Author: Russell Anson

The Trust have been contacted by a number of our members asking for our views on the new MatchDay Ticketing Prices.

We would make the following observations:

We still have no concessions for Disabled fans as there were in 2010… – this issue is a priority for us and we will continue to challenge the club on it.

The Match Day Ticketing Price scheme seem very complicated to understand – compare this with other clubs pricing models which are very straightforward..

The price of a Match Day card is very high – we understand that under EFL rules the club must make a ‘charge’ for these cards, but to encourage casual fans wouldn’t it be better to price them at a nominal £1?

We welcome the return of ‘concessions’ but are concerned at the pricing for Juniors in areas other than the Family Stand – why can’t the Junior pricing be reflected in all areas? – For example it will cost £36 for a 2 year old to sit with their parents/grandparents in W5 against Reading… How does this pricing model compare to the ‘2010’ model which we were meant to be returning to?…

The pricing structure also has an impact on Away Fans – already a number of Blackburn fans have said that they will not pay £18 for small children to go to a Tuesday night game which will be shown on Sky. Ryan Hildred, a Blackburn fan has written to us with his thoughts – The full email can be read here. It will be a shame to see an empty North Stand after all the hassle involved in moving our fans out of there for the new season..

In relation to Item 5 we have recently written to the club regarding a pricing cap of £30 for away fans – similar to the cap imposed in the Premiere League which has recently been extended to cover the 2020/21 season. This is part of a wider campaign by the Football Supporters’ Association under the banner #AwayFansMatter.

Welcome to a new newsletter style from the trust. The aim is to keep our members updated on Trust activities and projects, competitions, interviews and guest posts from local writers.

Firstly the Trust through social media placed on record its thanks to Nigel Adkins for his excellent work as Hull City Head Coach and wish him every success in the future.

 Naturally we welcome Grant McCann as the clubs new head Coach along with his Assistant Cliff Byrne and hope his tenure is a successful one.

Over the summer the Trust has been busy with various projects. Our Vice-Chair Graham Cannon represented the board at the recent East Riding FA Grassroots Awards night. We congratulate the award winners.  We would also congratulate Catherine Bishop on her appointment as Tigers Trust CEO. 

The Trust were involved in the Emmaus Hull & ER football tournament which was a great success. 

Chairman Geoff Bielby attended The FSA AGM in London. The Football Supporters Association continues to work tirelessly on behalf of supporters. 

June saw us run a successful Women’s World Cup Competition and we will be bringing back the Last Man Standing competition for the start of the new season.  Look out on social media on how to enter and the qualifying dates.  We hope to have some exciting prizes to offer.  We’re also looking at other new competitions so look out for these too.

The Trust were delighted to host the launch of the fabulous book on City by Richard Gardham “The Decade”. Held at Mr Chu’s it was great to see ex tigers Ken Wagstaff, Ian Ashbee, Dean Windass and many more in attendance and taking up the mic to tell us their Hull City stories.  The book is available from Waterstones in Hull and via Amazon and is a great read.

Coming out in August are two  more Hull city related books.. Our very own Greg Whittaker releases “I can’t help falling in love with you: Growing up as a football addict”. The book is available on Amazon for £11.34 at present. 

Alfie Potts Harmer releases “ England’s Greatest Defender :The story of Neil Franklin” on August 15^th again its available on Amazon for £12.99.  

The Trust will be involved in both book lauches and we’ll have more information on the dates and venues shortly.

Our next board meeting is on July 29^th and if any member wishes to raise any related matters please contact the trust secretary at secretary@hullcityst.com

REMEMBER WHEN

This programme was for a pre-season friendly and is provided courtesy of @tigerprogrammes

It’s the first time new signing Steve Massey got a mention and in our next newsletter we hope to have a Q&A with the former City striker.

 You will note City had taken with them to Wisbech trialist Mike Condon who had been at Middlesborough but wasn’t offered a deal by then boss Colin Appleton. Neil Cockin a product of South Hunsley school also travelled. 

 Back in August 1983 City had just been promoted and the season was set to end in frustration as one goal denied the tigers promotion.

