Stewarding which cost me the game on sat.

[Skidmarks]

Yesterday I was refused entry because I refused to give a steward my age. I had a valid adult ticket and I'm in my mid-tewenties, but still the Steward refused to search me at the gate because i wouldn't give my age. It seemed completley unnecessary to give a man who works twice a month and probably spends the rest of his time claiming the doll my age. The Steward(590) then asked to see my ticket so I co-operated and gave him my ticket to prove MY AGE WAS NOT NEEDED and i was a holding a valid ticket.
Instead of returning my ticket he put it in his back pocket and told me I wasn't going in because of my lack of co-operation!. At this stage the game had just started so i gave into their abuse of authority and confirmed my age, they returned my ticket searched me then let me go through, I took his number (590) and warned I'd be reporting him for abusing his authority. Next I had 3 stewards on me, my ticket confiscated and I was threatened by another steward that he was going to "put me to the floor if i dont shut up" I was apoligising in order to get my ticket back not because of what I'd done and this was their response!

later a different steward who i'd been sweet-talking to help me out had been informed not to let me in because I'd refused to be searched and claimed I'd been gropped!
These were Complete lies from the stewards especially as it was my age (24) which was the issue.

They overstepped their authority bigtime and to use lies in their defense is disgusting, luckily there are CCTV camereas which will show I defiantly didn't refuse to be searched and it was the steward (590) who actually refused to search me.
I really hope the club sort out these absolute ass-holes who are effecting the issue of lack of atmosphere at the Withdean.
Dick could really win back alot of fans if he sorted out how his own fans are being treated by these power freaks who in the real world have zero authority over anyof us.

Dick if your reading this we are being treated like animals by the people you employe, if you want my support you better start supporting your own fans as well. Get rid of these peole from not just the club but from football, they're ruining the experience of watching a friendly, family well supported club.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Why didn't you just say how old you were? The steward probably isn't allowed to search anyone under 18.

 

[Notters]

What a joke... Though I hope they don't let me in next time! Why on earth did they want to know your age anyway?! I suggest you send the above to dick rather than hoping he may read it on here.

 

[Djmiles]

If that's true, that is an absolute joke. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be the first complaint about stewards abusing their power recently.

It's a shame, because most of the stewards I've bumped into have been decent enough.

 

[steward 433]

I would send this as a private message to the insider for him to pass on to the safety officer.

 

[getreal1]

What an absolute disgrace - good luck to you a) getting a proper apology from the club and b) money back

 

[Don Quixote]

Why didn't you just say how old you were? The steward probably isn't allowed to search anyone under 18.

They don't mind searching me...

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

The stewards at Millwall were much better and treated us as paying customers & guests.

As a visiting fan, I was greeted with a smile and a chat and no need for a search yet my own club considers me, somebody who has g'kids who has spent near £25.00 to be there, as a potential criminal.

 

[SirDouglasLoft]

They don't mind searching me...

Nor me... im 16
I got searched at the Derby game, they were just doing random checks on people

 

[Djmiles]

The ultimate question is, are stewards allowed to search under 18's?

If so, he had no right to ask for your age.

If not, they have been breaking the rules for a number of years by searching under aged supporters.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I had a run in with the stewards at the gate before the Carlisle game. Got towards the turnstiles and one asked to search me. No problem with that, but then one of the stewards that evolution had bypassed butted in and started telling me that he had thrown me out at the last home game (Hartlepool), which was news to me as I was at Cologne v Wolfsburg that game. Anyway he asked to see my ticket, which I showed and off he went.

I got to the front of the queue and the missing link comes bundling over and demands to see ID from me. I refused, on the basis that we do not have to carry ID in this country and he said I could not go in. When asked on what grounds, he banged on that he had thrown me out at the last home game. I pointed out that I was out of the country, so that was some achievement. In the end I should him my Englandfans card and went in, but to be honest, the whole thing was odd and seems to be becoming a regular thing at Withdean.

Are all these knuckle draggers failed coppers or just have such sad lives that they get off abusing paying customers at Withdean, before power wanking to the events in their DSS funded bedsits on a Saturday night.

 

[Notters]

Have you told the club about this one uncle? Sounds mad...

 

[NMH]

I would send this as a private message to the insider for him to pass on to the safety officer.

I heard he was belligerent all the way through, ending when he said to the steward "you touched my cock" after he was on his way to the turnstyles.

Just general attitude to authority is not going to help anyone, when the searching has to go on for the safety of all. Drunks don't get in, so why should anyone who is acting like a bad-tempered drinker?

I wasn't there, but I did hear all about it.
Sounds a better idea to grow up, skidmarks, and don't bother abusing people doing their job.

I mean, would you always come up trying to be as awkward as possible to a night-club or bar in town, or when you go to see Boyzone?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Am I the only person taking these stories with a pinch of salt? Becuase I've been going to the Withdean from day 1 in 1999, when I was aged 12. I have never had any problems, I am 21 now, 9 years of going to the Withdean without having any problems with the stewards. I've been searched from time to time, as you'd expect, and the stewards have always been polite and friendly with me, never once have they looked at me suspiciously or treated me with anything other than politeness. I find the criticism they're receiving on here to be quite baffling, as I'm yet to experience any problems with them.

 

[Midikilledmydog]

The ultimate question is, are stewards allowed to search under 18's?


No, the ultimate question is why have stewards at all, should be like the cinema have a few ushers showing those that require assistance to their seats, nothing more needed than that.

 

[Don Quixote]

I got taken down and detained by a steward at the Man City match! Nazis the lot of them!

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Trouble is that NMH may be right about the stewards version of events, but it is their word against ours. Plenty of 'fans' going to the game can be right knobs and deserve to get kicked out, other times stewards seem to go way over the top. It will take the stewards to sort out their issues with DK putting the pressure on, but don't tar them all with the same brush.

I had a few issues at the start of the season with seating and could not get a response out of the safety officer, despite numerous requests amd Insider forwarding my details on to them....

 

[cjd]

By far the majority of stewards are fine.......and are usually very helpful. However, the very nature of the job, means it's inevitable that the odd hitlerite/thug/nutter is employed too.

Thought after the game was typical of one of them. The game had finished and a bloke walking out, lit up a ciggie. He was breaking the rules of course. What was so funny, was the look of utter determination, anger and horror of a steward , who almost fell over in his haste in trying to catch up with the guy.

 

[fairy cakes]

No business can have 100% top-notch staff, its impossible.
I dislike the name calling directed at the stewards. Stuff like "you will never be a copper" and "got your hair cut at the pound shop". Just so pointless. If we were top of the league probably wouldn’t have any problems what so ever.

 

[andybaha]

On my way to the Northampton game, I'd not had time for my tea so I had a Tescos salad in a carrier bag.

A nice lady steward asked if she could see inside my bag. 'It's only a salad' I said.

'What type of salad is it?' She asked

'Prawn' I said 'it's not a dangerous salad or anything'.

'Is it low calorie?'

'Quite low calorie, I think'

'That's OK then, in you go'

That's about as much trouble as I've ever had at the turnstiles.