Singing block at the Madejski

[Royalshow]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

[EASTENDER MARKY]

[bobby1413]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

Completely impracticle and would never work. Why would the club want to do this? I can think of loads of reasons why they wouldn't:

1) safety
2) costs of implementing this
3) time in implementing this
4) problems with current ST holders not being happy with that
5) people in other parts of the stadium wanting to stand and not being allowed to
6) people like the FA would kick up a stink

It will never happen.

[Dirk Gently]

A lot of those problems wouldn't apply if it was just a "singing" area, though. Don't confuse a singing area with a standing area - although the two do naturally go together.

[Coppelled Streets]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

If you sit there already, get up and sing and keep singing. It'll take time but others will follow or f**k off and sit in the West Upper.

Bring.It.On

[Royalshow]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

If you sit there already, get up and sing and keep singing. It'll take time but others will follow or f**k off and sit in the West Upper.

Bring.It.On

I have a 10 year old on my right and two even younger then that sat right behind me.As a result i feel really guilty whenever i stand up but enjoy the game far more when standing. Most people around will not join in with anything that has more then a few words.I just feel a bit frustrated because i like the view from my seat but would rather be with more like minded fans!!

[Winchester Royal]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

If you sit there already, get up and sing and keep singing. It'll take time but others will follow or f**k off and sit in the West Upper.

Bring.It.On

I have a 10 year old on my right and two even younger then that sat right behind me.As a result i feel really guilty whenever i stand up but enjoy the game far more when standing. Most people around will not join in with anything that has more then a few words.I just feel a bit frustrated because i like the view from my seat but would rather be with more like minded fans!!

You obviously prefer your view to the atmosphere in your area, if you've not doing anything about moving.

[Darren Caskey's Dietician]

I know it seems to be Y25 at the moment but maybe it would be good to create an area at the back of the north stand (away from the drummer) to help improve the atmosphere in that area. Thoughts?

Are you Alan Pardew in disguise?

I love y24-26. There is no way I would move. I hate the view behind the goal, and love the banter with the away fans.

In principle, a good idea - but we already have the singing block.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Arsenal bowed to supporter pressue to allocate a block in the lower tier of their ground to allow supporters to sit together, it was all started by their Red Army group or whatever it is called. By the start of the season hardly anyone had bothered moving there, so no surprise it was all a fuss over nothing. You can't force people to go and sit in certain areas of the ground, singing in groups on terraces used to work because you could all congregate in one area without any problems and other could join as they saw fit. The whole idea in a seated area is stupid

[Jerry St Clair]

You can't force people to go and sit in certain areas of the ground, singing in groups on terraces used to work because you could all congregate in one area without any problems and other could join as they saw fit. The whole idea in a seated area is stupid

It used to work rather well in the early days of the Mad when the East Stand was unreserved. The atmosphere at many games (Gillingham sticks out for some reason) was fantastic despite relatively low crowds.

[Badger Finger]

About as good as an idea as these

[Huntley & Palmer]

You can't force people to go and sit in certain areas of the ground, singing in groups on terraces used to work because you could all congregate in one area without any problems and other could join as they saw fit. The whole idea in a seated area is stupid

It used to work rather well in the early days of the Mad when the East Stand was unreserved. The atmosphere at many games (Gillingham sticks out for some reason) was fantastic despite relatively low crowds.

I suppose if we were getting crowds lower than 15,000 it would work but while reserved seating is in place you have no chance of displacing people

[Norfolk Royal]

[Nezhen]

Whilst I cannot see a 'singing' area working in the North stand, I've often thought that the club should seriously think about a clapping and whistling only zone being developed just above the disabled areaof the North stand.

This would be brilliant for a number of reasons and work with and not against the type of fans that already sit in that area for the following reasons:

1) Mass whistling and clapping coming from one area of the ground can sound deafening and create a wonderful noise
2) Young, middle-aged and old supporters can all join in with this, without too much difficulty or embarrassment
3) The scoreboard could be used as a clap or Whistle indicator with fancy graphics demonstrating when a whistle or a clap should be performed
4) There is no bad language or unsavoury words involved in clapping or whistling.
5) The North stand can be made a much more exciting and highly desirable place to sit with this sort of crowd interaction going on
6) Complementary whistling and clapping can be used to accompany any singing coming from the East stand and create a 'bigger' atmosphere overall.
7) Clapping and whistling be performed simultaneously
Disabled fans will more easily be able to join in and feel a greater part of the atmosphere.
9) Discounts and concessions could be offered to people who are prepared to sit in the clapping and whistling zone
10) Opposition fans can ,ore easily be drowned out by the deafening noise of whistling and clapping more easily than in song.

So all in all it provides the club with a win win situation. Perhaps Star would be prepared to get behing this idea or put it to the club at the next fans forum. I know many people in the North stand currently who would like to help ccrate the atmosphere, but do not want to sing - this would empower those fans.

All in all a fine idea me thinks !

[Sharpy]

do one!

cLOLapping and whistLOLing

[Baines]

3) The scoreboard could be used as a clap or Whistle indicator with fancy graphics demonstrating when a whistle or a clap should be performed

No.

