Return of fans to the Mem

Dec 18, 2020 | News

Key points on the return of fans to the Memorial Stadium:

– The Portsmouth fixture will be our dedicated ‘test event’ fixture – which will limit our capacity to 1,000 supporters

– For this test event, priority will be given to those that purchased their season tickets first.

– We will contact the Season Ticket holders who are eligible to attend via email next week, to give the option to confirm your attendance for the Portsmouth game and agree to our Code of Conduct.

– Where possible, access will be given collectively to those within your bubble utilising the data from the previous ‘Return to the Mem’ survey.

– All tickets for home games will be issued as Print at Home tickets, which will be available to scan at the turnstiles. Supporters who live in a Tier 3 area will not be permitted to attend.

– Face masks must be worn at all times when in the stadium and supporters must agree to our Code of Conduct document prior to attending games.

– All seats within the stadium will be socially distant so even if you are attending with fellow supporters within your household bubble, your seats will not be directly next to each other. This is due to the fact that the capacity levels, tiers, and those that are permitted to attend are subject to change, so specific seats will be allocated to those attending on a match by match basis.

– Where possible, supporters will be allowed space in the stadium, within the stand that they purchased their season ticket, however in some instances supporters may need to move to different parts of the ground.

– As ‘print at home tickets’ will be used for these fixtures, season ticket cards for this season are yet to be sent out to avoid confusion. Access to any of the upcoming fixtures will only be permitted with a print at home ticket. No access will be provided with your season card.

– No bars, concessions, or hospitality offerings will be available at the stadium initially, however, this will be reviewed on an on-going basis.

– If you are not one of the supporters who are within the group selected to attend or you wish not to return at this stage, iFollow access will continue to be granted so you can support the team from home.

– Should this initial test event run smoothly and there be no change to our tier level, then the capacity will increase to 2,000 supporters for the Blackpool game.

It’s important that Season Ticket holders are aware their allocated seats for home matches are likely to vary from the seats/terrace options purchased for the current season. This is due to the measures taken to install social distancing protocols in all sections of the ground.

Prior to supporters attending home games at the Mem, we ask them to read our Code of Conduct document carefully, which has been constructed to keep both yourselves and those around you safe during matches. The full Code of Conduct will be circulated to supporters next week.

Although these changes are an important step to getting you all back to the Mem, these initial fixtures will mean that we all have to make sacrifices. Some supporters may not be able to attend, others may have to move to different parts of the ground and normal match day routines will be changed. However, if we can all work together, follow the guidance and our code of conduct then that is the quickest way for us to get back to normality.

We are looking forward to the long-awaited return of home supporters to the Mem and we ask that the guidelines and procedures are respected – to ensure the safety of all those attending home matches.