Bristol Rovers

I am a powerchair user and my husband is a white cane user. We attended as away fans, travelling to the game in an accessible minibus that is part of our Club’s official away travel. This is our fourth LPF review of our visits to the Memorial Stadium in the past 6 years. During this time there have not been any reviews from anyone else. Do Bristol Rovers not have any disabled fans of their own to review their own facilities? In view of our previous reviews, we will largely restrict this just to updating what we have previously reported.

Arrival and Entry to the Ground
Very congested, through a very hilly residential area, we would recommend leaving lots of time to get to the ground and arriving early to beat the worst of the crowds. Parked without any problems at the bottom of the car park with the away entrance directly in front of us.

Seating Provisions for Away Fans
On previous visits, the majority of the away fans have always been on a standing terrace with their back to the car park. This area was now occupied by about a dozen home fans and all the away fans were behind the goal at right angles to where they were previously located which was accessed directly from the bottom right corner of the car park. The wheelchair fans were still accommodated in the gazebo to the right of this area. The biggest improvement here from our last visit was the ground had been tarmacked so you no longer sink into mud and the cheap white patio chairs for companions have been upgraded to posher (moulded resin) garden seats. Get more than a few wheelchair/scooter users and their companions in this area and space becomes an issue with someone having to watch the match with the post that holds up the front of the gazebo in their way. The one danger we experienced was being hit by the ball during the warm up. As a result we vacated the gazebo whilst the warm up net was in front of us but really there was no where safe for us to be as the balls were flying in all directions. Why do Clubs put the warm up net in front of those fans who can least get out of the way of stray balls? The away fans not in the gazebo could come and talk to us but they had to know we were there as we were pretty hidden from them and we could not see the rest of the away fans during the match. They were in a small, seated, covered temporary stand to our left. Even with a relatively small crowd it was sold out and many reported feeling squashed-in and unsafe when fans surged to the front during goal celebrations. Away fans also reported feeling unsafe due to the woefully inadequate separation between the away fans and the home fans in the left of this stand. We were certainly pleased we were not in this stand and thought it would have been pretty unpleasant/dangerous for any away disabled fans in that area.

Audio Headset Match Commentary
Our understanding is that BR do have headsets but it is simply local radio not an audio descriptive commentary for disabled fans.

Catering
There was a marque beer tent on the right as you approach the away entrance for away fans. Once in the ground, there is a kiosk selling the usual range of snacks and hot/cold drinks. If it is raining, you queue in the rain.

Accessible Toilets
The only accessible toilets available to away fans are 2 temporary ones, located on the car park. This is only the second ground in the 80 we have been to where you have to exit the stadium and go across the car park to get to the accessible toilets. We find the practice totally unacceptable, particularly when it is only fans requiring accessible toilets that have to leave the stadium to go to the loo. Due to their location, they are used by all fans arriving on the car park and are also the toilets used by those at the beer tent, so no surprise, when I got to them, there was pee all over the seat of one. This was the first one you came to which was in any case too small for me to enter in my standard sized 6 wheel mid-wheel very manoeuvrable powerchair and turn to close the door (which you sort of need to do). Thankfully the second cubicle had a dry seat and was larger so I could turn. Had to wash my hands in cold water as that was all I could get out of the tap, not pleasant on a very cold day. I did ask for the seat to be cleaned and told it would be, I checked at my second visit and it had not been. On earlier visits to the Memorial Stadium, I remember using a lovely permanent accessible toilet. Quite unbelievable that the provisions for disabled away fans can get worse, not better!! Come on Bristol Rovers, sort it!

Stewards
We repeatedly had a crowd of stewards and police officers stood (it seemed to us) watching the match and preventing us from seeing the goal nearest to us. We kept asking them to move, which they did and then returned to block our view again. As I pointed out to them, we have paid to watch the match! Although we did not experience it, there were a number of reports from away fans of very heavy handed, unacceptable stewarding by both stewards and police during the game. My husband did report that when he went to the toilets in the away end, which were up steps, a steward did give him helpful information about the location of the steps.

Leaving the Stadium
No difficulties in returning to our minibus on the car park. We appreciated being given priority to leave the car park ahead of the home fans given our long journey home. Never seen so many stewards on a car park. Even with this, we were queued leaving and turning right onto the road out of the stadium is always a case of push your way in or you will never get out. Having done this, whilst we were queuing at the traffic lights, we became aware that our minibus had attracted the unwanted attention of a group of males. Whilst they did not physically do anything, they were staring at us intently in a very intimidating way, made all the more so, by the knowledge that the bus could not move. As they approached from the opposite direction to the Stadium and were not in Club colours, we don’t actually think they were Rovers fans who had been at the game. (Our Club’s coach reported similar intimidation on leaving the ground.) This is something that we have only ever experienced at one other ground in our 12 years of regularly going to away games and which we have never previously experienced at Bristol Rovers. We did report it to our Club’s safety officer who took it seriously.

