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We're going back to The Valley, hopefully.......Doncaster Rovers, 19th September 2020....

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Comments

  • JamesSeed said:
    That's grim.

    If they get numbers up to 8000 the turnstile queues will be hopelessly long, and will fans really not mingle in the concourses etc?

    I hope people know about the need for photo id, as I hadn't heard of that before
    Stand by the earlier comment, what do we achieve by doing this with 1k when expecting 8k. Some of the evening matches at The Valley during the winter can be absolutely freezing for us southern types. Are they going to keep people out of the concourse during winter months and not serving hot drinks etc.

    I am not criticise anyone at Charlton as they have done an amazing job to even be allowed 1k this weekend. However, our first home Tuesday night match is in under 6 weeks. Can’t see how anything learned today can be used for Tuesday night & winter matches. 
    Judging from the entry times given today, for an evening match will some people be told to enter at 6:15?
  • edited September 2020
    I must say is amazing to get fans back into the stadium. My old man is like a kid at Christmas and cannot wait to get back into the ground. I imagine he would have turned up at 8AM if he was allowed. Great for his mental health.

    Simply put if your match day experience doesn’t include drinking then today will be fine. If a very large part of the match day experience does include drinking then I can imagine it will be unique experience to get through. 
  • I must say is amazing to get fans back into the stadium. My old man is like a kid at Christmas and cannot wait to get back into the ground. I imagine he would have turned up at 8AM if he was allowed. Great for his mental health.

    Simply put if your match day experience doesn’t include drinking then today will be fine. If a very large part of the match day experience does include drinking then I can imagine it will be unique experience to get through. 
    Yeah as I said to my Wife after watching that video

    People need to realise that its solely the match day experience thats returning today

    If you primarily go to Football as a chance to meet up with mates etc. then perhaps this isnt the time for them to return just yet

    I'd have no issue turning up @ 1:30pm myself for a game as have done that myself when I've arrived in the area earlier, will tend to just read a book on my phone, listen to some music and then watch the warm ups!!
  • JamesSeed said:
    That's grim.

    If they get numbers up to 8000 the turnstile queues will be hopelessly long, and will fans really not mingle in the concourses etc?

    I hope people know about the need for photo id, as I hadn't heard of that before
    Stand by the earlier comment, what do we achieve by doing this with 1k when expecting 8k. Some of the evening matches at The Valley during the winter can be absolutely freezing for us southern types. Are they going to keep people out of the concourse during winter months and not serving hot drinks etc.

    I am not criticise anyone at Charlton as they have done an amazing job to even be allowed 1k this weekend. However, our first home Tuesday night match is in under 6 weeks. Can’t see how anything learned today can be used for Tuesday night & winter matches. 
    Nobody knows how this is going to pan out.

    It can only be taken one step at a time.

    Today is the first step.
  • JamesSeed said:
    That's grim.

    If they get numbers up to 8000 the turnstile queues will be hopelessly long, and will fans really not mingle in the concourses etc?

    I hope people know about the need for photo id, as I hadn't heard of that before
    Stand by the earlier comment, what do we achieve by doing this with 1k when expecting 8k. Some of the evening matches at The Valley during the winter can be absolutely freezing for us southern types. Are they going to keep people out of the concourse during winter months and not serving hot drinks etc.

    I am not criticise anyone at Charlton as they have done an amazing job to even be allowed 1k this weekend. However, our first home Tuesday night match is in under 6 weeks. Can’t see how anything learned today can be used for Tuesday night & winter matches. 
    Tbh I'm not sure today is about pies and bovril, its about getting people in and out safely.
  • Not sure if mentioned before, 8 other matches where 1000 fans allowed back. Luton were in the proposal but said they hadn't been given enough notice by the EFL 

    https://talksport.com/football/efl/760528/crowd-pilots-middlesbrough-norwich-charlton-efl-fans/
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  • clb74 said:
    clb74 said:
    I really cant see the point in this today.
    With cases increasing by the day if today is successful will the government allow 8000 back in the ground in a few weeks time.
    Surely the club would be running at a loss if only a couple of thousand are allowed in.

    Need to do a test event at some point so might as well do it now so one step ahead if/when larger number of fans can attend. 

    Today gives them a chance to review a working event and learn lessons that well help in the future. 

    I am a believer that we need to start planning a way of living a near normal life as possible as this virus ain’t going away in the near future and this is one step in that direction. 
    You crack on mate.
    If near normal is having to get to the ground 1 1/2 hours early while wearing a mask.
    No food or drink in ground having to present photo id i will give the football a miss.

    I get where you are coming from mate but after everything I’m just happy to be at the game for now. 
  • Having read all of the above posts all I can say is it's fucking great to be back inside the valley 
    Was the Rose of Denmark busy?


  • Oggy Red said:
    Having read all of the above posts all I can say is it's fucking great to be back inside the valley 
    Was the Rose of Denmark busy?


    No 
    But trust me on this 
    Important people were there
    @Elf and @clb74 .....? 


  • clb74 said:
    clb74 said:
    I really cant see the point in this today.
    With cases increasing by the day if today is successful will the government allow 8000 back in the ground in a few weeks time.
    Surely the club would be running at a loss if only a couple of thousand are allowed in.