In the summer of 83 , Paul Young was top of the charts with “wherever I lay my hat” and ITV launched its new quiz show ‘Blockbusters”. City had further friendlies against Derby ,Middlesborough, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich before a season opener with Burnley.

Finally

We welcome contributions from local football writers, if you have an idea for an article please get in touch.

­­­­­­The announcement of Nigel Adkins departure from the Club is both disappointing and concerning.

Since Ehab Allams statement referring  to ‘building bridges with fans’ we’ve seen another divisive poll where less than half the ‘eligible’ Club members voted, (when the opportunity should have been given to former members to have their say on potentially voting on a matter that could entice their return).

This has resulted in a welcome reintroduction of concessionary pricing, yet witlessly without the re-introduction of disabled concessions, but at the cost of the vocal North Stand members who are now either being unnecessarily moved to other areas of the ground or cancelling their memberships due to this Club stipulation.

The future of numerous players remain uncertain and now after two months of reportedly ‘positive talks’ between the Club and the Head Coach over a contract extension, the owners have apparently refused to acknowledge the concerns expressed by Nigel Adkins which now sees him leaving the Club with his backroom staff.

The continued mismanagement of the Club rolls into yet another summer of disruption and with the loss of another manager (that’s eight in eight years) causing more instability seems unlikely to attract potential investors willing to discuss an unrealistic asking price to enable the Club and the supporters to move positively together.

HCST would like to thank Nigel for his positive and professional tenure as Head Coach and understand why he’s had to make such a difficult decision but wish him well in his future career.

As all Hull City supporters will be aware of by now, on Thursday 9th May, the Club announced details of a ticketing model vote with the potential option of a ticket model including concessionary ticket prices for Junior & Senior fans based on the previous 2010/11 model plus an increase to reflect inflation etc.

It must also be noted that a member of the Club’s ‘Management’ contacted our Secretary prior to the 4pm release of the Club announcement to give a forewarning and seek an initial reaction to what was being proposed.
However, as is now almost customary under the current owners and ‘senior management’ of the Club, once again the choice between ‘option A’ and ‘option B’ is not a straight forward one, and once details of the proposed options were reviewed in detail it was apparent that they could potentially generate major inconvenience to a number of supporters, (i.e. those located in the North Stand), whilst appearing to ignore consideration to others, (i.e. disabled fans).

Following feedback from a number of Trust members and regular supporters, on Friday afternoon Hull City Supporters Trust, (HCST), issued a statement on social media channels and to local radio and written media outlets to express some concerns that it was felt needed clarity from the Club in relation to the ticketing options proposed.

A more detailed letter was sent to members of Club much later that evening, which included an offer to help & support the Club in publicising the need for Hull City fans to use their vote in the poll once clarity on the issues raised was received. The letter sent to the Club is attached. (we have redacted personal information)

It was very disappointing therefore that within 9 hours of the e-mailed letter being sent, it was completely rejected by a member of ‘Club Management’. Whether the content of the letter was discussed with other members of the Club’s hierarchy is something only the Club can confirm. There is no indication from the author of the e-mailed response that it was ‘private and confidential’ so we are happy to share it (see attached) . (we have again redacted personal information).

Despite our best efforts to raise what are surely key concerns on behalf of many Hull City supporters, the Club continue to refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue with HCST and apparently ignore the legitimate concerns of the fans. We have attempted to engage with another supporter’s organisation to enquire if they are prepared to raise the concerns on our behalf to try and stimulate a formal response from the Club.

Our advice therefore to our members and the wider Hull City fan base is to make a personal decision on whether to submit a vote in the poll announced by the Club and consider which option would be best for themselves and other supporters in the short-medium term.

Finally, whilst we welcome the Club owners announcing an opportunity for concessionary pricing to be reconsidered as a viable option for supporters in an attempt to ‘build some bridges’ with the fans prior to any potential sales to future owners, it is disappointing that such an offer in its current format is potentially disruptive to many fans, whilst ignoring the needs of others.

