3G damn pitches and smoking in grounds

[HG Yellow&Black]

Bit of a question for all of you lot who now watch your team on the fake stuff. Looks good when wet but plays slow when dry – not overly impressed tbh.

However, the big issue for quite a few Town fans who enjoy the sheer, century old decadence of smoking a cig whilst outside during a game – what has been your clubs policy on smoking?

Obviously we can’t smoke near the pitch but Town have taken the step of banning it 2 weeks ago– no consultation, no areas provided just total ban. After some protests and some upset stewards the club are now using the line that they are struggling to get insurance. Can’t help but feel this is convenient cover – they have a track record of ‘creating’ excuses to help ease knee jerk decisions, especially when folk renting out the bar for evening functions can still smoke – a bar with pitch side access. So fans who will self police and smoke away from the pitch - NO, some drunken tit at an engagement party yes.

Have any other clubs taken to banning cigs or even e-cigs?

 

[Silver Stone]

Yeah there's no smoking allowed in our place, anyone who wants a smoke can go outside at half time and come back in.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Yeah there's no smoking allowed in our place, anyone who wants a smoke can go outside at half time and come back in.

Tried that Saturday and was told no. Also one comic steward who claimed there was a smoking area up the other end I duly trekked to like a sucker

 

[Silver Stone]

Tried that Saturday and was told no. Also one comic steward who claimed there was a smoking area up the other end I duly trekked to like a sucker

Hm, it always used to be okay, maybe they changed it this season? I'm not a smoker so it's not something I pay too much attention to.

 

[HG Yellow&Black]

Yeah one of my good pals is a Stones fan so have had a tab or two at your place so surprised they have changed it - was it this summer then?

Seems odd that as clubs in the Premier League etc start to reverse zero tolerance in all parts of grounds our clubs are going the other way.

Fair play in terms of smoking in stands but having the freedom to go off to a quiet corner of a ground for a smoke is one of the elements that makes non league more appealing and less sit in your seat consumer like so much of football in the UK now.

 

[HG Yellow&Black]

Any Sutton fans or Tamworth fans seen a change with the 3g going in?

 

[LeWhites]

At Crabble loads of people smoke in the stands, there's a bloke who smokes a pipe every game and another who has about 3 cigars every game. I don't smoke and can't stand the smell but the ground is big enough for me to stand away so it's not a problem.
Why does the 3g pitch mean you can't smoke?

 

[Silver Stone]

At Crabble loads of people smoke in the stands, there's a bloke who smokes a pipe every game and another who has about 3 cigars every game. I don't smoke and can't stand the smell but the ground is big enough for me to stand away so it's not a problem.
Why does the 3g pitch mean you can't smoke?

Burning cigarette ends can damage the surface I'd guess.

 

[F Side Rat]

We have hundreds and hundreds of these pitches in the Netherlands from 5th tier regional through the national leagues right up to Ere Divisie and I have never heard of any club stopping smoking in the grounds. And this is the land of red tape and regulations......

 

[Harrier94]

We don't allow smoking in the stands but there are areas near the corner of the pitch where fans choose to smoke.

 

[Shotsfan1993]

We have 3 or 4 "smoking areas" around our ground, but as far as I am aware there is definitely no smoking allowed in the stands (pretty sure some told me its a ground regulation so am always suprised when I see people smoking at other grounds)

 

[Jemfy]

It's a bit of a grey area but I thought that under UK law you couldn't smoke in public places that are more than 50% enclosed - which would include most football ground stands by default even if the clubs don't ban it.

FWIW as a separate point I think it should be banned at football grounds as a whole, but it isn't. Smoking areas are a reasonable and practical compromise.

 

[Gatekeeper]

You can't smoke in the stand or the covered terrace. Otherwise your ok to smoke in th ground.

 

[LeWhites]

I'm not sure whether smoking is allowed or not at Crabble but there's always people smoking all sorts in all corners of the ground.

Probably cause a riot if it was banned/the ban was enforced

 

[The Jovial Forester]

I'm not sure whether smoking is allowed or not at Crabble but there's always people smoking all sorts in all corners of the ground.

Probably cause a riot if it was banned/the ban was enforced

I asked when I was down for the play-off game and was told it was allowed - in fact as I recall I paused outside the ground and said to the steward "quick last fag" and they told me to go in as I could smoke.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Anyway, i reckon it should be made compulsory,with all clubs purchasing multiple cartons of Capstan Full Strength and handing them out as you go through the turnstiles. Stewards come round and light up for you and eject anyone with white teeth and no cough.

 

[LeWhites]

I asked when I was down for the play-off game and was told it was allowed - in fact as I recall I paused outside the ground and said to the steward "quick last fag" and they told me to go in as I could smoke.

Haha not sure it's allowed though - apparently a steward was smoking in the away toilets during the Barrow game. It's surely illegal as the terrace is an enclosed space?

