Capacity?

[Leckyfan]

So, what IS the maximum capacity at Whaddon Road currently?

The official club website (checked just now) says:
“Stadium Capacity: 6,909 *subject to review for specific fixtures”

The Echo (i.e. the Gloucesterlive website, again checked just now) says:
“Cheltenham Town FC were formed in 1887. The Robins play in the 7,066-capacity Completely-Suzuki Stadium and ply their trade in SkyBet League One.”

But since they don’t realise Suzuki are no longer the sponsors, nor that we got relegated from League One more than a year ago, I think we can treat that figure of 7,066 (like everything they publish - sorry, JP) as “unreliable”

And today’s match report (again from the official club website) says:
ATTENDANCE: 6,677 (1050 from Leicester)

We have heard at times that TV coverage may reduce the maximum capacity - but the cameras are normally pitchside (and on a gantry above the roof at the Prestbury Road end) so I’m not clear why that should reduce capacity for spectators.

[Si Robin]

Last week I was told the current safety certificate is for 6,900 capacity, but the sold out attendance wouldn't reach that for a number of reasons.

Annoyingly, I wasn't told what any of those reasons were.

[Jerry St Clair]

There were three empty seats in Block 2. One next to us (which has been empty all season) plus a couple of others just a few rows in front.

Obviously the odd empty seat wouldn’t account for being several hundred below capacity. Likewise, Si, I’d be really interested in hearing what the reasons for the reduction were as it seems our functional capacity is way below the circa 7000 we all assume it is.

[PaulGodfrey]

The capacity in the safety certificate is 6,909 (plus 25 media places). We count the media within the official attendance on the basis that they are taking up a seat and watching the game. Other people working in the ground (such as stewards, catering and medical staff and TV production crew are accredited but not counted within the official attendance).

There are three areas of the ground currently operating below the capacity listed in the safety certificate:
Colin Farmer Stand - 16 seats have either been removed or are off sale due to severely restricted views - e.g. in Block 8 or around the expended TV gantry.
Hazlewoods Stand - following discussions with the County Council Safety Advisory Group and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) we no longer sell the front row (56 seats). This is due to the narrow gangway at the front, to prevent people standing in this row (the the knock-on effect of people then standing in most of the seats) and as a mitigation when the opposition fans turn up and decide not sit in any of their allocated seats.
Farrar & Tanner Stand - again, following a request from the SGSA we operate this area 180 below capacity. The issue is not so much to do with safety but more to do with the layout of the stand and the difficulty in getting fans to distribute equally across the terraces. Certain areas tend to get really full while others (such as the open terrace around the corner) tend to be quieter. Once the terrace gets busy it can be difficult for the stewards to get people to move and allow late comers in to fill up the quieter areas (a bit like train announcers wanting people to move down the carriage on busy trains rather than stand near the doorways so people can't get on).

As a result of the above, the available capacity for yesterday's game was 6,680. The announced attendance of 6,677 included all the tickets that were sold or allocated (Leicester City didn't bring their full allocation of visiting directors, hence the three short) but in reality there would have been fewer people than that in the ground. There are always a small number of people who don't use their tickets for whatever reason and not all of the comp tickets left for collection by players get picked up.

[Si Robin]

Thanks for the confirmation Paul

[paperboy]

Yes, thanks Paul for taking the trouble to give everyone a fact-based answer.
Reading facts from the horses mouth do however remove the fun of reading well intentioned tittle -tattle "from sources close to the club" which the Nest prides itself on.

[Fuller]

Presume those that were stood in front of the tunnel enclosure for the first half were late comers?
They’d all disappeared by the start of the second half, not sure where they all went?
Also the first aiders were out twice I noticed, hope those being treated are now ok?

[Leckyfan]

Yes, thanks Paul for taking the trouble to give everyone a fact-based answer.
Reading facts from the horses mouth do however remove the fun of reading well intentioned tittle -tattle "from sources close to the club" which the Nest prides itself on.

As the original poster, huge thanks to @PaulGodfrey from me also. I definitely prefer facts over guesswork (or, worse still, false assertions).

[Jerry St Clair]

Thanks Paul. Really interesting. I did feel for the stewards on Saturday in the PRE who were clearly trying really hard in difficult circumstances to get people onto the terrace. They also dealt with several medical incidents in the PRE while all that was going on.