengers at designated points. They will not able to gain entry to the ground unless they travel this way. Mr Martin added: “This is the wrong action, targeting the wrong people and it will have the wrong outcome.” Assistant Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “We welcome the decision by Sunderland Football Club in trying to avoid disorder that has arisen at recent derby matches. “In particular Sunderland Football Club’s initiative to condition ticket sales on travel to St James’ Park aims to prevent disorder that occurred around Central Station and the routes to and from the stadium at last year’s match. During the escort of Sunderland supporters, there were incidents of disorder in Newcastle city centre directed at them and police. “The transportation issue has been discussed between both clubs and the police. Based on those discussions, Sunderland Football Club took this decision which is aimed at ensuring the safety of their supporters. “Northumbria Police cannot direct changes to kick-off times or control the issue of tickets and how supporters travel. We have worked with both clubs and spectators groups in advance of this fixture to minimise a repeat of last year.”