Would We Go Again?
If we didn’t go next time our Club played Bristol Rovers, we would feel we had allowed ourselves to be put off and that is something we will not allow to happen. So, we will go but we will be asking our Club what arrangements have been put in place to ensure our safety on leaving the game. We will also hope for better accessible toilets. We note in our last review, the then new Safety and Stadium Manager, Shaun Roberts, said he was committed to improving the facilities for away disabled fans. We can’t find anything on Bristol Rover’s website about the provisions for away disabled fans or whether Shaun is still at the Club. If he is, having sorted the mud and improved the companion seating, we think he now needs to turn his attention to the accessible toilets and generally making the provisions for away fans not just temporary ones!

This review follows on from my earlier ones of the Memorial Stadium in 2016 and 2017 and therefore is restricted to things that I found different to my last visit in 2017.

Seating Area for Away Wheelchair Fans
Due to building work at the back of the gazebo where away wheelchair fans are seated, to get to your space, you have to go through thick mud (particularly bad after heavy rain) which left my 6 wheels looking like I had been to a farmyard not a football match. To be told the problem was caused by PAs not sitting behind the wheelchair users was just laughable. So PAs should sit behind you (where they can be of no assistance),on the wet white plastic chairs provided that would have sank into the mud! As a result after a long day to get to the match and home, when I did get home I had the lengthy job of getting mud off all my wheels or risk ruining my floor coverings. Just not acceptable.

Accessible Toilets for Away Wheelchair Fans
Unlike two years ago I was told that the only accessible toilet for away wheelchair fans was a portable loo with no running water. As all the other fans in this stadium and elsewhere have access to toilets with running water, I told the Supervisor this was unacceptable. I explained that I could not understand how we could not use the toilet we were allowed to use two years ago – how can provisions get worse not better! As many disabled fans have health conditions which require good personal hygiene, particularly when they are travelling long distances, a loo without running water is completely unacceptable. On this basis I was told that if I asked for a Steward, I could be accompanied round to use the accessible toilet (with running water) at the home end. As when I went this toilet was being used, a helpful steward, suggested I continue to the one at the opposite end, I actually travelled half way round the stadium to go to the toilet when I knew there was one much nearer where I had been sat, the one I was allowed to use 2 years ago!

My Complaint to Bristol Rovers
I emailed Bristol Rovers to complain about the terrible facilities and received a positive reply from Shaun Roberts, the Safety and Stadium Manager explaining that he was new in post, thanking me for my observations and assuring me that he would make improvements for away wheelchair fans. I trust these have happened and away wheelchair fans visiting the Memorial Stadium will have access to a loo with running water without having to insist on this and won’t have to go through the mud that I did.

o*** New Viewing Area for Away Wheelchair Fans

We were delighted upon arrival to find that away wheelchair fans are no longer seated with home fans in what was tantamount to a cage as was our experience in 2016 (see may previous review). From the start of the 2017/18 season, the viewing area for away wheelchair fans is now between the away terracing area and the away seated area, to side of the goal, with access from the bottom right hand corner of the car park at the away end. The area consists of a gezeebo type construction made of wooden supports (concreated into the ground) and a clear corrugated roof. Seating for carers is on high backed white patio chairs which you can place as you please. 7 of us (in total) fitted in comfortably with the freedom for carers to stand if they wish. Yes it’s basic but it works! Good view of the match, amongst your own fans. A windy corner but the stadium is at the top of a hill, so just need to wrap up warm in cold weather. Beware of stray balls during the warm-up as you are right behind the practice goal. There are portable loos nearby but for the accessible loo (and the refreshments) you need to be escorted by a steward back to the car park and round to the upper level to use the same toilet as previously (see my 2016 review). Stewards were very friendly and the headset commentary my visually impaired husband had previously requested was brought to him. This was a mini DAB radio, pre-tuned to Radio Bristol which he said provided an excellent fair commentary. Zoe from the DSA at Bristol Rovers visited us before the match and we praised her for the changes that had been made. She informed us that they were hoping to make further improvements in the future. The smell we had previously encountered was much less, apararently to do with the old gas works and it was much less problematic exiting the stadium at the end (not sure why). Overall,well done to Bristol Rovers for the improvements they have made, we would happily return as away fans on this basis.

