How can Sunderland address the issue of supporters leaving games early?

10/31/2024 02:00 AM

The club has pledged to engage with supporters to tackle the longstanding issue of early Stadium of Light exits, but what do our writers think the solution might be?

Gav says...

This debate has been raging for probably as long as the stadium has been in existence, and I sympathise a lot with people on both sides of the argument.

I think if you stopped every early leaver and asked them 'If there was a way to eliminate whatever issue you're facing that makes you need or want to leave early, would you stay until the end?', they'd probably say 'yes' without hesitation.

There are so many variables here that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach that can be taken.

If, for example, 20,000 people leave the ground before the full time whistle, it's highly unlikely it's because they all want to get to the pub first. I'd imagine for the vast majority of people, they do it to make their trip home easier.

The location of the Stadium of Light has always been a huge issue.

Considering we get crowds of 40,000-plus for each home game, there isn't nor has there ever been the infrastructure in place to deal with that amount of traffic leaving the area at the same time.

The roads which lead out to the main motorways aren't equipped to deal with moving people on quickly, and there's not enough parking around the ground available. There's not even a multi-story car park on that side of the water. You have to walk into town to park at one, and even then, you're likely to be sat queuing for over an hour to get out after you've done the 15-20 minute walk back across the bridge.

Then there's the public transport.

The Tyne and Wear Metro system is crap on a normal day, never mind after a big sporting event. People who use the Metros probably leave early because if they don't, they're going to be stuck queuing for over an hour, by which point you're then packed onto the trains like sardines because they're so full.

There aren't enough buses to service the amount of people that require them, and again, you can be stood queuing for a long time after games.

Even then, the buses use the same roads as the cars and as such, they can be left stuck in traffic while the huge crowds of people move across the bridge, and then they get caught up amongst all the cars, particularly going back over Wessington Way, the town and through East Boldon to get back onto the A19.

There are plenty of other legitimate reasons why people leave the ground early, I'm sure, but the main and biggest concern is the infrastructure around the Stadium of Light.

The public transport, roads, parking and access simply aren't up to scratch for a football ground that holds up to 48,000 people, and that unfortunately isn't something the club can fix by holding consultations with supporters.

There's a very good reason why this has been a constant issue for almost thirty years, and that's meant that for all our loyal supporters, they're in one way or another affected by these problems, which in turn has over a long period of time, formed a part of their matchday routines.

If people all left at the same time, it would be even worse, unfortunately.

Andrew Smithson says...

I agree that this needs to be a cross-party effort with other organisations in terms of transport and infrastructure, but I have to be honest and say that I think it would only do so much.

For me, the Stadium of Light isn't nearly as bad for getting out as most away grounds I've been in to watch Sunderland, and in terms of age, size and location, it's relatively easy to make your exit.

To my mind, it certainly isn't as bad as is made out by some, and it never appears to be as much of a factor elsewhere. The new pedestrian bridge over the Wear will help further when open, so I'd say the issues go beyond the practicalities anyway.

It feels almost as if there's been a cultural shift since the club left Roker Park.

By and large, it was the hardcore fans that went there in its final days, whereas being closer to the city centre has now made match days more attractive to groups looking for a more general day out.

It says a lot to me that you rarely get early leavers at away fixtures, unless the result is looking particularly grim, and although not everyone that leaves the Stadium of Light before full time could be classed as a fairweather fan, a large proportion certainly fall into that category or are more general football followers.

Some folk have it ingrained into them that dropping a shoulder somehow means they beat the system, but I'll never get my head around seeing someone scream and shout at the team for eighty minutes, suggesting they're invested to some extent, only to then nick off. You can hardly claim to be 'Sunderland 'til you die' if you're happy to miss a large portion of the action, after all.

It's not even as if it always reflects what's happening on the pitch, either.

At the moment, we have an excellent team who are grafting their bollocks off and it still isn't enough to warrant a proper reception at the end from some.

People are entitled to do what they want and I fully appreciate that there are those with genuine reasons to go home before the end, but I've always found this an annoying aspect of home matches in the main and am pleased to see it being recognised by the club, who I assume has realised the impact on the players.

Hopefully some answers can be found from the wider fanbase as I'm unsure what the solution is.

Perhaps I'm going against the grain a bit here as most other people suggest it's an arrangements issue and not a behavioural or attitude consequence, but it honestly perplexes me how some are willing to spend a lot of time and money to do something, but only to a point where they could miss the best bits anyway.

I don't mean to cause offence at all, and I accept that my own circumstances usually allow me to stay until the end no matter what, so perhaps I'm not best placed to comment.

