Time for photos of away fans in the stands. We’ll be looking at all the different ones at England’s football games this week.
Many traveling fans will still be able to attend games across the country this month, however there is a disruption to be aware of due to various transport and rail strikes as well as the weather.
The experience of an away day is one of the very best parts of following your own team, and even if your alarm is set for times of day that, frankly, you should never see, you’ll still find yourself excitedly cramming onto buses or overpriced trains and the whole experience, regardless of the result, will still be remembered.
As long as trains and buses are on time, pre-game beer and food is an important part of the overall game day experience.
It may be difficult to find a pub without hostile home fans, but it’s always possible to go to a nice little ‘drinker’s bar’ and have a drink before kick-off.
While much of the Away Day experience takes place outside the stadium, the ground itself always plays a big role.
The old days of away fans hanging out on roofless terraces and being battered by the elements are a distant memory – although they are still a problem in some places – and modern stadiums are now spacious and comfortable.
Then it’s just time to look at the photos from these away games Click on the following buttons Your choice…
PREMIER LEAGUE / CHAMPIONSHIP
LEAGUE ONE
LEAGUE TWO / NON-LEAGUE
MESSAGE ABOUT FAN BEHAVIOR AND DISRUPTION
The English football authorities are introducing a range of measures to improve the behavior of players, managers and coaches in professional, national league and grassroots football and to address the problem of misuse of football tragedies.
With the start of the 2024/25 season, new policies, procedures and regulations will come into force to combat unacceptable behavior on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands and to ensure that the actions of the minority do not spoil the game for everyone. This builds on the work carried out last season to tackle dangerous and illegal fan behavior, supported by the Love Football initiative. “Protect the Game” football-wide campaign.
Participant behavior
As part of this realignment, the FA, the Premier League, the EFL, the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Barclays Women’s Championship, the National League System (Steps 1-4) and the referees association PGMOL have jointly introduced a new Participant Charter.
The charter, developed in collaboration with the League Managers Association (LMA) and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), sets out stricter measures that players, managers, coaches, support staff and club officials must adhere to on a match day.
Under the new approach, match officials will be empowered to take stricter measures, whilst consistently applying existing measures, if participants’ behavior falls below expected standards and the FA will take more stringent additional disciplinary measures.
Captains are expected to take responsibility for their teammates and encourage them to play fairly and show respect for the match officials and their decisions.
If match officials are confronted or surrounded by multiple players or invade their personal space, at least one player will receive a card. The FA could also take further action against the club.
The new measures include:
A new code of conduct for technical areas that requires managers, coaches and other club employees to behave responsibly.
Increased fines for serious and repeat offenders.
Academy Scholars participate in refereeing courses to improve players’ refereeing training.
Details of all the measures included in the Charter can be found at CLICK HERE.
The FA has announced new regulations for grassroots football from the start of the 2023/24 season, including point deductions for teams whose players or coaches repeatedly commit serious infringements.
Trials of body cameras for referees will continue into the 2023/24 season, while a new code of conduct will be introduced to set behavioral expectations and entrench usage.
Further details about the new point deductions in popular sports for the 2023/24 season can be found HERE
Fan behavior
To address the completely unacceptable presence of misuse of football tragedies, rule changes and tough new measures have been introduced for the 2023/24 season, meaning those found committing offenses will face stadium bans and possible criminal prosecution.
The problem focuses on offensive chants, gestures and insulting messages linked to football-related tragedies, which is of great concern to victims’ families, bereaved families and affected club fans. Football authorities, supporters groups and law enforcement agencies, including the police and CPS, have joined forces to clamp down on fans who engage in this abhorrent form of abuse.
In addition to bans and criminal sanctions, the theme “Love Football Protect the Game” will provide a range of in-stadium, classroom and online resources to educate adults and children alike about the hurt caused by speaking out about tragedies. The ground regulations have also been updated to include references to tragedy songs.
Football will continue to work to tackle dangerous, illegal and unwelcome behavior off the pitch, whether in the stands or online. Last season, authorities introduced a series of new measures that included increased sanctions against people found entering the pitch, using pyros, taking drugs to games, throwing objects or committing discriminatory insults.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PILOT PROGRAM
To support the rehabilitation of those found to have engaged in negative behavior on game day, a new pilot project is currently in development that will refer young people to a restorative justice education program designed to inform and educate about the impact of their behavior on others.
The program is being delivered by the Premier League, the EFL, the Premier League Community Fund and the EFL Trust, with the support of local police forces, and is being trialled across ten clubs across the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.
