Bristol Rovers accept that not all turnstiles at the Mem were ready to process certain season tickets during last weekend’s League One opener against Forest Green Rovers, which led to a number of fans forced to queue for an excessive time before gaining access to the ground.
Rovers’ first game of the new campaign didn’t get off to a good start on or off the pitch, as large queues formed outside the ticket office at the Mem prior to kick-off and supporters complaining of long and unnecessary waiting times, in terms of getting into the ground and at food and drink outlets.
Some of the electronic turnstiles at the Mem didn’t recognise the QR codes as sent to season ticket holders prior to the game, forcing fans to head to the ticket office to obtain a paper copy, while the bottleneck of supporters arriving meant some stewards were forced to effectively let people in without adequate checks.
The issues follow on from complaints about the lack of a physical season ticket or card and the fact that some fans have been moved from the Thatchers terrace due to sanctions by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which have left Rovers playing their first two matches with a reduced capacity in BS7.
The club insist the problems have since been recognised and will hopefully be resolved in time for next Saturday’s home encounter with Oxford United, which is a midday kick-off on the advice of Avon & Somerset Police.
"In the weeks leading up to the game, the club spent time communicating with our Season Ticket holders in order to confirm their access requirements for the first game of the season," read a club statement. "During the week of the game, testing was carried out on season cards, paper tickets and e-tickets to ensure our gates and control points were ready for the return of fans.
"Ahead of the game, the club was confident that we would get everyone into the ground and into their new areas, where required. On the day of the game, this was unfortunately not the case.
"Following a full inquiry by the club, which concluded yesterday (Wednesday) with a meeting of our ticketing partner and our access control partner, we are now aware that an element of the setup on the turnstiles and season cards was not carried out, which led to a number of people having to queue at the ticket office to get a paper ticket.
"We were disappointed to learn that such a task was not carried out, and it left the club unable to defend itself from ticketing errors across all turnstiles, leading to the queues at the ticket office.
"Our ticketing and access control partners are working on the data for our Season Ticket holders to make sure that we are ready for the Sky Bet League One game with Oxford United next weekend. This will include all parties carrying out a site visit during the week of the game to test tickets, turnstiles and scanners.
"We have had assurances that we will not see a repeat of the issues that occurred before the last game.
"We would like to remind fans that verbal abuse and online abuse of club staff members will not be tolerated and will be dealt with by the club. Our staff are here to help you and deliver the best matchday experience possible.”
Rovers are continuing to work with SAG to avoid further restrictions inside the stadium, particularly in the Thatchers terrace with gangway access and over-crowding cited as a major safety concern by police.
The club have painted yellow hatching in the areas of the stand behind one the goals to ensure fans don’t occupy areas that are supposed to be kept clear.
Rovers were fined £16,500 by the Football Association earlier this week for the pitch invasions and use of flares during and after their 7-0 win over Scunthorpe United in May, with the governing body expressing concern over stewarding levels and preparation within the stadium.
The pitch invasion in the 85th minute after Elliot Anderson’s goal, which led referee Charles Breakspear to suspend the game for 19 minutes, also led to Scunthorpe’s 17-year-old goalkeeper being assaulted by a Rovers fan as they ran onto the pitch.
"We would like to thank our fans who were asked to move ahead of last weekend's game; the Safety Advisory Group was happy that we demonstrated the reduction in numbers in the Thatchers terrace,” Rovers added in their statement.
"We still ask that fans respect the yellow areas in the gangways and at the back of terrace areas, for the safety of all fans inside the stadium. If we continue to do this, we can ensure that our capacities are increased, allowing more fans back to The Mem, and enjoy the game from the areas of the ground that they have done previously.”
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