Main stand access

[mikeyb]

I know that there's a gym underneath the main stand now, and has been for sometime but, can we have access to walk through? I usually sit at the far end of the stand for the 1st half. The nearest toilets, in the Moseley suite, are 'roped off' from the most part of the stand. Therefore the nearest toilets, for me, are underneath the stand. Sometimes when I go down the steps at the far side, the door is locked. It's much more difficult to walk through the stand, excusing yourself as you pass people, than going underneath the stand. Today, I went down the steps and found the door open. I went through and used the toilet. I then walked towards the clubhouse, beneath the stand and found the far door locked. I could unlock it and go through from the inside but I would not be able to go back that way. What is the club's policy on this passageway? Sometimes it's open, sometimes it's closed. It would be much easier for supporters, if this passageway, under the stand was available to use every week.

[kebab]

I think it's been locked since Away teams go around the side of the stand for their changing room.

Agreed, access would be nice for the toilets, bar and catering. It's lost revenue from us.

[mikeyb]

I think they called it "the undercroft" when the stand opened. There used to be a bar in there. It wouldn't be so bad if we could walk round the back of the stand to get to the clubhouse, but we can't? Allowing access through the undercroft on matchdays would be great.

[bobbrown]

I asked about this issue after the match on Saturday and was told it should be open. This is something the security people should make sure of.

[southernmose]

That whole space was set up for bigger gates in the Championship. I could understand closing the bar, and moving the club shop, and presumably we now get some income from the gym, but it does mean that I very rarely see my brick...

In retrospect I'm not sure it would all have been built and laid out as it has been, because what was intended to be a throughflow around the ground with fan facilities and a nod to the heritage of many generations of supporters has become something that feels like private space and off limits. I never feel like I should be in there, regardless of whether I actually am allowed or not.

[southernmose]

...

[Westcountry Mose]

Just curious, but why do we still use an old hospital maternity (?) unit for our bar/catering facilities rather than the under croft area in a purpose-built stand with a fans wall?

[southernmose]

Mar 28, 2022 15:00:46 GMT Westcountry Mose said:

Just curious, but why do we still use an old hospital maternity (?) unit for our bar/catering facilities rather than the under croft area in a purpose-built stand with a fans wall?

just want to put it on record that I love the clubhouse and if it was one or the other they made the right decision. No one in their right mind would close the one with windows and without the howling draught. 

I think the issue is that we don't (thanks to relegation) really get the gates to justify having both open, and it probably makes more money being a sublet(?) gym.

[Phil]

Mar 28, 2022 15:00:46 GMT Westcountry Mose said:

Just curious, but why do we still use an old hospital maternity (?) unit for our bar/catering facilities rather than the under croft area in a purpose-built stand with a fans wall?

As well as the Reddings Suite, the clubhouse is still very popular for smaller scale private functions which brings in much needed income. This would not be possible in the under croft for obvious reasons.

[Westcountry Mose]

I was unaware that the clubhouse was used for smaller scale private functions on machdays. Are we then saying the stand was poorly designed, the fans wall inappropriately located or we prefer temporary buildings in which to drink and chat? Hopefully we can think about using purpose built space to more meaningful effect.

[Communications Team]

Mar 29, 2022 8:08:33 GMT Westcountry Mose said:

I was unaware that the clubhouse was used for smaller scale private functions on machdays. Are we then saying the stand was poorly designed, the fans wall inappropriately located or we prefer temporary buildings in which to drink and chat? Hopefully we can think about using purpose built space to more meaningful effect.

Phil's point was the clubhouse is being used for smaller functions in the week, not matchdays. As was suggested by a previous post the plans for the undercroft with bar etc were drawn up when the club was in the Championship and enjoying crowds of well over 1,000 per game (which were hoped to grow).

Unfortunately since we find ourselves in ND1 the crowds are averaging considerably less. It became clear that it would be uneconomical to run both clubhouse and undercroft on match days with cost of staff, power etc.

Takings at the tills clearly indicated the majority of supporters on match days were using the clubhouse not the undercroft so it was logical to keep the clubhouse as the point of service. The utilisation of the undercroft by the third party gym has brought in much needed additional revenue to the club during the week.

[Westcountry Mose]

Ok. So unless/until crowds increase to former Championship levels what is the intention for the undercroft area and access to the fans wall on match days?

[Communications Team]

Mar 29, 2022 9:33:24 GMT Westcountry Mose said:

Ok. So unless/until crowds increase to former Championship levels what is the intention for the undercroft area and access to the fans wall on match days?

As Bob said in his post the door to the undercroft should be open on match days, this has been confirmed to Gym manager who would appear to have closed it when they left on Saturday morning.

[mikeyb]

The door to the undercroft, at the clubhouse side, was locked again today! I was in the stand, at the far end, for the first half. I went down to the undercroft at the far end, St halftime and the door was open there. I walked through to the other end and that door was still closed. I pushed it open and pushed the bolt through to stop the door closing again. This door should be fixed open for the entire game. Surely its not rocket science to sort this out.

[kingsheathlad]

Door opened for me club house end.

[Steve@Mose]

Apr 9, 2022 18:29:15 GMT mikeyb said:

The door to the undercroft, at the clubhouse side, was locked again today! I was in the stand, at the far end, for the first half. I went down to the undercroft at the far end, St halftime and the door was open there. I walked through to the other end and that door was still closed. I pushed it open and pushed the bolt through to stop the door closing again. This door should be fixed open for the entire game. Surely its not rocket science to sort this out.

Door on the clubhouse side was definitely closed at the start of the first half. I understand the away team using the side door to enter the pitch, but it should be within the club's ability to manage access to the undercroft area for supporters - closing it for the relevant 5/10 minutes around start/half-time/full-time to permit the away team to use the side door unencumbered and reopening it once they have cleared the area.