[Albion] Leaving before the full time whistle

[amexer]

Start by having a proper conversation with the club and all transport providers.

Off the top of my head....

Covered area when queuing for both P&R and trains - certainly possible.
More park and ride busses - and a much quicker turnaround at both loading /unloading (sort issue at top of Mill Road for example and top of A27 slip road)
Open another P&R site (remember Mithras house has gone and not replaced)
Obviously longer trains - I know others will say it's not possible, but I don't believe that - anything is possible with a joined up conversation.
Better loading of trains.
Talk to Bennet about Bennets's field (bringing back 1901 there would release more Uni parking)
Reduce food / drink prices at the final whistle - obviously has to be in conjunction with a conversation with Sodexo.

All very well having a conversation with club. With no comment that they are continualy talking to P&R, Train and bus company one can only pressume they are just happy a full house every game. The only comment I can recall them making is that transport system is now costing club more money. Please fill in questionnaire
Whilst we will always be greatfull for TB input PB, does use this all the time to plead poverty. An example is hoped for new facilities applied for. PB saying in his statement we have to once again thank PB for this. Sorry with vast increase in income from transfers, league placing and in Europe dont believe like in the past we have to go begging to TB at present time. In any case sure they have worked out extra income new facilities will bring in. Things like outside loos,cover for P&R queues widening of stairs to buses produce no income so have not been done

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Just two in 12 years. Balanced against 200+ hours saved standing in the zzzzz Mill Road bus queue. I do stay when I sense the players are up for it with cool heads and to applaud end of season.

Are you into boozing at the Amex? The people I know who stay love the craic of drinking from plastic beakers in breeze block concourses post match. I like a drink, but not in a dungeon.

I tend not to stay for a drink either.

But I would never leave early. I just don't have something which is better to do than watch the last 10 mins of the team I love play football. If you do. Great.

I left early for the game when the fireworks went off at the Goldstone to signal a mass exodus and also, and this is my guilty secret which i'm letting you in on, that Palace game at home where Muzza was playing for them at they scored to make it 3-1 after about 88 mins. I left then. Not staying to watch those twats celebrate in our ground. Apart from that, never.

You reckon you've only missed 2 late winners in 12 years? Leaving 10 mins early? Hmmmm

 

[Withdean11]

An extra permanent P&R site or two would help.

 

[dazzer6666]

Start by having a proper conversation with the club and all transport providers.

Off the top of my head....

Covered area when queuing for both P&R and trains - certainly possible.
More park and ride busses - and a much quicker turnaround at both loading /unloading (sort issue at top of Mill Road for example and top of A27 slip road)
Open another P&R site (remember Mithras house has gone and not replaced)
Obviously longer trains - I know others will say it's not possible, but I don't believe that - anything is possible with a joined up conversation.
Better loading of trains.
Talk to Bennet about Bennets's field (bringing back 1901 there would release more Uni parking)
Reduce food / drink prices at the final whistle - obviously has to be in conjunction with a conversation with Sodexo.a closer ‘park and walk’ site……

A nearish ‘park and walk’ site would be good and help alleviate some of the current issues perhaps……just not sure where within say 30 mins (and flattish so people are more prepared to use it) would be suitable. I’d far rather be walking for that 30 mins than stuck in a non-moving train queue with no idea when I’ll be able to get on one.

Still don’t think the Amex is materially worse than a lot of other grounds though - any in London, Manchester, Liverpool etc and you’re facing similar waits to properly get away.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

An extra permanent P&R site or two would help.

I honestly don't think that would work either, it won't make a blind bit of difference, folks will naturally still want to be first in line.

 

[The Hermit Kingdom]

Every club has early leavers, but the scale of early leavers at the Amex is disproportionate in terms of numbers and how much of the game is left, and it’s not all the elderly or people with pressing stuff to do, it’s our fanbase. People posting that it happens at all big grounds, but it doesn’t, Old Trafford was still full with them 3-0 down towards the end yesterday, something like 35-40% of Spurs fans don’t live locally and yet their stadium, double the capacity of the Amex, almost never empties out on an Amex scale, even for school night fixtures, 50-60k people heading to a few underground, or rail/bus stops.

