Dutch Away fans

[LCFC-ARAB]

This was robbed off another forum, it's about a game between Utrecht v NAC written by an NAC fan about what he had to do to watch his team play at the weekend

I smile when I hear about away fans "difficulties" in getting into grounds in this country. Thought I would share my "match day experience"at FC Utrecht yesterday as an away fan.

As a trial, NAC has lifted its coach only rule for their fans travelling to away games and allowed their fans to travel by car to the game in Utrecht yesterday. This is what I had to do to watch the game....(note only season ticket holders could get a ticket).

1) 2 weeks ago I applied for one of the 240 tickets available....for the princely sum of €10.65

2) On Friday I was sent a dummy ticket...the first I knew for sure I had a ticket.

3) Yesterday (match day) I had to go to NAC's stadium at 12:30 with my dummy ticket, confirmation letter and passport and registered as present, along with the other 159 fans who had applied.

4) At 12:45 a NAC steward came in and I exchanged my dummy ticket for a macth ticket.

5) I then had 1 hour to drive the 80km to Utrecht.....the game started at 2:30, but we were allocated an hour to prevent any "stop offs"

6) We were allocated Car Park 6, a secure compound just of the dual carriage way, surrounded by tower blocks approx 400m from the ground.

7) On arrival at the car park our tickets were scanned whilst we were in the car...a green light on the scanner meant we could park.

8) Our cars were checked for alcohol and we were checked for alcohol on our breath.

9) In one corner of the car park were some steps going down under one of the offices....at the bottom of these 15 or so steps were the electronic turnstiles...and 20 stewards searching everyone.

10) We then had to walk approx 600m through an underground tunnel, around two corners, up two sets of stairs along a corridor and through a gate into the moat at the front of the away end.

11) The end was surrounded by a mixture of perspect fencing, netting, sheets and the highest fence at the front I have ever seen.

12) At the end we returned to our cars through the same tunnel.....where we waited for the dual carriage way to be closed.

13) We were then excorted back up the exit ramp....along the wrong side of the DC, and finally through the central reservation onto the other side, which had been closed off back to the motorway.

So please.....if you are 5 mins late getting in because you were in the pub too long, don't complain.

Oh, and the good news is that NAC and the police deemed it a success...so we can do it again Saturday for the Herenveen game!!

[Guest Bilo]

If it ever got this bad in England, I'd still go just out of sheer defiance. But dear god, that is nothing short of a joke.

[AoWW]

Jeez - kinda puts our complaints over here into perspective, I guess.

[davieG]

If it ever got this bad in England, I'd still go just out of sheer defiance. But dear god, that is nothing short of a joke.

Defiance surely that would be interpreted as compliance.

So I wouldn't and the only way to stop it is for both home and away fans to boycott the games en-mass.

[Guest Bilo]

Defiance surely that would be interpreted as compliance.

So I wouldn't and the only way to stop it is for both home and away fans to boycott the games en-mass.

Depends which way you look at it. They're clearly hoping to stop fans wanting to travel by putting as many obstacles in their way as possible, as well as making for a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I take your point though, I'd completely understand if people boycotted.

[Fosse Boy]

Agree with davieG on this one. We've already seen a few minor protests in this country over so-called "Bubble" games. I think it was last season that Bristol City took only a fraction of their expected away allocation to Cardiff because fans all had to go by officially sanctioned coaches? However while supporters still turn up to fixtures restricted in such a way it'll be assumed that apathy reigns and people are content with the status quo.

[BoneDog]

Breath-tests?! 'uckin 'eck, it will be dna swabs on the tongue and photos taken next.

I wouldn't bother going if you can't even go and do what you want on the way. I like to have a good **** around before and after a match, it's all part of the away day imo.

[LCFC-ARAB]

Yeah but then they get to see/do this in the ground....

Seems like the police own the outside of ground and the fans the inside?

I guess to them it's worth going through all of that for what's inside

[BoneDog]

Ah yes, that's different! Going by those pictures I would probably put up with a few restrictions for an atmosphere and view like that.