Few can forget their first
football match. Standing behind the goal, trying to get to the
front, marvelling at the great spectacle of the match. The noise
and atmosphere shall certainly be something I shall never forget.
It was seeing my beloved Forest beating Derby 1-0 that sold
football to me forever. At the time result meant little to me but
being about eight or nine at the time but I was taken in by the
romance that accompanies football. Unfortunately my dad could not
afford and did not have time to take me regularly but we went as
often as we could, until the terraces were removed from the City
Ground. I will never forget that wet March night when I learnt
what it was all about.
The loss of terraces from top level football is slowly causing the games demise. The amount of atmosphere is in decline along with attendance’s and peoples belief and love of the sport. It was in typical human knee jerk style that terraces were removed after a great disaster, when in the cold light of day it was the perimeter fence that caused the horror. Had a simple advertising board been the barrier between the terrace and the pitch been present the only problem would have been a delayed kick off.
It is beyond any shadow of a doubt that in these modern times a safe terrace could be constructed and properly policed. If it is divided up by frequent staircases, a suitable amount of barriers (constructed from a safe material) and, for bigger games, a ticket allocation up to the ground capacity it is obvious that it would be safe. For smaller games the system of pay on the turn-styles could re-introduce saving the hassle of having to collect or order a ticket. With modern grand-stands it would not take much to remove the seats from the lower tier and put up a series of barriers. The top two or three rows could be used as a clear gangway for access and for stewards, also this would not obscure executive box views.
A terrace area, as it holds more people and costs substantially less to maintain would allow clubs to cut ticket prices, even half them without losing any money. Such a drop in prices would not exclude so many people from attending matches and therefore boost gate figures. This would allow more children to attend if special separate family areas were designated. As it stands, a parent would struggle to take their child to a top class game and get any change out of forty pounds. This means many children fail to enjoy live football and turn to TV which leads them only to the likes of Man United and Arsenal. Such glory supporting must cost other clubs millions a year and thousands from the gate.
Children themselves also struggle to attend games because of their cost. The average paper-round wage would struggle to cover the cost of half a ticket, let alone bus fare, programme, a drink and the ticket its self. Taking the game away from the children will only strangle the game from mid-Premiership downwards. If older children could stand, a ticket would once again become affordable. Many clubs I have visited also define a child as under sixteen, which means many teenagers who are still at school have to pay full adult prices, which, in seating sections, is unbelievably high. With terraces the club charge season ticket for under eighteen’s of about seventy-five quid and for under fourteens about forty quid. Surly an adult season ticket would not need to be more than a hundred and fifty quid. This would take football back to what it should be, a working man's game.
With many people in the terraces the atmosphere which many grounds are losing would instantly return. Instead of sitting and freezing, the fans will once again be involved. The larger numbers would raise the volume and bring back the fun and thrill of going to the football. Increased attendances would raise matchday profits from merchandise and food, as well as causing a rise in profits for local business and an increase in away game ticket sales. The amount of money small clubs who achieve promotion would save would be immense as new stands would not be needed. Surely a limited amount of seats, say forty percent of the ground's capacity and some away fans seats, possibly twenty percent of their allocation would be far more sensible.
Unfortunately, until all the pointless rules and red tape is removed, attendances for most clubs will continue to fall, the atmosphere will be lost and the so will the fan's faith. Of course people can point to some club's popularity being higher than ever but for the many attendances are falling, debts are mounting and bankruptcy is getting ever nearer. If well designed and constructed a terrace will cost lees to build, be as safe as and a lot cheaper to maintain than a seating bank. Of course many people prefer to sit and watch and many did not mind sitting for a while but an ever-growing majority are longing for the right to stand and enjoy football as was originally intended
Article Reaction
Dear Mark,
Spot on mate. I am travelling up for the game tomorrow from South London (as I have to every time) and everything you said rings true to me. Every home game costs me 70-100 quid due to travel, ticket, beers, fags....etc.
I am an A-block lad, and 20 quid every time is not cheap. We are told to sit down all the time and at Wolves they tried to eject me for swearing!!!! The home games are a joke and terracing would solve many of these problems. The problem is that this would be seen to be a massive step back for a 'great' club like Forest. I like you have fond memories of the terraces and Stockport and Fulham away last season was a chance to soak up the old atmosphere. Although "sit down if you hate Derby" didn't quite have the same effect. It seems like a case of red tape and bureaucracy working against the fans as per ussual. That's the way it's always going to be. Sorry to sound like a cynical old git, but the game is not run for the fans or by the fans anymore. You only have to look at the court case Newcastle went through last seaon to see that. Ejecting life-long fans who are old age pensioners to seat corporate guests!!! Can you imagine them shifting you from the Trent End in sixty years time!!! I would LOVE terracing to come back, and common sense says that it could, if built and supervised properly.
However, I am dubious. The business sense in re-installing terracing where there are seats is clearly flawed. The only conceivable thing they could do is tear down main stand and rebuild terracing. A-block would be truly phenomenal. I fear the terraces are long gone, and as you pointed out in your article, so may be the days of true atmosphere and passion. Listen to the City Ground crowd tomorrow and tell me if that would intimidate you as an opposing player or fan. Attacking the Trent End used to be our big advantage. Now I can hardly hear them. That is not attacking the Trent Enders but an indication of over policing and power-crazy stewards. Bring back the terraces and then we can watch the Reds standing up and making some noise. Until then, our support at home will remain vastly inferior to that away. Get behind the team and make some noise....and do it standing up!
Dan Berry
The terrace article is absolutly spot on! As tender a 19 year old I only had the opportunity to stand on the Trent End and various away lumps of concrete for a few years and I miss it loads. Games at Stockport and Gillingham I look forward to all the more (despite the fact I dont normally rise at 6 on a Sunday morning!) for the chance to celebrate on a terrace.
You're right about terraces being safe as well. I remember reading an article by the FSA a few years ago which could easily combat any of the qualms twats like Mellor have. If they were unsafe they would be outlawed alltogether. It saddens me that clubs such as Mansfield are doing away with there terraces. The Trent End atmosphere is terrible; the acoustics aren't good but the way stewards tell us to sit down constantly is a joke. I sit on Row Y and stand up whenever possible. If the people behind don't want to stand then dont buy tickets level with the 6 yard box on the back row of the Trent End! The whole point of filling the stand was to get the atmosphere going but twice this season me and my mates have been pulled over at half time by Jim Bowen and co (NB: 'Jim Bowen' is the nickname of the head steward in the Trent End).
As you say terraces have always been cheaper and would not be hard to implement. If not the lower Bridgford then the lower Exec could easily accomodate terracing. However there is no universal call for terracing which will make the FA or clubs act (can you honestly see clubs ripping out there lovely plastic creations!). More and more fans are becoming accoustomed to sitting - at Stockport the away seats were full with space left at the Railway End. Football is gradually being tamed by the people who run it. I reckon one day allmost every league club in the country will have all seater stadiums and terraces will be some sort of myth the 'new fans' talk about. It would be great to see the return of terraces so the most vocal could congregate, make some noise and cellebrate a goal the way God intended (i.e without having to pick pieces of plastic out of your shins for the rest of the match!). But now we live in a world of Executive Boxes, sports diners and plastic; the Trent End brick on our mantle piece would surely weep!
Oh well, roll on Gillingham!
Cheers, Ben Crosby