The Huddersfield Town Supporters Association Column in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Thursday 24th January 2011
South Stand Again
Following the success of the arrangements for the Colchester game last month, the Club has again made it possible for Town fans to have access to the South Stand at this Saturday’s home match against Orient.
As we said before, the main objective is to enhance support for the team using the acoustic benefits of the South Stand. Dean Hoyle himself has commented previously that such support can be like a twelfth man in the side.
The arrangements this Saturday are exactly as before, i.e., Town season ticket holders will be asked to pay a small premium of £1 to transfer and these transfers can be made at the gate on the day. Any non-season-ticket walk-up fans can pay at the gate as well, at prices equivalent to the Fantastic Media Stand.
Let’s build on last month’s success by filling the available allocation of 1,500 seats and generating even louder support for the team. It’s equally important that behaviour is first-class, with no crowd trouble. This could also help to reduce additional policing and stewarding costs at future games, which we hope to arrange as well.
On the subject of policing and stewarding costs, fans may be interested in attending a Football Supporters Federation event at Hillsborough next Thursday (March 3), starting at 7:30pm. Watching Football is not a Crime! will be chaired by the award-winning journalist, David Conn, and will give football fans their chance to put questions to a panel of experts including leading journalists, police and Home Office figures.
The event is free but registration is required so please email your name to register@fsf.org.uk along with any questions you’d like to ask. All registered fans receive a free drink on arrival and non-FSF members are welcome.
March will be a very hectic month on the pitch, of course, starting with the re-arranged game at Hartlepool next Tuesday, followed by the long trip to Yeovil on the Saturday. Departure times for the Supporters Association coaches are 4pm and 8am respectively with prices of £12 and £16 for members. Please call Sally on 07926 165863 or email travel@htsa.co.uk to book your places.
Thursday 13th January 2011
The ‘S’ Factor
In another demonstration of cooperation, last Friday’s meeting between all the Club directors (with Chairman Dean Hoyle in attendance) and representatives of the Supporters Association, reached agreement for Town fans to have access to the South Stand at the next home match against Colchester a week on Saturday (Jan 22nd ). This was subject to the approval of the ground’s Safety Team. We are delighted to announce that this has now been granted.
The main objective, fully documented and presented by James Fryer and Paul Stead, is to enhance support for the team using the acoustic benefits of the South Stand. Dean Hoyle himself has commented previously that such support can be like a twelfth man in the side.
HTSA reps recognise that splitting the South Stand between Home and Away fans can incur additional policing and stewarding costs and therefore agreed that it was reasonable to ask Town season ticket holders to pay a small premium of £1 to transfer. At this price it could still cost the Club money. However, in a very welcome and generous gesture, Dean Hoyle acknowledged that he would meet the shortfall for this game, as a trial, to give fans a chance to demonstrate the demand.
The Club agreed to make arrangements as simple as possible by allowing such transfers to be made at the gate on the day and also to allow non-season-ticket walk-up fans to pay at the gate as well, at prices equivalent to the Fantastic Media Stand.
As indicated above, these arrangements are to be regarded as a trial with a view to repeating them for other matches this season. So it’s critically important that we get as much support as possible (up to the maximum of 1,500 available) and it’s also equally important that behaviour is first-class, with no crowd trouble. This will also help to reduce the additional policing and stewarding costs at future games.
After all the hard work in convincing the Club there is demand, coupled with the financial subsidy provided by Dean and the support of the directors in getting safety approval, it is now up to fans to show their faith is well placed. We have to make it work!
Before the Colchester match, of course, we have two more away trips and there are still spaces available on the HTSA coaches to Walsall this Saturday and Carlisle the following Tuesday. Departure times are 11am (please note, not 10am as announced last week) and 4pm respectively. Please call Sally on 07926 165863 or email HYPERLINK "mailto:travel@htsa.co.uk" travel@htsa.co.uk to book your places.
But we finish with a call to Town fans to add that extra ‘S’ factor to our Support a week on Saturday by filling our allocation in the South Stand. We might even call it the ‘ Triple S’ factor!Thursday 4th November 2010
No Comment(ary)?