Our first trip as away fans to the Memorial Stadium travelling in our Club’s accessible mini bus.

Arriving at the Ground

Not the most straight-forward journey from the motorway. Stadium is in a very hilly residential area with narrow roads. We were allowed into the car park at the away entrance but without this it would seem a very difficult stadium to access due to the gradients. Terrible smell of sewage on the car park, not sure what this was about.

Provision for Away Wheelchair Fans

Away fans have a choice of uncovered standing at the end of one of the long stands or seated in a small temporary covered stand at right angles to the standing area. The area for away wheelchair fans is the opposite side of the away standing area in the area for home fans and is literally a cage with bars all round it. So bad that our friend from the standing area took a photo of us and put it on Facebook with the caption “What was their crime?” Our crime it seems was to go to Bristol Rovers as away wheelchair fans. I notice an earlier reviewer has made the same comments about the “cage”. When I complained to the stewards, they laughed at me and told me they could not pass on my complaint to the Club. The Supervisor who I asked to see did have the grace to acknowledge their facilities were not good for wheelchair users but left me with no confidence that I could expect any improvements. Come on Bristol Rovers, get it sorted, stop putting wheelchair users in a cage!!! As it is, it is not just away wheelchair users they put in a cage, I witnessed a home fan having to get out of her wheelchair and sit on a white plastic chair stuffed in front of the stairs where there really was not room to sit. Surely this is in contravention of safety standards? With so little room for wheelchair users, carers if they want to see the game, have to stand behind the wheelchair user.

Refreshments

On a bitter cold November day, they ran out of hot water during half time and could not serve any more hot drinks to away fans!! I have never known this happen at over 50 grounds. As someone said don’t they have water and electric? I was told by several people the hot food they bought was horrible.

Headset Commentary for Visually Impaired Fans

My husband regularly uses this at grounds we visit, his verdict, was that the commentary was very biased at Bristol Rovers.

Accessible Toilet

Sadly the loo was probably the best bit of the facilities at Bristol Rovers.

After the Match

On leaving the car park we had to make a right hand turn onto a road that was jammed in both directions and not a steward or police officer around to deal with the situation. Cars were being driven over pavements, tempers were fraying, utter chaos. I can only guess this is a regular occurrence as it was no where near a capacity crowd.

Would we go again?

Given our poor experience of the Memorial Standium, unless Bristol Rovers make some much needed changes to their provisions for wheelchair users, this would be a ground we would be seriously unhappy at having to re-visit.

Prior to match we bought our tickets from York and telephoned Bristol Rovers to book a parking space.

We had a pre-match meal at the Merchants Arms, a Hungry Horse pub.

Arriving at the ground we paid £5 car park fee and was shown to a space next to the away turnstiles.

Program sellers were outside the turnstiles and the social club was wheelchair accessible.

Entering the ground we were shown to the away disabled area, A raised platform with the home supporters and there were other home supporters sitting with us. Although no-one could walk infront of us the railings were eyelevel which restricted viewing and a few Bristol lads climbed into the disabled area.

The disabled toilets were only yards from the wheelchair area and after the match a steward offered to help me manouver the wheelchair down a step, but then another steward decided to open a big gate & let us through.

A good day and the Bristol fans were all friendly.

Myself, my father (who is disabled in a wheelchair) and my two younger sisters travelled to memorial stadium yesterday, looking forward to a great match. However we experienced several issues before we got there. One of which being only 2 disabled parking spaces allocated for away fans, considering that this was a derby as such I would’ve expected much more. Also, after the match I noticed that valuable disabled parking spaces were taken up by portacabins, how is the deemed acceptable? We were assured that there was plenty of parking around the streets, however this didnt seem the case. On arrival, we were informed that we were to sit in the home end with the home wheelchair users, this was not made aware to us before the game and I was disgusted that we were unable to sit with our family having purchased tickets for the south stand specificly. Not only did we feel uncomfortable, it was raining and the chairs for carers we wet, and the area was pretty much open to the elements. We had to be let in through gates, and we even had to go through another gate to get to the disabled toilet.. such measures were a bit extreme. I suffer with anxiety and actually suffered a panic attack due to the stress of the situation (having been in such an enclosed space, with only room for 4 wheelchairs maximum) , I felt like a deer being fed to the lions. Segregation from our fans, also made our experience not so great.

There needs to be drastic changes for Disabled people at this club. I am a member of Newport County AFC Disabled Supporters Association, and I would never wish an experience like that on any of our away fans.

From what I saw there is potential for an away disabled space in the south stand with it being level access on the side.

But honestly unless something changes I will not be returning next year.