We do not anticipate making any further statement on this ballot prior to its deadline of 9pm on Tuesday 28th May

Hull City Supporters Trust

Copy of Letter:

10th May 2019

Pricing Model Vote

Dear (xxxx),

I hope you are both well?

(xxxx), may I start by thanking you for taking the time to call me yesterday to discuss the communication to fans from Ehab Allam regarding the proposed vote on pricing models prior to its release and allowing me to share some initial thoughts.

As you I’m sure will have expected, this was a subject that was debated extensively by the Hull City Supporters Trust (HCST) board members last night and throughout today, which has also seen a number of our members contacting us during this time to seek clarity on some information and queries important to them.

We genuinely welcome the move by Ehab and the Club to face into the issue of concessionary pricing for membership and matchday ticket pricing and acknowledge that after a much-publicised stand-off and period of stalemate that this is an attempt to redress the situation.

However, you may be aware that we issued a holding statement to our members and local media earlier today, with the main points raised as follows:

1. We are very disappointed that lapsed members, (i.e. the fans whom Ehab indicates he wishes to build bridges with), are excluded from the voting process. Our analogy is that this is the equivalent of a major supermarket asking regular shoppers how to entice back shoppers who have taken their custom elsewhere in recent years. Surely understanding the opinion of supporters/ex-membership card holders as to what could be done to encourage to return to the K.Com stadium on matchdays is vital? We therefore respectfully request that the vote is expanded to enable supporters with a customer number on the Club ticketing database to participate in this vote and potentially expand the opinion pool for the voting process.
2. Option B states that it returns prices to the 2010/11 model. However, there is no mention of ticket pricing for Disabled fans which can only lead to a conclusion the proposal is not a full replication of the model named and that Disabled fans are effectively excluded from voting? We acknowledge, (particularly through your extensive activity on your personal Twitter account xxxx), that the Club are citing an alignment with the EFL recommended ‘Level Playing Field’ guidelines and suggesting disabled supporters contact (xxxx) directly with their own proposals, but this could be seen as emphasising the omission of disabled fans from the main voting process? We respectfully request that clearly defined concessionary pricing for disabled fans, (and any associated consideration for their assistants), is added to the Plan B pricing model
3. Plan B states that home fans currently members within the North stand will be relocated. There is no explanation provided for this decision and based on feedback received and comments posted on numerous social media sites, it seems to be a divisive move. The current location of ‘visiting supporters’ in the North-East corner of the ground satisfies the minimum requirements of ticket allocations for the competitions Hull City compete in and works well with the design of the stadium. We therefore call upon the club to give the reasons behind this decision or remove it from the conditions attached to Plan B pricing model.
4. Reference is made to the Upper West Stand. What will be the criteria for this part of the stadium to re-opened, (i.e. ticket sales in excess of a determined level?) and will all maintenance and cleaning work be carried out prior to re-opening. Please advise
5. Members of the Founder 500 Club, (who are long standing supporters seated in section W5 in the West Stand), previously had Senior Citizen concessions taken away and were expected to pay corporate prices. Will the Club be reverting to the previous pricing model, (plus inflation etc), that was in place in 2010/11 in the Plan B pricing model for Founder 500 Club members? Please advise.
6. The Department of Digital Culture Media & Sport, (DCMS), have issued guidance notes on ‘meaningful dialogue’ between Football Clubs and its Supporters. The performance of Clubs on these guidelines are monitored by both the Premier League and English Football League (EFL). Hull City partly meet these guidelines through their Supporters Committee, (SC), however HCST are not aware that the voting poll announced yesterday, (May 9th), on the possible re-introduction of a concessionary ticket model was discussed at the most recent SC meeting, even though it was a topic extensively debated and continually rejected by the Club in a number of previous SC meetings. Can the Club please offer an explanation as to why a potential change in direction by the Club on a concessionary ticket model was not discussed at the last SC meeting?
7. With regards to ‘Young Adults’ proposed pricing on the Plan B pricing model, we feel that this should not replicate the Seniors 65+ pricing based on the fact that ‘Young Adults’ are unlikely to have the same level of disposable income available to them as Senior 65+ fans and therefore respectfully request that the ‘Young Adult’ prices are reduced by approximately 10% to reflect this, (which may further entice the large student population in the city and surrounding areas to return to supporting the Club on matchdays)
8. We would also like clarification on how the vote process will be transparent.
   • How are votes collected and combined across all voting formats?
   • Who is monitoring the process to ensure impartiality?
   • Will the vote cast be fully published?
   • Will the club appoint an independent scrutiny officer?