It’s a valid debate, that admittedly will achieve nothing, but it has to be disheartening for RDZ and the players doing their post-match walk around to swathes of long-empty seats. Yes you pay your money, yes it’s none of anyone’s business, superfans stay behind yadda yadda, but it’s like going to the theatre (admittedly without the transport issues) and leaving before the cast take a bow. One day, later rather than sooner hopefully, RDZ will obviously move on, one small factor in that hopefully not being our ‘quick to the exits’ fanbase.

 

[Wozza]

I honestly don't think that would work either, it won't make a blind bit of difference, folks will naturally still want to be first in line.

I'm happy to queue for 20min with kids, but not an hour.

Add more PNRs (or just busses!) and the queues will get shorter.

 

[Withdean11]

I honestly don't think that would work either, it won't make a blind bit of difference, folks will naturally still want to be first in line.

It won't stop everyone, obviously, but i think it would certainly help the mass exodus in the 85th minute.

For example, if i am using Mill Road, i try to leave 30 seconds before the whistle (to avoid the congestion getting out of the stands) otherwise the queue will be backed up to the South Stand. Even doing that, i will still miss the initial round of buses and have to stand and wait for them to return. I don't mind, but people are leaving early to avoid this. Everyone who gets one of the first (8?) busses must be leaving before the whistle.

When Pyecombe is available, i can stay in my seat until all the players have left the field, take a stroll up the steps and get straight onto a bus.

Relieving the pressure on Mill Road can only help.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Every club has early leavers, but the scale of early leavers at the Amex is disproportionate in terms of numbers and how much of the game is left, and it’s not all the elderly or people with pressing stuff to do, it’s our fanbase. People posting that it happens at all big grounds, but it doesn’t, Old Trafford was still full with them 3-0 down towards the end yesterday, something like 35-40% of Spurs fans don’t live locally and yet their stadium, double the capacity of the Amex, almost never empties out on an Amex scale, even for school night fixtures, 50-60k people heading to a few underground, or rail/bus stops.

It’s a valid debate, that admittedly will achieve nothing, but it has to be disheartening for RDZ and the players doing their post-match walk around to swathes of long-empty seats. Yes you pay your money, yes it’s none of anyone’s business, superfans stay behind yadda yadda, but it’s like going to the theatre (admittedly without the transport issues) and leaving before the cast take a bow. One day, later rather than sooner hopefully, RDZ will obviously move on, one small factor in that hopefully not being our ‘quick to the exits’ fanbase.

Unusual first post

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Every club has early leavers, but the scale of early leavers at the Amex is disproportionate in terms of numbers and how much of the game is left, and it’s not all the elderly or people with pressing stuff to do, it’s our fanbase. People posting that it happens at all big grounds, but it doesn’t, Old Trafford was still full with them 3-0 down towards the end yesterday, something like 35-40% of Spurs fans don’t live locally and yet their stadium, double the capacity of the Amex, almost never empties out on an Amex scale, even for school night fixtures, 50-60k people heading to a few underground, or rail/bus stops.

It’s a valid debate, that admittedly will achieve nothing, but it has to be disheartening for RDZ and the players doing their post-match walk around to swathes of long-empty seats. Yes you pay your money, yes it’s none of anyone’s business, superfans stay behind yadda yadda, but it’s like going to the theatre (admittedly without the transport issues) and leaving before the cast take a bow. One day, later rather than sooner hopefully, RDZ will obviously move on, one small factor in that hopefully not being our ‘quick to the exits’ fanbase.

All of the other grounds you mention have multiple options for fans to head to to travel from.
The vast majority of our fans are heading for 1 train station.

That is the differentiator

Spurs is a pretty bad location too - but there are 5 different stations to choose between.
Fans quickly get used to which is the best option and the numbers get down to a reasonable level.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

I’m still sat in my seat clapping the late Will Buckley winner against Doncaster.