A lad I was with at your place got a proper dressing down by a steward for having a fag at half time and that was in an uncovered terrace.

 

[Raymondo316]

Hm, it always used to be okay, maybe they changed it this season? I'm not a smoker so it's not something I pay too much attention to.

It was changed just before this season http://www.maidstoneunited.co.uk/2016/07/change-to-smoking-policy-at-the-gallagher/

 

[Sparrow]

Why would anyone want to speed up their death by smoking?

 

[HG Yellow&Black]

We have hundreds and hundreds of these pitches in the Netherlands from 5th tier regional through the national leagues right up to Ere Divisie and I have never heard of any club stopping smoking in the grounds. And this is the land of red tape and regulations......

The UK does less red tape but more bovine herding of sentiment against stuff – of which whole smoking issue for the last 10 years is a great example. Choke to death living next to a busy highway full of VWs, no problem. Catch a whiff of cig smoke going into a pub and it is a big social issue.

Very interesting to read that about the amount of artificial pitches in Holland but people still being able to smoke. Guess or insurance excuse is starting to look like a red herring.

I think most folk who still smoke wouldn’t want to sit in stands or the middle of a covered terrace and puff away but with the joy of space and movement at this level it seems crazy some clubs are banning it.

Last season at Stockport County we were just splitting off into separate groups so they couldn’t stop us – even people with e-cigs they were trying to half-heartedly stop. Is all a bit pathetic really. Clubs are mental if they think gentrifying the grounds in the style of premier league teams etc is the way to go then they ain;t got a clue.

Football in non league is gaining loads of fans who have become disillusioned with the hype and pomp of watching a bunch of millionaires chase and cheat each other at high cost. Why does it feel the need to mimic it? The alcohol ban as well is another crazy thing for this level. Fair enough if it is a Tranmere Wrexham game but just don’t get it at this level, especially at smaller clubs.

 

[Luke Imp]

I *think* we have a complete ban on smoking at Sincil Bank.

It definitely was but then it was tweaked slightly and allowed people stand outside near turnstiles to smoke. It was changed again to having a smoking area in the open at the corners but that was near food outlets so they knocked that one on the head and reverted to a complete ban as far as I'm aware.

Seen people with e-cigs, though.

 

[Master D]

At Crabble loads of people smoke in the stands, there's a bloke who smokes a pipe every game and another who has about 3 cigars every game. I don't smoke and can't stand the smell but the ground is big enough for me to stand away so it's not a problem.
Why does the 3g pitch mean you can't smoke?

The smell of a pipe on a cold day is what going to the football used to be about.

 

[Silver Stone]

The smell of a pipe on a cold day is what going to the football used to be about.

Bovril and fried onions from the burger van.

 

[Greenacres]

The smell of a pie on a cold day is what going to the football used to be about.

Well at least it was where I watch most of my football!

 

[Chris FGR]

Who doesn't like the smell of pie on a cold day?

Especially if you leave the smell on your fingers.

 

[Murphy]

Couple of chaps having a fag at Sutton on Monday which is obviously 3G.

I don't smoke but I don't really care if people do at any ground as long as they stand somewhere open. Can see the potential issues with it on 3G, but most clubs usually let people out by the gates to have a quick cigarette at half time anyway.

 

[Chris FGR]

Most grounds, like most public places, have designated smoking areas. Can't see a problem.

If it's outside the gates then as long as they let you back in that's fine.

 

[Murphy]

Most grounds, like most public places, have designated smoking areas. Can't see a problem.

If it's outside the gates then as long as they let you back in that's fine.

Some clubs are really funny, though. I heard a story about one chap who asked a steward to leave the ground for 5 minutes to go back to his car so he could get some tablets that he'd forgotten. They said he could go, but he wouldn't be readmitted. Stewards don't seem to have a lot of common sense when dealing with practical issues by supporters.

 

[Chris FGR]

Some clubs are really funny, though. I heard a story about one chap who asked a steward to leave the ground for 5 minutes to go back to his car so he could get some tablets that he'd forgotten. They said he could go, but he wouldn't be readmitted. Stewards don't seem to have a lot of common sense when dealing with practical issues by supporters.

That's true, although only personally had problems with smoking once at an away game, when a couple of jobsworth stewards decided to get suspicious about what was in our roll ups and evicted us from the ground. Idiots.

Common sense should be part of security companies/stewarding training. Usually when it's volunteer fans doing it there are no issues, it's the outsourced ones that are the problem.

 

[LeWhites]

That's true, although only personally had problems with smoking once at an away game, when a couple of jobsworth stewards decided to get suspicious about what was in our roll ups and evicted us from the ground. Idiots.

Common sense should be part of security companies/stewarding training. Usually when it's volunteer fans doing it there are no issues, it's the outsourced ones that are the problem.

You've got to be a jobsworth tosser to do the job though. Your lot were the worst and threatened to kick people out for smoking in a wide open terrace that was bothering nobody