I’d like to take this opportunity to confirm that no stage last year did HCST openly call for a ‘boycott’ of the 2nd ballot organised by the Club, but did suggest to our members and the wider fan base that voting should not be undertaken until the result of the first ballot was declared by the Club which as you are aware still remains undeclared to this day.

To summarise, as a Trust Board, we are keen to encourage our members and the wider Hull City fan base to get involved and submit their votes in the process announced by the Club this week, as we believe the Club are offering a genuine opportunity for a concessionary ticketing model to return, that we are aware is the primary reason why a large number of previous season ticket holders/membership card holders no longer attend home matches. (We also presume that this has also been highlighted as a common issue to current membership card holders that had the opportunity to feedback to Club staff during the recent rounds of courtesy calls?)

We also embrace the timing of the communication and ticketing model voting opportunity declared by the Club yesterday, as it falls nicely onto the back of the terrific launch of the book ‘Decade’ by Richard Gardham that was officially launched last Saturday at Mr Chu’s restaurant on St Andrews Quay and attended by numerous supporters, ex-players and indeed current Club employees. The whole evening enraptured the affection and powerful bond between supporters and the Club, which has been strained in recent years for a number of reasons but is clearly still evident and awaiting a return.

It has been well documented that relationships between HCST and the Club have been ‘difficult’ over the past 12 months, but on behalf of the Board, I respectfully request that you give consideration to and also a response to the points that we raise above on behalf of our members and the wider fan base, to enable them all to make a more informed decision on which ticketing model option appeals to them more which in turn will allow HCST to openly support the Club request for all members to submit their vote and hopefully see an increase in matchday attendances, a more positive atmosphere generated by the fans to better support the team, and ultimately a more enjoyable matchday experience for all supporters.

With the voting deadline issued by the Club stated as being Tuesday 28th May at 9am, may I respectfully request that we receive a response to our questions above no later than Friday 17th May at 5pm, which will give enough time for supporters to consider your responses and for HCST as a leading supporters organisation to encourage all of our members and the wider fan base to submit their votes by the deadline above.

As always, I am available on (xxxxx) should you wish to discuss

Please be assured of our best intentions

Yours sincerely

Richard Mathers
Secretary
Hull City Supporters Trust

Email response from Hull City

From: xxxx xxxx@hulltigers.com
To: secretary@hullcityst.com
Date: 11 May 2019 at 09:47
Subject: Re: Ticket Model Vote

Thanks Richard.

As mentioned before, the Club will not be responding formally to any HCST comms for the reasons outlined in our letter. The Club’s position on this remains, and our stand on this has been further discussed with Andy at the EFL recently FYI.
Sent from my iPhone

On 11 May 2019, at 00:50, ” secretary@hullcityst.com” < secretary@hullcityst.com> wrote:
Dear xxxx,

Please find attached a letter raising some feedback and queries by our Board on behalf of our members and the wider fan base.
I would be most grateful if you would review the content objectively and offer the courtesy of a response as requested.
Kind regards
Richard

­­­­­­The trust welcomes the opportunity for fans to have a vote on the return of ticket concessions or family bundles. However, there are questions and observations that we wish the club to respond to.

1 . We are very disappointed that lapsed members, the fans whom the Vice Chair indicates he wishes to build bridges with, are excluded from the voting process. This would be the equivalent of Tesco asking regular shoppers how to entice back shoppers who have taken their custom elsewhere. How can fans be asked to decide for others ?

2. Option B returns prices to the 2010/11 model. However, Disabled fans are excluded. Whilst the club are citing a, ‘level playing field’ as their arbitrary guidance  some of our disabled members and fans are indicating  vociferously they do not represent them. It cannot be the 2010/11 model if it does not include disabled fans as concessions. We would also wish for clarification on the age for Senior Citizen concessions.