What I'll certainly ask though is that if you're filing out early, please do so in a way that doesn't impact the rest of us. It's fair enough if you want out, but why then linger around and block the view for those who do want to make the most of it?

John Wilson says...

The infrastructure has to be the key to this.

Liaising with the local authorities, bus companies and Metro has already been alluded to, and why they can sort multiple trains for concerts, but ignore match days is beyond me.

That has to be the only reason folk leave early - to 'beat the traffic'.

Convincing fans to stay until the end won't work, assuming they've all got a 'valid' reason for leaving early. In my teens, I left early once or twice as I didn't drive then, and a train left for Newcastle at about 4:50 pm!

If I stayed to the end, the next train was 5:20pm and it would be rammed!

I remember leaving once when I think we were 0-2 down to Liverpool. A guy had a radio on the platform as news came through that Stan Cummins had equalised, and I never left early again after that.

Each to their own, and you can't dictate how folk live their lives, but for me, as I've got older, and I'll never forget missing those late goals, but I'll also never remember what I did with the time when I left early!

Kelvin Beattie says...

I think the club needs to ask folk to stay in their seats if they can.

If they can't, they need to exit smartly and not block the view of those of us who stay to the finish.

Stewards also need to ensure the exits are kept clear and that early leavers aren't congregating there, blocking the exits and the view of fans in the first row of the upper tiers.

Asking fans to stay to the end if they can will give more supporters the chance to applaud the team's efforts and to allow the players to thank more fans for their support.

It'll also help with the awful visual of an emptying stadium that the media love to highlight at any opportunity. I do think the transport infrastructure could be looked at, especially in terms of public transport away from the ground, not forgetting late finishes during midweek matches.

Could the park & ride scheme be enhanced?

There always seems to be massive queues but I only ever see one bus. I also wonder whether there's an opportunity for a green scheme regarding sharing transport to and from games, meaning less cars on the roads?

I think the solution to this is multi-layered, but let's start by asking those who can to stay to the end.

Paddy Hayes says...

This has always been a subject I've felt very strongly about, and if the Leeds game earlier in the month didn't act as a lesson in why you should always stay until the end, maybe nothing will.

Aside from very literally bolting the gates shut until the full time whistle and stripping people of their civil liberties, there's very little the club can do to enforce a 'stay until the end' policy.

That said, there are certain elements that are within the club's control.

Of course, performance is perhaps the biggest determiner when it comes to ensuring fans stay put, and Régis Le Bris and the team have given supporters all the more reason to remain in their seats and see a game out.

Our high-intensity, breathless counter attacks and youthful exuberance all lend themselves to exciting and unmissable football. However, this can also go the other way, instilling a complacency that means some fans may think 'We're 2-0 up, the game is won, let's beat the traffic'.

Infrastructure is obviously a drawback, and wherever you go where there are large crowds leaving en masse, there's always going to be congestion.

If the club and transport authorities can organise a better Metro service whereby trains are arriving at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland and St Peter's stations more frequently, this will certainly reduce wait times. Alternatively, putting on a shuttle bus service, which can transport fans back to key hubs may also offset gridlock traffic.

Finally, if the team's performance and any feeling of obligation don't serve as a deterrent to those leaving early, perhaps incentivising staying until the end via promotional quirks might just do it.

Keeping the stadium bars open a little later, offering discounted food and drinks, even post-game entertainment of some sort.

Ultimately, people's overall time management should be better. Factor in the travel time into your match-going experience; after all, it's all part and parcel of being a football fan.

Tom Albrighton says...

For me, the solution would be to work alongside transport providers and local authorities with a clear vision as to how to alleviate the issues in leaving the immediate area around the ground.

Transport infrastructure around the ground is limited at best, and the fact that neither buses nor Metros are 'stacked' in preparation for an immediate influx of supporters is a glaring issue, creating congestion on public transport and the roads themselves as fans look to avoid unnecessary and lengthy delays.

For me, a solution would be to work with these providers to look at a means whereby increased frequency can be achieved as happens when events such as concerts are held at the Stadium of Light.

Other options would be creating more accessible park and ride schemes or proposing the amalgamation of various services such as shuttle buses stopping at predetermined Metro stations to help immediately alleviate the flow of users onto a limited capacity Metro service.

Ultimately, the club can listen to the fans but the biggest stumbling block surrounding this will be convincing profit-driven private sector companies to act in the best interests of commuters, so I wouldn't be encouraging anyone to hold their breath on this.