Picked this up elsewhere, and thought i'd share it.. He was slated before, but what's the opinion of this board? A DIEHARD Sunderland fan is considering quitting the Stadium of Light after being told he will have to move seats next season. Season card holder Stuart Donald says he may stop going to see his beloved team play, after he was informed by Sunderland AFC that will have to leave his seat in the North Stand Upper, as the club presses ahead with plans to relocate away supporters. From next season, away fans will be seated in the North Stand Upper. The South Stand â where they currently are â will be used for home supporters. Accountant Mr Donald, of Fence Houses, has written to chief executive Margaret Byrne, speaking of his disgust at the way the move has been handled. The 58-year-old, who sits with wife Marion, also 58, says he is now contemplating giving up attending home games. âI canât see myself settling anywhere else,â he said. âI think when they do this the away fans will have the best view. âI doubt if a better viewing area is available to me. âThey are going to upset fans and possibly lose revenue from this.â Although one of the reasons cited for the move is a way of improving the atmosphere, Mr Donald says there is no guarantee of that. He added: âThe atmosphere within any stadium depends on more than the positioning of supporters. âAll you are going to end up with is a fragmented ground with disgruntled supporters.â Mr Donald has supported the club since 1964 and was a regular at the former ground, Roker Park. Even a move to Southampton, where he and his wife lived, couldnât dampen his enthusiasm, with the couple regularly making a near 700-mile round trip to see The Lads in action. A Sunderland AFC spokesman said: âAny correspondence between supporters and the club is private and confidential. âThe club will respond to the supporter directly.â http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/sunderland_fan_s_fury_at_stadium_seat_move_plan_1_3992567
although i have sympathy the club have made this decision he will have to move on and get over it the away fans have to be allocated safely and sunderland seem to think that is the best place for them.
There are two certainties in life: we'll die* and things will change. * actually, this may not be true any more for the super-rich.
I have some sympathy with the bloke actually even if his response seems a little extreme. I canât for the life of me understand why they are thinking of moving the away support to the other side of the ground and above existing fans in the North Stand. The SOL's dynamic will alter and after some 15 years of having the South Stand as the away end, the stadium will feel odd imo. I agree that there will be a fragmented feel to the atmosphere and will voice my opinions on this to the club. Not that it will make any difference I guess. What is wrong with just swapping them from behind the goal to the SW Corner? The singing end could then move to be behind the goal which I would have thought would be the best place for a singing end to be? That way there would be TWO home ends. It would be less intrusion and less upheaval for all concerned. I canât imagine the SW Corner lads and lasses would object to becoming the 'official singing end' would they? I think if the away fans move then so too will the SW corner barmy army but they wonât be able to sit together and it will become fragmented instead of moving en-masse to locate behind the goal and still right beside the away allocation. I donât think that everyone who is asked to move will stop going to games but I do think that at a time when the football is pretty dire and results at the SOL are hardly attracting new supporters, it would be a brave CEO that risked causing major disruption and problems with loyal and existing paying customers? I think this may well make the SOL a less attractive ground for HOME fans as my gaffer sits directly below the proposed away section and he isnât a happy bunny at all. He knows exactly what will happen from some away supporters sitting above home fans. Itâs an ill thought out and poorly planned direction for the club to have taken to rectify a problem ALL SAFC fans wanted solving but just not in this way. Hopefully, there is still time to address these feelings before any long term damage is done. I have sat up in the concourse in my current season ticket seat for the last 7 years and itâs right on the front row. I love the view and the atmosphere up there but I donât intend to sit there right next to the away fans and especially one set of morons that will visit. I donât want to move at all and will be disgusted if it goes ahead without consultation. Maybe I wouldn't stop coming altogether but I would certainly think twice about a season ticket again and simply pick and choose my games in a stadium that isnt full to capacity in any shape or form. The barcodes were the brunt of our jokes some years ago when their club uprooted a load of their fans to make way for the corporate Johnnies but we are doing to accomodate fans that dont even have ANY affiliation to our club. Its not good whichever way you look at it imo.
Away fans above home fans. Oh dear........oh dear oh dear. Best those below take a helmet and a rain proof coat. Just in case it pisses down. Literally.
I have also been told that my seat will be moved. However, I have sat in every area of the ground. North, East, south, West and just about everywhere between. The North stand concourse is a fantastic view BUT, there really is no bad view in the ground. I've never gone really low just out of preference, but there are no pillars and posts, no flood light pylons or anything like that. I won't be renewing for different reasons. I will pick and chose next season unless someone changes my mind. Nothing to do with the stadium. More to do with on the pitch.
Spot on mate...Put the away fans in the South West or South East Corner, and make the whole South Stand for home fans...
I do think the club is right to move the away fans (sometimes few sometimes many) from behind the goal in the South Stand. As to where they should go???? Not sure why the N Stand upper has been chosen other than to hide them, and leave most of the best seats for Sunderland supporters, especially for TV?
