Down in our lower leagues many clubs still have terracing and make a few 100 seats available to those that want to sit. :o A choice!!
Although some of the old league sides are obviously seated - Oxford, Cambridge (have a small section of terracing for away fans), Rushden to name a few.

What I want to know is does the rules for having to be remain seated stand for lower league clubs too?



I'm thinking ahead to our game at Rushden on the final day of the season and how strict they were being with us (known standers throughout, not keen on sitting). We have had absolutely NO trouble anywhere else where there have been seats and the stewards trying to get us to sit.

"Ex-league club bully boys", in a way, is what I think when thinking of Rushden.

Can you clarify this please?

Cheers

Cambridge isn't all seater.

I can confirm RuShden stewards are awful. They are basically bouncers who bully fans and throw them out at half time while getting a drink saying they were not sitting. Luckily Wycombe fans have decided to stand en masse in the 2nd half of recent games there before they got relegated (ha ha ) singing and standing and it was really to wind up the scumbag stewards. They are some of the worst I have come across but wit the exception of a few teams I wouldnt be surprised if they still emply about 5 bullies when teams like Droylesdon bring 10 old granny away fans.

Rushden stewards were very hot on standing when I went there with Torquay a couple of years ago. Torquay took about 500 and as usual those who prefer to stand went to the back, but we were constantly hassled by stewards.
I Hated Rushden - all so plastic.

The rule exists in the football league but as far as I know not in the conference.

If it does then the clubs don't seem to care!

We spent 4 very happy years in the conference and we were not asked to sit once. Even in all seated away ends like Stevenage, they just let the standers stand up!

We never played Rushden in the conference. On our return to the football league we played them away on the last day. We needed to win to be sure of staying up (they were already down). Their stewards tried to get us to sit but had very little success, probably because we filled their away end (we took 1,400 fans because it was a big game).

According to FA Ground Regulations for grades B-G (Levels 6-10 of the English League System):

Although Grade A (Level 5, aka Conference National) regulations aren't published online yet, presumably the same rule applies as it does for the levels above and below. However, the clubs might not enforce these rules quite as strictly as Football League sides as they don't have the FLA breathing down their necks.

Watermelon, exactly. We obviously have quite a decent amount of standers/singers that usually head towards the back of seated stands. We've never had any trouble at places like Cambridge, Stevenage, Oxford - all they've asked is we keep the walk-ways clear although that didn't happen at Oxford or Stevenage.

Thanks for that Prof, I guess that if they chose to they could counter-act by saying the rules aren't there so we will follow the FLA for league clubs.

Shame really. TOSSERS!

Don't take this question the wrong way I'm just wondering... Why are you on here?

You seem to have it really good. You have probably the best ground in the country for atmosphere and never get told to sit at away games (thats why I'm on here).

Is it because your preparing yourself for the hellhole that is the football league or is it because you watch England and the atmosphere is rubbish? Or do you feel bad for the prem lot and want to help out (thats partly why I'm on here)?

what's that pastor neimoller quote? - "first they came for the jews, and i did nothing because i was not a jew...etc. etc."

I want to help, where I can, those that want a choice and want to bring back an atmosphere with the help of introducing the standing.

I'm part of the Red Blue Army group at Aldershot which is quite a big part of our vocal and colour support. We certainly don't want to sit down on some seat. We're there to be vocal, bring alot of noise, add to the spiraling tench atmospheres and bring the colour to our games.

With it being so good now, I REALLY don't want to get promoted as I reckon this will be one of the downfulls for our good vocal support. We probably won't take massive numbers away (seeing as how most away's would be more northern) and will be more prone to being "attacked" and enforced to sit.

Hope that answers somewhat. ;) :)

Good answer thats mostly the same reason I'm on here. I see exactly why you don't want to get promoted. I didn't feel like that when we went up but I didn't expect the football league to be as terrible as it is!

Anyway, from a personal point of view I'm delighted your going up. Firstly because I don't want Stevenage to go up and also because the Aldershot away sky game was one of the best away games I've ever been to for atmosphere.

I really hope they let us in that bit next to you lot!

You say that but Stevenage were more or less the only club without an away terrace, Scarborough were the only other one I can think of and I only went there once. Things are starting to change though and give it a few years it will probably be as bad as division four.

Always thought the conference was a more relaxed and friendlier league though. No confetti was allowed at Exeter as they said it blew into the street (fair enough) but I can't remember anywhere not allowing flags in for being a fire hazard!

Obviously we haven't won yet, there's still a long way to go yet. We only need to definitely win 8 of our remaining 11 games I THINK. But I'm sure Torquay will drop more points as to Cambridge. (At my last count the other day, Cambridge could only get 100 points, Torquay 105 and us 113 I think)

We're nearly there, not over yet though!

What was it that Barnet sung?

"We're on our way......We're on our way to the football league...." ?

We're on our way, we're on our way
To the football league, we're on our way
How we'll get there I don't know
How we'll get there I don't care
All I know is Barnets on our way

Quality song that. Would give you a link on youtube but I can't find one. We aren't on youtube very much.

Apparently Stevenage sing it now as well.

Actually I've just found it on youtube. 1 min 4 secs into this clip!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_TVK1IWvtg

Just change "to the second round" with "to the football league".

Kandols goal in that game was amazing...