Mr Mark Gilmore Chief Constable of West Yorkshire West Yorkshire Police Headquarters P.O. Box 9 Wakefield WF1 3QP Ref: CJCB/DMP/HuddersfieldvHull 25 February 2013 Dear Mr Gilmore I am writing as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Football Group in which capacity I have been contacted by a number of Hull City supporters with regard to restrictions which are to be placed on their Easter Saturday game at Huddersfield Town. I have also been in contact with my colleagues, Alan Johnson, Karl Turner and Diana Johnson who as Hull Members of Parliament I understand have raised concerns about this matter. As I understand the situation, the game between Huddersfield Town and Hull City will be shown live on Sky Television on Saturday evening. As a result of that, you have decided that the Hull City fans attending the game will have their ticket allocation severely reduced and all fans will have to travel in designated coaches from the Hull City Stadium to the Huddersfield ground. Could you explain to me whether this is the situation and why you have made the decision that these measures are necessary? As I understand it, there is no history of trouble at games between these two sides and so it is difficult to understand why this game has been picked out for this particular treatment. I am not aware of any other games in Yorkshire this season which have required similar measures, if there are perhaps you could inform me of them and what similarities there are between those situations and the one in question in the game between Huddersfield and Hull. As a Sheffield Wednesday fan I am used to issues to do with tickets. I, for example, have an away season ticket where I pay a fee at the beginning of the year to have a guaranteed away ticket to every game. If Hull City have similar arrangements, how would that operate given that presumably fans in that situation would simply pay for a ticket they had effectively pre-booked without all the conditions attached which your requirements would now demand. What about Hull City fans who do not live in Hull but, say, may live in Manchester. Are they supposed to travel to Hull to get on a coach to come back to Huddersfield for the game in question? I have to say, requirements for fans to travel in convoy of this kind are much more reminiscent of the 1980s than the 21st century when all football fans were simply considered to be hooligans and were treated accordingly. I simply hope we do not go back to those days where fans were frog-marched to games and detained afterwards, not because they had done anything wrong but because they wanted to follow their football team. Continued over/..... I am sure you do understand this is a serious matter. It is effectively depriving some football fans of the right to see their team. It is depriving fans of the right to travel in their own car and freely walk to a match and it is a set of requirements for a game which I am not aware has been imposed on any fans in this area for a very long time and therefore must surely be very carefully considered before they are implemented. I look forward to your reply to these points. I am copying my letter to the fans who have raised the issue with me, to my colleagues the MPs for Hull and also Barry Sheerman and Jason McCartney as local Members of Parliament in Huddersfield. Yours sincerely Clive Betts MP for Sheffield South East
Well said Clive Betts. I went to Huddersfield on Saturday to meet old uni mates (something I wouldn't be able to do after City's game under these restrictions), I drank a hell of a lot more than I ever do before a game (where was my police escort?!!). I didn't cause any fights or trouble either, so what makes them think if I visited next time, because I'd be going to a football match too, that means I'd be more likely to cause trouble? If anything, the problem I had this weekend was that I couldn't get away from Huddersfield - it took me 4 hours to get from Huddersfield to Hull! The rail network in this country is appalling.
That's more like it. Once the local politicians in Hull and Huddersfield (as well as the not inconsiderable weight of Lord Prescott) get involved I can't see the WYP continuing on their chosen course of action.
This is excellent response from Clive Betts, however it now makes it even more important that our fans behave themselves on the day. Or we will all look very silly.
I agree that it is an excellent response and I would hope I fans would behave regardless of this letter. WYP are paid to do what their title says, police West Yorkshire; they are not paid to pre-judge an element of society who have been invited to their region by one of their sporting clubs. If we have the odd sickhead who misbehaves, then deall with them, just as any police would at any match - we should not be the exception.
Good point Fez, but we have a few fans ( very few) who think it is obligatory to behave like arses. But I take your point.
Just a thought, why would a MP of Sheffield write this and not a MP from Hull or Huddersfield , when it has F All to do with him . Cant be bothered maybe? Not complaining though , couldnt have wrote it better myself. Edit = oh **** - i should have noted first 'Chair of all party parliament football group' . well it is late and a few beers. but still why didnt someone who it involves write.
I believe several people involved have written and if Look North are to be believed WYP are looking for a get out as they are coming in for so much flack
The issue now is, if they are talking of a compromise, that implies some give and take on both sides. Living in Manchester, I am one of the more "extreme" in terms of being discriminated against by the West Yorkshire Police, so I am still concerned that whist they might shift their position and more will get what they want, I and my family might still be excluded. Will have to rely on that 15 year old lad!
Diana Johnson(Hull North), Karl Turner(Hull East), Alan Johnson(Hull West) and John Prescott(Two Jags) have also complained to WYP.
You can guarantee that the fans who want to cause trouble will be in Huddersfield regardless and the WYP on duty that day will be massive targets
Agreed. To those who do mis-behave the answer is a simple one. Shoot them and be done with it. I would have done so @ Bolton last saturday. Those louts make me sick. ...... more so Supt. Ged "Dick Head" McManus should be tarred and feathered for half time entertainment for all the hassle he has caused.
Tickles you're obsessed with shooting people. The clowns who want to go and fight people and smash pubs will be doing it to get some 'bad boy rep', best way to prevent it is to reverse that. At present they go to jail, which is probably a motivation, you know what these kids are like "this guys been in jail for battering 3 skin heads with a crow bar and chucking a brick through a pub window he's well hard" Why not line them up in the jail and have the prisoners **** on them, they'll forever be known as 'the gay boy that got jizzed on' and therefore will not want to do it anymore.
