Ehab's plan to put the away fans in the upper west will depend upon the attitude of the police. Keith Hunter was recently elected Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner and supporters can write to him to express their opinion on the move.
For anyone who can be arsed, here's the safety guidelines on standing at grounds, which is the biggest issue with moving fans to an upper tier... http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.or...ublications/standing-in-seated-areas-2013.pdf
All those people in the San Siro, Bernebau etc taking their lives in their hands. Not as high and steep as the KCOM of course. Trouble is a lot of places quite rightly don't make vagus butbthatbisn't the way of the police, the council and other groups in Hull.
In light of recent events surrounding Hillsborough, the chances of the police and ambulance service, or the council, ignoring ground safety rules with regard to the housing of away fans is pretty much zero. That applies to everywhere, not just Hull.
If away fans are seated in the Upper West then how will they segregate the west stand entrances, staircases and lifts? Would need structural changes and West Upper only entrances.
Going by the usual police panic involving a football match as shown at North Ferriby they won't be in favour. Handful of chavs acting like idiots in a 2,000 crowd and they were scrambling a helicopter. Of course a flare was set off in an open space, creating less smoke than the official pyrotechnics after the presentation of trophies, which could have lead to asphyxiation and stampedes. Naturally Humberside Police have now enforced their favourite bit of ****witery, having alcohol banned at the ground for the final. Of course no alcohol bans for Ladies Day, described by the police as a wonderful, fun day where everyone enjoys themselves, and which sees more arrests in a crowd smaller than City's lowest attendance than at the KC for a whole season of games.
So fans all round the country will be made to sit down? Of course our fans are popular as more of them sit down than any other visiting fans.
I'm talking about the chances of the SAG agreeing to the move of the away fans to the West Upper in the current climate. As for making people sit down, there are much tighter rules relating to standing in upper tiers (particularly based on the rake of stand), which is why I posted the link.
What would the police do without the fences and 'sterile' area that they currently have in the north east corner ? I can't see any way they are going to accept away fans in west upper
neither can I and either way moving people out before they know whether it will be acceptable of not is lunacy
The Rugby League 'away' fans would also have to be accommodated in the same away section as football. I don't suppose the SMC have consulted with Hull FC ( as if) as this proposal affects them as well ?
It is lunacy, but the reasons against it that have been suggested aren't the most sane. Guidance is just that, if arguments can be offered, then they should be considered. There are two tiered (and more) stands all over the world that seem to operate without catastrophe. If there is a specific concern, there will be ways of addressing them. The problem comes when the group deciding have their own reasons, and there's nobody there with the knowledge or experience to argue against them.
I don't think it will, they'll just assign a few blocks in the lower tier to away fans. There's no segregation rules in RL and there's plenty of grounds where the home and away fans have no choice but to mix (Leeds, Cas, Wakefield, Catalan...etc), can't see them bothering to open the Upper West for a small number of away fans, although the probably would for the derby.
We have West Upper only entrances now, you just need to close off those doors half way up the stairs that lead to the Lower West. As for structural changes, there'll be a gate put through the centre of the concourse and that's about it, not a lot else needs to be done to make it a reality.
The chances of away fans being allowed in the Upper West are zero. From the mouth of a previous stadium manager yesterday.
Ultimately it will be the chair of the Safety Advisory Group who'll make the decision, he'll obviously have the police pushing for it to be rejected, but he'll have to hear arguments from both sides and then make a decision based on the guidelines. It's certainly more likely to be rejected than accepted, but it's not been completely dismissed yet.