[Dirk Gently]

All attempts to produce an atmosphere are destined to failure. In the same way that a song or anthem can't be imposed onto a crowd - these things happen spontaneously, as a reaction to what is happening on the pitch or in the ground - or they don't happen at all!

It's been proved many times that a great, loud, supportive atmosphere can be produced by Reading fans - it' happened many times over the past 10 years, and especially the past two seasons.

But it happens - it can't be artificially contrived or manufactured - and events on the pitch are the main determinant.

[Dirk Gently]

Having said that - this is an account of how it's done in Germany :

Atmosphere and Ground Dynamics
In many ways this was the most interesting aspect of the three games I watched. It was very evident how the relationship and interaction between the clubs and fans has developed, was valued and appreciated by both sides and how this contributed to the atmosphere in each stadium - not just in the standing areas but in the seated areas too.

Each club granted stadium passes to fan groups who then collected flags, banners and drums that were stored within the ground. These were then placed at the front of the standing areas before fans were admitted to the ground.

The areas immediately around the flags and banners were taped off and only members of the fan groups were admitted into that zone. One fan from each club was able to stand on a platform slightly elevated from the rest of the fans. With the use of a microphone/Tannoy system, they led the crowd throughout the game with songs spreading from the fan group members to all sections of the standing areas - sometimes into the seating areas, though as mentioned previously, this did not lead to fans standing up in seated areas whilst joining in - with the exception of a Mexican Wave at the 49 Weser Stadion!

What was evident in the standing areas was their extremely popular with fans of all ages and sexes. The front of each area, this was generally populated by younger fans, both male and female, and the age level tended to increase the further back it went. Some of the fans were as young as ten (if not younger). Notable too was the mix of the sexes at the game.

As soon as the turnstiles opened, each standing area filled up very quickly. Fans wanted to be in the best place as possible. With forty-five minutes to kick off at the Veltins Arena game, the other three sides of the stadium were practically empty whereas the Nordkurve and the visiting fans standing section were almost full.

At the Weser Stadion, the Ostkurve is split into two parts, divided by the player’s tunnel. The fan club members and generally younger fans occupied the section to the right of the tunnel, with the other side generally being used by those fans wishing to stand up but away from the excitement of the fan club members as well as being used by fans with younger children.

At kick off , the fan group members of each home team were now on the pitch performing a synchronised flag waving routine to greet their team. The match announcer read out the first names of the home players and the whole crowd responded by shouting back his surname. A similar exchange of words occurred when the home team scored. Generally, any message over the public address system addressing the crowd collectively starts with the words ‘Meiner Fussball Fruenden’ (‘My football friends’).

What was even more striking was at the end of each game, the home team players made the particular effort to go right up to standing area to acknowledge the support given by the fan club members in creating the atmosphere on the day and cheering on the team. In the Weser Stadion, all the Werder Bremen players linked hands in front of the end and bowed down, then raising their hands high, repeating the exercise several times in unison with the fans. They then broke off and spent a few minutes walking at the front of the stand, shaking fans’ hands. (Compare this to the ‘walk to the halfway line, raise your hands in the direction of each stand whilst turning and and clapping four times’ that fans in England and Wales receive at the end of each game.) By now, the seated fans had departed the stadium, yet the standing area was still practically full.

I close this section with a quote from one Schalke 04 fan at the Veltins Arena; a young girl aged no more than thirteen. Whilst listening to
a question directed to another fan, she cut in and said ‘standing is fun’! I thought she hit the target beautifully. I recalled how much the ‘fun factor’ has disappeared from the vocabulary of match-going fans in England and Wales.

[biscuitman]

I love Germany and I love working for a German company.

[Matt de K]

1) Mass whistling and clapping coming from one area of the ground can sound deafening and create a wonderful noise
2) Young, middle-aged and old supporters can all join in with this, without too much difficulty or embarrassment
3) The scoreboard could be used as a clap or Whistle indicator with fancy graphics demonstrating when a whistle or a clap should be performed
4) There is no bad language or unsavoury words involved in clapping or whistling.
5) The North stand can be made a much more exciting and highly desirable place to sit with this sort of crowd interaction going on
6) Complementary whistling and clapping can be used to accompany any singing coming from the East stand and create a 'bigger' atmosphere overall.
7) Clapping and whistling be performed simultaneously
Disabled fans will more easily be able to join in and feel a greater part of the atmosphere.
9) Discounts and concessions could be offered to people who are prepared to sit in the clapping and whistling zone
10) Opposition fans can ,ore easily be drowned out by the deafening noise of whistling and clapping more easily than in song.

So all in all it provides the club with a win win situation. Perhaps Star would be prepared to get behing this idea or put it to the club at the next fans forum. I know many people in the North stand currently who would like to help ccrate the atmosphere, but do not want to sing - this would empower those fans.

All in all a fine idea me thinks !

Thats probably the most laughable suggestion I've heard for a while!!!
A clapping and whistling zone - LOL

I personally think it would be better if there was a downloadable chant people could get on their mobiles and everybody play them at the same time.

Maybe a "We're not singing anymore...."

Also maybe we could have a replica shirt zone to. We could then have a replica shirt zone in which the hoops are worn over a jumper.