3. Option B states that home fans in the North stand will be relocated. There is no explanation provided for this and it seems a divisive move. We therefore call upon the club to give the reasons behind this or remove it from the scenario.

4. Reference is made to the Upper West Stand. What will be the criteria for this to re-opened and will all maintenance work be carried out prior to re-opening.

5. Members of the founders 500 club, who are long standing supporters seated in w5 west stand had Senior Citizen concessions taken away and were made to pay corporate prices. Will the club be reverting to the situation as of 2010/11 in Option B

6. The Department of Digital Culture Media & Sport, DCMS have guidance rules on meaningful dialogue to football clubs. Clubs performance on this is monitored by The PL and EFL. Hull City partly meet these guidelines through their Supporters Committee.

HCST are not aware the latest poll on Concessions was discussed at the recent SC meeting. How can that be right?

7. We would like clarification on how the vote process will be transparent.

• How are votes collected?
• Who is monitoring the process to ensure impartiality?
• Will the votes be fully published?
• Will the club appoint an independent scrutiny officer?

The Supporters Trust expresses its concern at the large number of opposition supporters in the home stands today & the impact on fans safety. We trust that the club will hold a thorough investigation into ticket sales & the security procedures following today’s events.

We are aware that many fans have expressed their concerns directly to the club via social media. We look forward to a swift response.

In June 2018 the FSF was invited by Hull City to discuss the club’s membership scheme, which replaced the traditional season ticket model.

In addition to this issue the subject of the club’s fractious relationship with our affiliate Hull City Supporters’ Trust (HCST) was also covered, as we attempted to help rebuild relations between the club and its fans.

While we received a friendly welcome from vice chairman Ehab Allam it was clear that the club was not willing to change its ticketing policy.

On Monday it was brought to our attention that the club’s Supporters’ Committee minutesreferenced this meeting and ascribed views to the FSF to which we do not subscribe. Despite requests to remove or alter these references the club has refused to do so.

In June’s meeting with the club we made clear that we would not endorse the club’s approach to concessions.

We believe a club’s ticketing policy should be set in consultation with its supporters and that should include a supporters’ trust where one exists. In addition we feel concessionary prices must be respected in order to make football as affordable and accessible as possible.

We will always be available to work with clubs and supporters to improve all aspects of matchdays for home and away fans and we remain open to further dialogue with Hull City.

http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/fsf-statement-hull-city-supporters-committee-minutes

The Club & the SMC have failed to respond to our enquiry on the recent aborted stadium evacuation but it didn’t stop us getting an answer. Many thanks to Peter Curry for his insight, copy of email received below:

It is unfortunate that the SMC have not responded to your request for information about the false alarm incident at the recent fixture. I am also awaiting a written report but can give you the brief details following the de-brief.

Because of issues outside of the stadiums control the fire alarm was triggered in the Arena in West Park. This alarm is connected to the stadium alarm but should have been isolated from the control room when the Fire Panel Control was switched from normal day to day operation to match day mode. Because it was not isolated, the fire alarm went into immediate alarm rather than a silent alarm which allows a delay on match days for the fire response team to investigate. The alarm should only go into full evacuation if triggered by the safety officer or a failure to respond to the stage one alarm. Because it went into immediate full evacuation the message normally received by the stewards was bypassed, hence they did not know how to respond, because it is drilled into them during training that they should respond to one particular message (can’t tell you what it is) and they had not received the message. I can assure you that the incident was under full control within 30 seconds of the full evacuation message being transmitted. Having de-briefed the incident I am satisfied that this was outside of the control rooms control and measures have been put in place to avoid a repeat.

Peter Curry

Structures, Safety & Emergency Planning Manager

Hull City Council

Streetscene Services

Festival House

93 Jameson Street

Hull

HU1 3JJ

As we enter the final stages of the 2018/19 season, it is an absolute credit to Nigel Adkins and his backroom team, that despite the exodus of players last summer, and the minimal level of investment given to him by the Club owners, that he has managed to be able to guide the team to remain within touching distance of the play-off places.