Three weeks ago we wrote about the reduced coverage by Radio Leeds of Town’s matches. The situation remains unchanged.
Basically the BBC has taken a decision to broadcast the same mix of match commentaries on all its channels instead of the previous practice of dedicating different frequencies to uninterrupted coverage of each match.
The result, of course, is that fans who rely on radio coverage may get no more than occasional snippets of information about their team’s performance.
The Club has had contact with the BBC hierarchy in Leeds but the latter continue to procrastinate on details of their future plans.
Supporters are entitled to ask the BBC, as a national corporation, how they justify such a major reduction in service and fans are encouraged to write to Radio Leeds at Broadcasting Centre, 2 St Peters Square, Leeds LS9 8AH or email Rozina.Breen@bbc.co.uk
The Club itself may have stronger grounds for complaint, given the agreement reached with the BBC for live coverage via the Internet. Here, too, our worldwide fans may choose to express their dissatisfaction with the BBC.
Alternatively, pass your comments on to the Supporters Association for us to collate and forward to Radio Leeds. HTSA can be contacted either by writing to PO Box 1908 Huddersfield HD4 6WT or by emailing info@htsa.co.uk
Thursday 23rd September 2010
This is HTSA
Following the AGM of the Supporters Association last month, there has been a flurry of debate by email and on message boards about the rôle of the HTSA.
The Association was formed as an amalgamation of the various supporter groups, including the Supporters Club, the Supporters Trust and Fight for Answers, to become the single independent body of Town Supporters.
As such, the HTSA encompasses all the activities of those earlier groups, whether that means standing up for Supporters’ rights, sitting down on an Away coach or anything in between.
Fundamental to the principle of representing supporters is the need to have a sound working relationship with the Club: the Supporters Association believes this to be the case.
As we reported last week, we hold regular meetings with the Club’s directors where there is an opportunity to share information as well as to pursue any issues that supporters might have.
Individuals took on new responsibilities after the AGM and are now pushing ahead with plans to revamp the HTSA website ( www.htsa.co.uk ) as well as to mount a new membership drive.
But you don’t have to wait until that’s launched! Please call into the portacabin on match days or visit the website shown above to sign up and help make HTSA’s voice loud and clear.Thursday 16th September 2010
The Club and its Supporters
Last Friday representatives of the Supporters Association and the re-launched Patrons Club met Nigel Clibbens and Sean Jarvis in the latest dialogue between Club and Supporters.
As usual, the topics were wide-ranging and included updates on the stadium shares and the Billy Smith memorabilia.
A meeting had been held the previous day between the three parties involved in the transfer of the stadium shares back to the football club and some satisfactory progress had been made, although the full process could take some considerable time yet. In the meantime, the Supporters Association is in touch with two local Members of Parliament, who are keen to see progress made.
Major plans are now under way to attract funding to enable some of the top items in the Smith memorabilia collection, together with many other items from Town’s illustrious history, to go on public exhibition in the main stand of the Galpharm.
It was also confirmed that the Club has entered into a new partnership with the Eden Club (formerly Johnny’s) in the centre of town for this to be available to supporters on match days, when a percentage of the takings will be donated to the Club. The Supporters Association held its last committee meeting there and recommends the Club as a great place to meet up both before and after the match. Look out both here and on www.htsa.co.uk for further details to be announced shortly.
Some of our regular travellers will be aware of the problems encountered last week over the trip to Orient and the willingness of the Club to help the Supporters Association by putting on a second coach. The Association has offered to share the cost of this second coach and is also announcing that there will definitely be an HTSA coach to Swindon on Saturday week at a special, reduced, price of only £12 to members. Please ring Sally on 07926 165863 or email travel@htsa.co.uk to book your place.
Thursday 9th September 2010
LATEST EXAMINER COLUMN
Please note that although today's column includes reference to a coach to Leyton Orient, this coach has been cancelled as announced on the HTSA website.
And the Winner is...
Ian Bell of Brighouse. Congratulations on purchasing the winning raffle ticket on the Supporters Association coaches to Everton, entitling you to claim a new Home shirt from the Club shop.
