I hope this finds all our supporters well; refreshed and looking forward to the new season.
Recently, as has been well documented, our friendly match with Broxburn Athletic was abandoned at Albyn Park.
Whilst it must be said that the lack of stewarding on the night led to two groups of rival supporters being positioned in the same enclosure, the incidents have forced us to assess the behaviour of our younger fans.
Before I go any further, it should be said that I welcome all supporters to Meadowbank and that I am grateful to everyone who gives up their time and hard-earned money to support us, home and away. Furthermore, I also understand and want to assure our younger fans that I see them as the future of our fanbase, and have always tried to encourage them to come to our matches and create the terrific atmosphere that they do. I know Michael and the players also value their support and we want to ensure that they have every opportunity to continue to do so.
That said, our young supporters need to make sure that they adhere to all stadium regulations, and show respect to the club and the match day ground staff. We have had issues where the behaviour of elements of our support has been challenging, both at home and away, so with that in mind, we have taken the decision to create a free membership card for our young supporters, which they will need to bring with them in order for them to access matches at Meadowbank. The scheme is free, but will require photographic ID, together with parent or guardian approval to join; the link to join is here:
I can imagine this will not be universally popular among our younger fans, however without this, and following contact to the club from by Police Scotland, who have asked us to respond in a positive manner, officers will be dispatched to Meadowbank and the club liable for the cost. Given the hard work the club has done behind the scenes over the last six months in particular, it is simply not a cost the club can sustain, so I am appealing to our young fans to embrace this initiative, which I hope will lead to improved communication between their group and the board, and in turn help to improve their match day experience too.
We would ask our young supporters to make sure they register ahead of Wednesday evening’s match with Clyde.
As always, yours in sport,
John Dickson
Chairman