It is extremely concerning therefore, to the players and most Hull City supporters that the future of Nigel and his support staff remains uncertain leaving himself, (and the fans), unsure as to whether their contracts are to be extended beyond the end of the current season.

National journalists and broadcasters have stated their surprise in recent weeks at the uncertainty over Nigel’s future with the Club, especially as the commendable job he has done with the team in such difficult circumstances, which can only have enhanced his reputation within the English game and alerted proactive owners of competitive clubs to his services.

Should a competitor club decide to make an approach for Nigel, it would be completely understandable that he would be tempted to leave Hull City and decide to ply his trade elsewhere and leave behind a backdrop of further uncertainty on and off the pitch.

The decline in matchday attendances at the K.Com stadium this seasons has been alarming but hardly surprising given the Club’s continued use of the unpopular and much maligned Membership Scheme, that despite offering at times competitive prices for adult supporters, does not offer concessionary prices which has priced out less abled, senior citizen and junior supporters, the latter of which has been a major concern for too long in relation to the future fan base of the Club. Regarding the Club’s stance on disabled ticketing, in light of the recent victory over York Barbicans disabled ticketing policy,  we ask the Club for an update on this important, current matter.

The uncertainty over contracts beyond this season, is not confined to just the management team, yet again, the futures of numerous first team players are not clear as the season draws to a close and contract extensions not discussed.

As a backdrop to the above, the prolonged uncertainty over the Club ownership situation continues to be a huge distraction to supporters, and undoubtedly the management team and players at the Club, which can only hamper medium to longer terms decisions that need to be made on an individual and collective level.

It has been widely reported that there have been numerous parties interested in purchasing the Club since the play-off final victory over Sheffield Wednesday almost 3 years ago, none of which have reached a successful conclusion. The recently reported asking price quoted by Assem Allam of £50m is well in excess of purchase prices for Championship clubs over the past 2 years, (all of whom owned their stadiums), and bafflingly £9m more than the figure quoted last October.

With any business transaction, there needs to be a willing buyer and a willing seller to conclude a deal. The inflated current asking price for a Club with minimal assets cannot be conducive to new owners making a successful purchase and is surely a matter that the Allam family need to review to a more realistic and achievable asking price.

Unfortunately, the relationship between the Club and the Hull City Supporters Trust board continues to remain fractured following a decision by the Club ‘senior management’ to no longer formally deal with the Trust whilst our current Chairman remains in his position. Supporters Trusts are independent, not for profit organisations that are designed to enable a voice for fans and the local community, with an ultimate aim of fan representation on the Club Board.

We have stated previously that we cannot allow the Club to dictate the structure and operation of the Trust Board, as this would remove our independence and impartiality in representing our members and the wider fan base.

Despite the Trust being the largest independent supporter organisation connected to Hull City, we were not invited to the Club’s only ‘Supporters Committee meeting’ so far this season. We are aware that there is a further meeting scheduled by the Club on March 27^th, and again it appears that we will not be invited to send a representative of the Board, (excluding the current Chairman as offered to the Club and endorsed as a fair and reasonable compromise offer by the English Football League, Football Supporters Federation and Supporters Direct), and therefore respectfully request through this open communication, that the Club address the following concerns:

1. The future of Nigel Adkins and his backroom staff is resolved as a matter of urgency well in advance of the end of the current season, which we hope will see a suitable contract extension offered by the Club.
2. The Club advises all supporters on the membership pricing for the 2019/20 season no later than the end of April 2019 to enable supporters to make an informed decision on whether they wish to commit to continue to make direct debit payments during the close season period and into the new season. (The Club stated in July 2018 that prices would remain at current levels until October 2018 and then reviewed although there is no evidence that this was ever conducted. We believe it is unfair and unjust for supporters to be expected to continue to make monthly payments without an immediate review)
3. That concessionary pricing models are reintroduced for junior, senior and disabled supporters for both the membership scheme and supporters wishing to purchase tickets via the Matchday Card.
4. There is an extended period for supporters wishing to obtain a Matchday Card at no cost. (The Club have refused to respond to our written concerns from August & September 2018, that 36-hour window of opportunity in July was unacceptably short and that this timescale was not promoted enough to enable supporters to sign up for the card)
5. The Club issue a full statement in response to the aborted stadium evacuation during the half time period at the recent Birmingham City fixture on March 2^nd, clearly stating what actions have been addressed with the Stadium Management Company and confirmation that all matchday staff have been re-trained and reminded of their individual roles and responsibilities during such a situation, which was not evident at the time of the incident above.

