Attendance at last night's game

[Safetyman]

Most of you will know that I read the forum with interest, and that I will give a response when I see something that concerns the match day operation in the threads.
I don't join in the rest of the conversations as my opinion could be taken as an expression of club policy.
There is a thread running with comment around the actual attendance in the ground last night. There is an underlying suggestion that the figures have been fiddled or manipulated in some way, although I also note that some regular contributors have said they looked about right.
For the interest of clarity and anyone who wants to know the actual facts, the attendance is monitored by automatic counting at each of the turnstiles, with the data being fed to a computer screen in match control. Once the computer is set before the game the counting system is automatic and remains active even if the computer goes down.
The figures that relate to yesterday are as follows:
Yesterday there were 2064 persons who entered the ground through the turnstiles.
There were an additional 144 entering through the hospitality areas, bringing the overall attendance to the published 2208.
Of these there were 224 away fans. They were accommodated in the AGP Family stand (208 capacity) and the front four rows of the last block of the Carling stand (52 capacity).
The TBS had 387 fans in it. Earlier in the week there was a comment that 600-700 had been sold in that stand. At that time that was the total sales figure, not the TBS sales figure.
There is a feeling that the crowd looked more than usual. That's because it was - we have been averaging 1300-1500, and yesterday we had much more than that. The sieve also looked tighter than usual possibly due to the impact the TV cameras had on the crowd?
Our ground has a formal capacity of just over 6000. This was drawn up using the approved calculation method, which includes 0.5sqm per person in the terraces. To pack people in at that rate would certainly make it cosy, reminiscent of the old days on terraces in the First Division at whatever club you may have also visited. If we ever do get that big draw, and a sellout cup tie, then please remember this!
As for the Club creating false figures, let me assure you that the totals are subjected to scrutiny at the time, reconciliation with sales figures and cash taken, and subsequent accounts scrutiny. The only way the figure given out yesterday could be wrong is if someone allowed a large number of people to enter the ground through an exit gate free of charge thus avoiding going through one of the counting systems. As each exit gate is staffed by a steward I would be very interested to hear if someone saw that happening, although the CCTV feeds would suggest it didn't.
If one of the doubters would like to have a look at the system themselves, please contact me on a match day and I'll be happy to help.
In the meantime I'll go back to my office, and get on with preparing for our next home game.
Tony Payne
Safety Officer

[RampantDuke]

Fair enough. Perhaps we are so used to crap crowds this season that it felt strange to have a few in.

[Alan]

In the meantime I'll go back to my office, and get on with preparing for our next home game.
Tony Payne
Safety Officer

Ha ha ha ha ha.

[durnzo]

Fair play for coming on here ad setting it straight, you've taken your on line life into your own hands!!

As I said before, I thought it looked a lot more, but I can't see what the club would gain from giving out smaller attendances.

[Adrian]

There was plenty of space the Bury Road End - no where near what it can be for the full games.

Can we please get rid of the barriers at the end of the Sieve. They serve no purpose.

[Safetyman]

I'd be happy to raise this with the club and look at removing one or both of the barriers.
The impact they have is that they reduce by 2 or 3 (depends on whether you remove one or both of them) the number of stewards we need to have in the ground to comply with our safety certificate. (One at each gate or exit).
Tony

[Adrian]

I'd be happy to raise this with the club and look at removing one or both of the barriers.
The impact they have is that they reduce by 2 or 3 (depends on whether you remove one or both of them) the number of stewards we need to have in the ground to comply with our safety certificate. (One at each gate or exit).
Tony

I don't understand the bit about a steward for each gate/exit. Those barriers don't reduce the number of gates/exits.
That area of the ground has only been as closed off as it is since the last Portsmouth game and no-one bothered to open it up again.
It was more open for most of last season.

I reckon we could save on stewards by not having two or three + police guarding an empty part of the ground.

[Alan]

So to be clear, the only people who you count in the gate were those who went in through the hospitality/sponsors route or through the turnstiles?

[mickeyblue]

well we must of lost revenue then as not a chance there was 347 in tbs, infact ill remind club of this next season when 1 section is filled rest empty and away fans be less.

[Mark]

Tbs looked a third full at absolute most.

We said the crowd looked about 2500.

[nomis]

I echo Adrian's reply
We need to let supporters have full use of of the sieve
It serves no purpose at all in it's current set up
I always use to go to the end we were attacking at and I can no longer do this due to this needless restriction
It was great being able to change ends at half time and always being able to stand near the goal we were attacking
Come on Dagenham ......
Please listen to the supporters and act upon this small matter that you can easily resolve
COYD

[ARNU]

I guessed 2300 at most on the night. That's close on 1000 more than usual this season. I'm not surprised the Tbs only had 400 odd either. Count the empty seats instead of the full ones. There were many spaces empty amongst the main crowd in there.