 

[Gabbafella]

9 pages in to a question that's been asked 200 times before, have we found an answer yet or are we all still bad fans?

 

[stewart12]

An extra permanent P&R site or two would help.

yes

 

[Weststander]

Every club has early leavers, but the scale of early leavers at the Amex is disproportionate in terms of numbers and how much of the game is left, and it’s not all the elderly or people with pressing stuff to do, it’s our fanbase. People posting that it happens at all big grounds, but it doesn’t, Old Trafford was still full with them 3-0 down towards the end yesterday, something like 35-40% of Spurs fans don’t live locally and yet their stadium, double the capacity of the Amex, almost never empties out on an Amex scale, even for school night fixtures, 50-60k people heading to a few underground, or rail/bus stops.

It’s a valid debate, that admittedly will achieve nothing, but it has to be disheartening for RDZ and the players doing their post-match walk around to swathes of long-empty seats. Yes you pay your money, yes it’s none of anyone’s business, superfans stay behind yadda yadda, but it’s like going to the theatre (admittedly without the transport issues) and leaving before the cast take a bow. One day, later rather than sooner hopefully, RDZ will obviously move on, one small factor in that hopefully not being our ‘quick to the exits’ fanbase.

No it won’t.

 

[Weststander]

I’m still sat in my seat clapping the late Will Buckley winner against Doncaster.

RIP Will

 

[Bozza]

Are cases of EarlyLeaverIsm getting worse?

It feels like it, but it may be a bit of a vicious circle: with people needing to leave earlier and earlier to get ahead of the crowd, which has more and more early leavers.

As I posted on a thread after Ajax, I left slightly early, possibly the first time I've ever left an Amex game before the final whistle. I timed two-and-a-half of the "minimum of three minutes added time" and then legged it all the way to The Bridge to get the car out before it became gridlocked.

I only considered doing this after reading someone else on here saying they do it. I don't know how much time it saved - possibly up to an hour - but I did feel guilty about it. I'm not sure if I'd do the same again.

 

[el punal]

This has been done to death. Supporters needs differ, they’ve paid their money so if they need to leave early that’s their choice.

Yes, it has been done to death and should be consigned to the fiery pits of hell. At any moment now posters will be asking whether Falmer was the right place to build the stadium . . . .

 

[Change at Barnham]

9 pages in to a question that's been asked 200 times before, have we found an answer yet or are we all still bad fans?

Actually, I think it has created a part answer in a simple form.
Feedback on the thread shows that when Pyecombe and EDF are operating it reduces the stress on Mill Road due to it providing more options.

We basically need further P&R options and more buses, we currently don't have enough capacity to move people away from the stadium in a set window of time if we want fans to stay until the final whistle.

Who pays for the additional services and where they are located is the solution that needs to be found.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Are cases of EarlyLeaverIsm getting worse?

It feels like it, but it may be a bit of a vicious circle: with people needing to leave earlier and earlier to get ahead of the crowd, which has more and more early leavers.

As I posted on a thread after Ajax, I left slightly early, possibly the first time I've ever left an Amex game before the final whistle. I timed two-and-a-half of the "minimum of three minutes added time" and then legged it all the way to The Bridge to get the car out before it became gridlocked.

I only considered doing this after reading someone else on here saying they do it. I don't know how much time it saved - possibly up to an hour - but I did feel guilty about it. I'm not sure if I'd do the same again.

Marginally if at all would be my guess.

I suspect the recent increases to the capacity and a higher % turn out vs pretendence, has led to the train queues worsening, which as you say may have triggered a vicious circle for those who feel a pressing need to beat the queues

 

[Titanic]

Because I missed out on the usual Uni/Bridge parking, we had a park on my drive in Coldean.

OK it was a 30 min walk, in the pissing rain, but it cost less than the Bridge and we stayed to clap the players off, which we don't usually do, because those 5 minutes cost at least 30 more in the car park gridlock.

I will definitely look for this option again in future rather than the Bridge car park.