As a Trust Board, we are elected to represent our members with their queries and concerns in relation to matters affecting them as Hull City supporters, and we will continue to do so despite the Club’s current stance of only offering of informal contact with our Secretary.

Finally, we remain open to engaging in meaningful dialogue with the current and any responsible Club owners, whilst remaining hopeful that a deal to enable more proactive and engaging ownership for the Club is agreed in the foreseeable future.

Hull City Supporters Trust

Further to our statement on 6th March following the automated evacuation alert that was broadcast over the stadium tannoy system at half time of the Birmingham home game, which stated the club were, “in consultation with SMC with regards to this. A response to supporters will be given in due course”. We, unfortunately, have to inform you that, at this time, no response has been forthcoming from the club.

The Trust expresses concerns for the clubs supporters especially the most vulnerable following the debacle and have not been reassured by the lack of response by Hull City. We call for a robust review by the City Council and the SMC urgently.

Today is our first post from Gareth Walker, a HCST member who contacted us asking to write football related content. We are pleased to publish this and ask any other member / Hull City AFC supporter to contact us if they have similar content.

How do you solve a problem with fan Invasion?
It’s been 24 hours since the shocking and quite frankly disgraceful attack on footballer Jack Grealish in the Midlands derby between Birmingham & Aston Villa when a so called ‘fan’ ran onto the pitch and assaulted him from behind. This follows on from the scenes north of the border when a glass bottle was thrown at Celtic’s Scott Sinclair & a Hibernian ‘fan’ confronted Rangers footballer James Taverner. Home Office figures show that arrests for pitch incursions at games in England and Wales have risen over the last five seasons from 155 in 2012-13 to 204 in 2016-17 – the most recent season they account for. Stadium safety is paramount these days with what happened at Hillsborough and with supporters trusts planning and asking for safe standing to return to grounds across the country, some may feel this is a step backwards in the pursuit for these changes.
The incidents come amid a rise in allegations of fan violence and abuse, with Raheem Sterling allegedly the subject of racist taunts from a Chelsea fan this season, while a Tottenham supporter threw a banana at Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Points deductions & closed doors matches will only punish those who aren’t responsible, and fans might see their team get relegated due to an idiot encroaching onto the pitch. Some fans may argue that this could cause situations, where a supporter could pretend to be from another club and get their rivals punished, although an investigation by the police should be able to find out where a fan’s true allegiance lies. Looking at the statistics, for the third consecutive year, more Birmingham City fans were arrested last season (95) than any other club in England’s top five leagues.

Could this be the club where the very fan culture itself must be brought into question by the EFL? Or is what is happening in football mirroring what is happening in society currently with the fatal stabbings & police cuts in the UK? Just when football is about to secure another multi-billion-pound TV deal, there is a bad combination of clubs getting richer but cutting costs and police forces cannot subsidise football. Some may argue that clubs should be forced to pay out for more in policing in stadiums to help stewards in dealing with the situations that arise, would this have a negative effect on clubs in League 2 who themselves struggle to finance the playing staff on the pitch? The only certain outcome that must come from this is the PFA and the football leagues bodies must come together and for the authorities heavily fine and life-time ban the individuals who decide to ruin the experience for everybody else.

We were contacted after Saturdays game versus Birmingham City by numerous members and supporters, including carers for disabled supporters in relation to an automated evacuation alert that was broadcast over the stadium tannoy system at half time.

We have contacted the club and they have responded stating that they, “are in consultation with SMC with regards to this. A response to supporters will be given in due course”.

We thank the club for their email and look forward to their response.