    Need to do a test event at some point so might as well do it now so one step ahead if/when larger number of fans can attend. 

    Today gives them a chance to review a working event and learn lessons that well help in the future. 

    I am a believer that we need to start planning a way of living a near normal life as possible as this virus ain’t going away in the near future and this is one step in that direction. 
    You crack on mate.
    If near normal is having to get to the ground 1 1/2 hours early while wearing a mask.
    No food or drink in ground having to present photo id i will give the football a miss.

    Yeah, but it’s still football, and I’ve missed it. They’re about to come on the pitch, and the butterflies are back. 
  • After the apprehension I showed last night, I must say....It actually feels great being back in the ground.

    Hearing that first roar when the team came out just unlocked all the emotions and feelings that I hadn’t felt in months. 

    With that said....Doing this with 6-8,000 could be tricky with the staggered entry times, queues etc. 

    Today is the first step, but the next step is going to be quite an operation to run IMO.
  • JamesSeed said:
    That's grim.

    If they get numbers up to 8000 the turnstile queues will be hopelessly long, and will fans really not mingle in the concourses etc?

    I hope people know about the need for photo id, as I hadn't heard of that before
    Stand by the earlier comment, what do we achieve by doing this with 1k when expecting 8k. Some of the evening matches at The Valley during the winter can be absolutely freezing for us southern types. Are they going to keep people out of the concourse during winter months and not serving hot drinks etc.

    I am not criticise anyone at Charlton as they have done an amazing job to even be allowed 1k this weekend. However, our first home Tuesday night match is in under 6 weeks. Can’t see how anything learned today can be used for Tuesday night & winter matches. 
    You'll of course be aware that for @100 years CAFC had no concourses to gather on.
    It's only really in the last 20 years when the North & West stands were built.
  • Oggy Red said:
    Having read all of the above posts all I can say is it's fucking great to be back inside the valley 
    Was the Rose of Denmark busy?


    No 
    But trust me on this 
    Important people were there
    Na, never made it mate. 
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  • Any comments on what it was actually like? 
    How about getting out afterwards?
  • Interesting what the stewards said about food and drink Brendan. In the official advice, when in your seat you have to wear a face mask unless eating and drinking. So by default, as you can't buy food and drink at the ground you have to have brought it in yourself. If you are in the ground for three and a half hours, not being being able to drink (non alcohol) isn't too clever. I took in a bottle of water and no questions were asked. Minor point but the club needs to sort before the next one, whenever that may be.
  • Yes, while there is a security issue with people bringing in full bottles and cans of soft drinks into the ground, in reality the main reason why they are banned is to force people to buy drinks, and as that option isn't available you'd hope for more of a compromise arrangement to be in place

    In a way the "wrong" stands were open yesterday as both the West and CE have covered concourses, whereas the East and in particular the JS are open air, and thus potentially "healthier". Indeed the Gillingham away stand is perfect for Covid times...
  • Does anyone know if you could exit the ground between 1-5 mins before the final whistle, rather than stick around waiting your turn?
  • Does anyone know if you could exit the ground between 1-5 mins before the final whistle, rather than stick around waiting your turn?
    The answer is yes.
    I did just that. 
  • Does anyone know if you could exit the ground between 1-5 mins before the final whistle, rather than stick around waiting your turn?
    The answer is yes.
    I did just that. 
    So did I and I was watching on the stream.
  • I didn't get asked for ID or a temperature check when I went in.  I queued for about 15 minutes and I got inside the ground about 2:15 where I was ushered straight to my seat by the stewards who were polite and efficient.

    As Pembury said, sitting around before the game with no gathering on the concourse and none of the bars/eateries open was rather boring but they showed highlights of games on the screen and watching the players warm up wasn't as tedious as I thought it would be.

    Wearing the face mask all game wasn't ideal, but you kind of get used to it.

    I went for a jimmy at half time and the queue was quite long.  They were only letting 4 people in at a time despite the markings by the urinals clearly allowing more than that.  Hopefully this was just a trail for the stewards to manage the queues as I can't see this working with 6,000 people in the stadium (again I have to say the stewards did a good job).

    After the game I had to wait in my seat for 15 minutes before I could leave.  It was fine yesterday as the weather was good and I was in no rush to get home but this will be a real ball-ache when it's freezing cold and wet and we've just been spanked 3-0 by Crewe.

    It was also nice to see the stewards using some common sense.  In front of me in the queue to get in was a lady with her two kids who were eating some chips and each had a can of drink. One steward (in an orange coat) said they weren't allowed in with the drinks, but a more senior steward (with a blue and yellow coat) came over and said that they could take them in as long as they finished them before going to their seat.  

    All in all in was a bit more of a hassle than usual and very different to the match-day we know, but I'm glad I went.  It's going to be even more of a hassle (and a longer day) when the crowds do go up to 5,000 or 6,000 but I'm sure most of us will just take it on the chin and get on with it. 

    For me it's another step back to normality and watching Charlton no matter how crap we are is always enjoyable so I was glad to be back doing what I love on a Saturday afternoon.  


    Waiting in your seat for 15mins at full time seems a bit long for so few people. What does that mean its likely to be for crowds of 6/7 thousand. Like you say just when its gonna start getting cold and wet. 
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