Umbrellas

[Sarah Star]

No. He hasn't thrown paper for about 6 years. I think it was a long pointy one, as opposed to a telescopic one, so they nabbed it off him as he tried to walk in with it.

I'm glad you told me that because I got into the Villa game with an enormous pointy umbrella and was planning on taking it again if I needed to. They still nicked my bottle tops off me though.

Before reaching the turnstile remove the cap and put it in your pocket. Replace once inside the ground.

Aha! I do this now thanks to someone else here recommending that very same thing. Don't tell the Mad Stad's finest though.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Before reaching the turnstile remove the cap and put it in your pocket. Replace once inside the ground.

Aha! I do this now thanks to someone else here recommending that very same thing. Don't tell the Mad Stad's finest though.

I permanently keep a lid in the pocket of the coat I always wear to the footy as I usually buy a drink from the van outside.
(do they not really realise you can still chuck a bottle of liquid a long way even without the cap )

//Oh and have never had a problem with a big umbrella at the footy.

[Gloria Gooner]

IIRC it's more to do with a bottle with the lid on rolling around and causing a hazard.

[Skyline]

I believe the official explanation (and Dirk can probably confirm or deny this) is that if a plastic bottle has no lid on and someone steps on it, it will crush down. However, if it has a lid on then won't crush down, instead rolling under said person's foot.

Or something like that.

[Dirk Gently]

I've spoken to different stewards and different safety officers at different clubs and had both the "can't throw it" and "will crush not roll" argument given as the reason, whereas some others are fine with letting you in with lids on, and at some grounds they even have different rulings depending on what stand you're in.

Like so much else in the world of football policing and stewarding, there's no consistency and it's decided locally at the whim of the local safety officer - and I'm sure some of them just do it because other clubs do it, without particularly thinking it through.

There's also a deeply cynical view that says clubs only do it so you're less likely to bring your own drinks and you'll buy drinks inside the ground at the prices clubs charge.

By the way, here's an interesting fact. According to official statistics, what is the most common cause of injury to supporters at football matches? Answer is below in tiny font :




Scalding by hot liquids - e.g. tea and coffee.

[Sarah Star]

So that's why I'm allowed my flask of lukewarm tea.

[Royal Lady]

Better than being poisoned by foul tasting coke from the concourse.