Yesterday Club Officials including SLO Mike Davis walked through the stadium footprint to ensure everyone was fully versed with the plan to operate a fully compliant socially distant stadium and to ensure no stone was left unturned. A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes mainly by Lawrence Ellerby our Safety Officer. Everyone was very impressed with the thought, planning and hard work that has gone in to getting us to where we are now.
We therefore thought it would be worthwhile showing the plans in further depth and also answer some further queries raised.
We were always hopeful that we would be given the green light for a pilot for our first home Sky Bet League One match next weekend with Northampton Town, however recent developments would suggest that this is unlikely now to be feasible with the latest increase in restrictions. At present nothing has been confirmed but we will continue with our planning so we are ready to operate with supporters back inside Montgomery Waters Meadow as soon as possible.
Above is the stadium footprint which shows the following:
- 3 entrances marked in yellow where all tickets will be checked to get in to the stadium footprint. We have referred to this as a soft ticket check as it will just be required to check tickets rather than scanned at this stage as scanning will take place at the relevant corner gates. The reason for this is there is more space at the corners to check tickets for social distancing however the soft ticket checks will allow only those with valid tickets to be allowed on the stadium footprint.
- 5 Mobile Catering units (White) proposed positions
- Coach parking area (Green) in the car park at the rear of Lidl for Home Supporters Coaches. All those travelling will asked to show their ticket as they disembark from the coach.
- Gates A, B, C and D where supporters will enter the stadium and tickets will be scanned in (instead of what would normally happen at the turnstiles) The Gates are for entry as below:
- Gate A –Blocks1-3 (Roland Wycherley Stand) and Blocks 22-24 (DM Recruitment North Stand)
- Gate B – Blocks 5-7 (Main and Family Stand) and Blocks 8-10 (Salop Leisure South Stand)
- Gate C – Blocks 11-12 (Salop Leisure South Stand) and Blocks 13-15 (West Stand)
- Gate D – Blocks 16-19 (West Stand) and Blocks 20-24 ((DM Recruitment North Stand)
- We plan to barrier off the road behind the North Stand to stop any vehicular movement in this area in order to be able to extend the Fanzone area for social distancing. The proposed barrier is shown in pink and the extended fanzone shaded green.
- Additional toilets will be positioned at each corner gate – marked in purple on the plan
- As a reminder, we expect to open the outside area of the Fanzone and utilise the extended space behind the North Stand but Smithy’s would remain closed
If the match with Northampton is selected for a pilot but reduced to the 1,000 capacity will season ticket holders not getting a ticket be able to get a free ifollow pass?
Yes we would email all season ticket holders a unique code which allows them to watch the live ifollow stream of the match free of charge. The code is unique so can only be used by one person. Please ensure that your email address is correct within your account on the ticketing website https://www.eticketing.co.uk/shrewsburytownfc/ as all codes will be sent by email to the email address connected with your account at some point in the week of the match once we receive the codes from EFL.
If the match with Northampton is behind closed doors what will the process be for season ticket holders to obtain a free ifollow pass?
Yes we would email all season ticket holders a unique code which allows them to watch the live ifollow stream of the match free of charge. The code is unique so can only be used by one person. Please ensure that your email address is correct within your account on the ticketing website https://www.eticketing.co.uk/shrewsburytownfc/ as all codes will be sent by email to the email address connected with your account at some point in the week of the match once we receive the codes from EFL.
Can I watch the live stream through a smart TV internet browser?
You can however we wouldn’t recommend this as we have been advised that as a PC/computer processor is normally 1000 times bigger than a smart TV therefore supporters can have issues with bandwidth and quality of video. Therefore we would always recommend if you want to watch it on your TV connecting a laptop to the TV via an HDMI cable.
Will I be able to take my alcoholic drink inside the stadium at all?
Unfortunately not. The current legislation is that no alcohol drinks are allowed within view of the pitch so as all entry to the stadium will be at the corner gates this would be in breach of the regulations therefore all alcoholic drinks will have to be consumed outside the stadium and prior to entry through the stadium corner gates.
Will the town centre/Shirehall shuttle service be operational on matchdays?
Tanat Coaches will run the town centre/Shirehall shuttle bus service as normal with a socially reduced capacity of approx 25 persons wearing face coverings. Individual seats in use unless you are travelling with someone from the same household as per social distance rules.
I normally bring a bag with me to the matches will this be an issue?
Where possible we would prefer supporters not to bring bags with them. We will continue to search bags on entry as part of our normal Match day procedure however if supporters can refrain from bringing bags into the stadium this dramatically helps reduce the time it takes to search bags and will help to reduce the risk of any cross contamination.
If I choose my seat but can’t get to the stadium to get my pre booked ticket until matchday will I still be able to collect it?
It would be easier to have as few collections on the day as possible. However we intend to have a ticket collection point just off the pathway between Lidl and Community Football Hub (former Powerleague) to ensure everyone has their tickets prior to entering the soft ticket check gates.
I intend to renew my Car Park pass can I collect it on the day?
Supporters parking on the stadium car park must have a 2020/21 season car park pass and there will be no collections on the day as this would delay entry for everyone. In order to ensure the speediest possible entry we will require all passes to be in the supporters possession prior to arrival at the stadium
I travel in a car with someone in my social bubble can I collect my tickets on the day?
All vehicles entering the car park will be the subject of a soft ticket check and therefore everyone within the vehicle will require to have their tickets with them at this point. Anyone who needs to collect their ticket will not be able to enter the car park and therefore should collect their ticket at the Ticket Collection point which will be positioned half way along the path between Lidl and the Community Football Hub (former Powerleague). We would suggest anyone in cars should drive into the Lidl car park temporarily while any tickets are collected and then once in their possession re-enter the car park.
How much room will be in the Fanzone?
For supporter safety the area at the rear of the North stand has been made into an extended fanzone and no vehicle movement will be allowed in this area Please follow social distancing rules at all times in the fanzone and all other areas of the stadium
Will there be tables available in the Fanzone and extended fanzone to sit at?
The normal picnic benches etc will be available in the Fanzone but we would need to make sure that everyone adheres to social distancing and only uses them with people within their social bubble. We don’t want to put tables and chairs in the extended fanzone as this creates a lot of extra work as the tables would need to be disinfected prior to and after each use. Also likely causes us more litter around the stadium.
Will the Fanzone bar just be selling drinks or will it have food available?
As all the catering units are positioned outside the stadium it would speed up service and assist with social distancing if we make the bar inside the fanzone drinks only and supporters can still access food from one of the nearby catering outlets.
What would happen if I lost my ticket whilst in the stadium footprint but prior to accessing the seats in the stadium?
Anyone without a ticket will not get in. No reprints will be done, it’s the responsibility of each supporter to look after your own ticket. Every ticket will be scanned at one of the four corner gates prior to entry. This also ensures that nobody passes on their ticket and only one person accesses the stadium seating. We have such a tight number of seats to adhere to the guidelines so if the ticket has shown as ‘already scanned’ or lost the supporter will not get in.
Are the Club still going to print programmes for the matches?
We have looked very closely at the costs and likely sales based on a reduced capacity attendance and it doesn’t break even. We would need to sell double the amount in percentage terms of the crowd that we normally sell to so its unlikely we will be offering programmes when it becomes a cost to the Club to facilitate.