The capacity of the Memorial Stadium has been reduced to less than 10,000, Bristol Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe has confirmed, with the club deciding to decrease the maximum numbers allowed inside the ground.
Gorringe confirmed in his programme notes at the weekend that the capacity of the Mem for this season is 9,832. The ground has a licensed capacity of 10,538 following reductions ordered by authorities, and the Gas have chosen to decrease that number further to improve safety and security arrangements.
The Mem has hosted crowds in excess of 12,000 in recent years, but that number has gradually reduced. Since the COVID-19 pandemic brought safety in stadiums into greater focus, stronger enforcement of EFL guidelines from authorities regarding pitch-level standing has been in place, and yellow hash marks were painted at the bottom of the terraces to prevent supporters from standing there.
Gorringe has confirmed Rovers have taken steps of their own that have reduced the capacity of the Mem, but he says these have been done to improve the experience of supporters. He says the club can better police yellow steps on the terraces to ensure comfort, and it is now easier for Gasheads to navigate around the stadium.
The pitch invasions against Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United at the end of last season's run to promotion, which prompted sanctions by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) including a temporary reduction of the capacity of the Thatchers Terrace at the start of this season, have also been considered by Rovers to ensure such incidents are easier to manage should they occur in future.
Gorringe wrote in his programme notes: "I am aware that, in the past, the club has had attendances at the Mem in excess of 12,000; however, when our current safety officer joined us during COVID we had a maximum licensed capacity of 11,796. This was approved by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at the time and was certified by the local authority. However, the calculations were made by the previous team.
"The club is required to carry out an annual review of the stadium capacity as required by the SAG. Several reviews have been carried out, including the complete review for the socially-distanced crowds during COVID, although this was never used at the Mem.
"The capacity review that was carried out for the 2020-21 season was an in-depth review, including the remeasuring of the stadium and review of the latest guidance issued by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Consideration of the latest EFL guidance was also reviewed and formed part of the review process.
"This exercise resulted in the removal of the front-level standing areas of the North, East and North West terraces as per the EFL guidelines. This review produced a new capacity of 10,538, which is the current licensed capacity.
"Following the issue of the revised official stadium capacity, the club has taken the decision to introduce its own reduction on the terraces
"As all supporters will be aware, at the start of this season, we received a capacity reduction due to incidents at the end of last season, so these actions were required to mitigate future sanctions. This action resulted in a maximum capacity of 9,832.
"Further to this, capacity is lost with the segregation areas on the East Terrace and the South Stand that will vary on a match-by-match basis, depending on how the stadium is configured for the fixture to accommodate the varying numbers of visiting supporters."
The biggest home attendance of the season was 9,258 for the 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle in October, and the average for league games this season so far is 8,759 – the highest since 2017/18.
The decision to close the stands on the west side of the stadium for the FA Cup first-round fixture against Rochdale earlier this month divided some supporters. While some were understanding of the decision, which was based on the expected attendance and the costs incurred compared to opening fewer stands, other supporters were irked that they could not watch the game from their preferred position.
Gorringe has assured supporters the strategy has been reviewed for the upcoming second-round tie against Boreham Wood later this month, and he said the club is open-minded about increasing the capacity of the Mem, although he insists the club's priority remains to move to a new stadium.
He continued: "As a club, we are keeping our current capacity under constant review and I am working with our safety team to adjust this in certain areas; this will be done on a gradual basis if it is felt safe to do so. The club is keen to demonstrate its commitment to safety and does not wish to overcrowd areas, potentially causing injury or distress to supporters.
"There was also lots of discussion regarding the decision to only open certain parts of the ground for the First Round of the FA Cup. The parts of the ground that were opened allowed us to house more than the expected capacity based on the attendances of these fixtures in previous rounds.
"Although we were able to find a solution for everyone that wanted a ticket, we are aware that there were some supporters who did not attend because of this setup. We have spent some time reviewing this ahead of the second-round fixture and hope that all supporters will be happy with the options provided.
"Moving forward, we are looking into all aspects of the Mem to see what options there are to further increase the capacity and the number of seats we have available in a cost-effective way as our ambition still remains to move away from the current site. Should we be able to do so, then we would look to work through next summer on new seating arrangements. We will provide more detail on this as soon as we are able to.
"Rest assured we will do all we can to try and provide the best possible experience for as many supporters as we are able to safely house at the Mem."
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