As we said in this column last week, we are offering refunds to all those who travelled on coaches 3 and 5, because of the problems encountered. Some fans, though, have told us that they prefer the money to be donated to the Keep It Up campaign and the HTSA would like to take this opportunity of thanking those fans for this gesture.
Our aim is to provide coach travel to Town’s away games without losing money. We’re not interested in making money out of away travel and the HTSA pledges to pass on any surplus to the Keep It Up campaign for the benefit of Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Club Academy.
The next trip is this Saturday to Leyton Orient - another great bargain at only £16 for members. With a stadium capacity of only 9,271, and average gates of just 4,000, a healthy following of Town supporters could be a big influence. The coach will leave the Galpharm Stadium at 8:00am on Sept 11th. I you haven’t booked yet, please contact Sally either by phone on 07926 165863 or by email to travel@htsa.co.uk. If you have booked, please note the new departure time – 8am.
Our raffle winner isn’t the only fan with a new shirt. The HTSA is proud to have teamed up with the Club to provide a signed Town shirt as well as some match day tickets to help raise funds in memory of Graham Shaw, a Golcar soldier killed in action in Afghanistan. We are pleased to announce that these fetched £270 by auction.
Finally, don’t forget next Monday’s first Heavy Woollen meeting of the 2010/11 Season. Please note the change of day - to Sept 13th. The meeting will be held, as usual, at the Barclays Club, 189-191 North Road, Ravensthorpe, WF13 3AH. The evening’s special guest will be Lee Peltier and the meeting starts at 8:00pm.WEDNESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2010
Let’s match them at the Matchroom
What a great turn out for the trip to Goodison Park last week. The large demand for coaches did cause some difficulties and the Supporters' Association has offered refunds to all those who travelled on coaches 3 and 5. We would also like to thank all those supporters who have since posted their support and appreciation for the effort made by Sally and Andy in catering for the additional travellers.
The raffle prize from the evening, a Huddersfield Town home shirt, still remains unclaimed. If you have the winning ticket, green 330 with the Serial Number AB 78904, please contact Sally on 07926 165863, by email at travel@htsa.co.uk or call in at the HTSA portacabin situated at the St. Andrew’s end of the Galpharm Stadium prior to Saturday’s match against Bournemouth.
The next trip, which is to Leyton Orient, is another great bargain at only £16 for members and will be with our usual coach operator. With a stadium capacity of only 9,271, and average gates of just 4,000, a healthy following of Town supporters could be a big influence. The coaches will leave the Galpharm Stadium at 8:30am on Sept 11th. Please contact Sally as above.
Finally, this is an early notice of the first Heavy Woollen meeting of the 2010/11 Season, but please note the change of day. This meeting is now scheduled for Monday, Sept 13th and will be held, as usual, at the Barclays Club, 189-191 North Road, Ravensthorpe, WF13 3AH. The evening’s special guest will be Lee Peltier and the meeting starts at 8:00pm.
Wednesday 26th August 2010
Huddersfield Examiner Column
Website Re-launch
Firstly a big thank you to Andy Booth for providing a great evening last Thursday at the Supporters Association meeting in Halifax. Andy's honesty in answering questions and some of his recollections from his time as a 'Town' player made for an excellent evening's entertainment, admirably backed up by Sean Jarvis to whom we are also very grateful. Nor should we forget Paul Ramsden. Town's match day announcer, for his masterful and witty compering.
This column has proved invaluable in the past as a means of passing on information to Town supporters. Recently this has included those with Internet access as well, as we have struggled to keep up to date on the HTSA website.
We are pleased to say that the problems have now been resolved and it is only fitting that we should record our thanks to Andrew Firth for all his hard work and Technical wizardry in setting up the website initially.
This season's travel plans are already on the site and more news will follow as our new webmaster, Richard Poulain, gets to grips with his latest responsibilities. So please visit www.htsa.co.uk to check out what's happening and email info@htsa.co.uk to follow anything up.
For those without internet access, then we can also be contacted either by writing to PO Box 1908, Huddersfield, HD4 6WT or by calling into the portacabin on match days
