Following discussions with the EFL, the Safety Advisory Group Chair, and the Met Police, we are pleased to announce that supporters will be permitted to bring drinks of water in clear plastic bottles into our stadium.
This will be in the form of 500 ml (or less) clear plastic bottles (an equivalent drinks container as used by children under 16 or those with medical requirements is also permitted). Please note that bottle tops will also not be removed by matchday stewards.
Due to the extreme weather last weekend, we relaxed our previous ground rules to allow supporters to hydrate sufficiently in the heat, and this will now be more than a temporary measure with plastic bottles allowed into the stadium for the foreseeable future.
WHAT BOTTLES CAN I BRING INTO THE STADIUM?
Clear plastic bottles (500 ml or less), as shown below.
Unopened fizzy drinks bottles (500 ml or less) can also be brought into the stadium, along with 500 ml containers, as shown below.
If the top of a bottle/container has been opened prior to entering the turnstiles we reserve the right to check for alcohol content so we can do our best to avoid spectators drinking in view of the pitch. If alcohol is found in bottles the contents will be fully dispensed prior to admission.
As previously stated in club communications, ground regulations do not permit the following containers to be brought into the stadium – these are on the list of ‘prohibited items’ (shown below). This is because they are all metal containers.
We fully understand the frustration of our supporters about this issue in recent times. In particular, we were made aware of incidents at the Stockport game when matchday stewards told children that they would not be allowed to bring water bottles into the stadium.
This was highly regrettable and we apologise to those affected on the day. Despite the correct communications being put out in advance on our official channels and stewards being briefed, we didn’t get the message out correctly to all of our matchday team.
We will be taking measures to ensure that there is no repeat of this incident at tomorrow’s game versus Crewe.
Our previous ground regulations, which did not allow plastic bottles to be brought into the stadium, were partly the result of an incident at the Salford game when a plastic bottle full of coke was thrown onto the pitch – resulting in a strongly-worded warning letter from the FA.
However, we now want our updated ground regulations – starting tomorrow for the Crewe game – to be our policy moving forward.
As a family-friendly club, our priority is to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for existing and new supporters to attend football matches at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
We therefore ask for your patience and understanding to achieve the best possible matchday experience for supporters of all ages.
Come On You Dons!