Shocking stewarding

[Royal Lady]

So, what are the yellow jackets jobs?? I've seen Yellow jackets telling people to sit down and having a word with others due to their language. And good call on blocking the gangways. The police also do this, particularly just before half time when I go for my toilet break - they and the stewards stand in the opening and are watching the game.

[Sun Tzu]

There's effectively two lots of yellow jackets. Most of them kind of just man safety positions (pitchside, by exit doors etc) and are really there in case of an emergency evacuation or something. They really aren't going to get involved in telling people to sit down etc. there's a minimum number that have to be in the ground for a game to happen but a lot of them are just 'bodies' and might be different every game.

The others are the ones who are a bit more active and dash around a bit - usually the more regular / experienced ones. They might have a word with someone who is standing or over using the industrial language but it's probably only the stand supervisor or deputy who's going to do that. Unless it's persistant or causing problems because it's annoying others there aren't enough stewards to monitor the whole stand and jump on every swear word ! The stand supervisors have enough to do making sure all the safety regs are being observed, dealing with accidents etc

[Royal Lady]

There's effectively two lots of yellow jackets. Most of them kind of just man safety positions (pitchside, by exit doors etc) and are really there in case of an emergency evacuation or something. They really aren't going to get involved in telling people to sit down etc. there's a minimum number that have to be in the ground for a game to happen but a lot of them are just 'bodies' and might be different every game.

The others are the ones who are a bit more active and dash around a bit - usually the more regular / experienced ones. They might have a word with someone who is standing or over using the industrial language but it's probably only the stand supervisor or deputy who's going to do that. Unless it's persistant or causing problems because it's annoying others there aren't enough stewards to monitor the whole stand and jump on every swear word ! The stand supervisors have enough to do making sure all the safety regs are being observed, dealing with accidents etc

Well, I can assure you I have seen yellow jackets, including one who is about 80 and certainly doesn't "dash" anywhere, march up to fans and have a go at them.

[Big Foot]

none of the stewards (AFAIK) and not all of the tangoes are 'professional' bouncers or law enforcers and it's a tough job at times.

I concur and so does the FLA which is why all stewards have to be SIA passed. Frankly your argument doesn't wash with me here...

PS - Bouncer in Walkabout in town is also a steward at Madejski so ner ner ner

[Sun Tzu]

none of the stewards (AFAIK) and not all of the tangoes are 'professional' bouncers or law enforcers and it's a tough job at times.

I concur and so does the FLA which is why all stewards have to be SIA passed. Frankly your argument doesn't wash with me here...

They don't.

The Tangoes all have the SIA badges, the stewards do not.

[West Stand Man]

none of the stewards (AFAIK) and not all of the tangoes are 'professional' bouncers or law enforcers and it's a tough job at times.

I concur and so does the FLA which is why all stewards have to be SIA passed. Frankly your argument doesn't wash with me here...

PS - Bouncer in Walkabout in town is also a steward at Madejski so ner ner ner

My understanding is that the tango team is SIA approved. The yellow jacketed stewards are there to provide information and advice and so are not. The yellow jackets have no authority to forcibly remove people, as I understand it; they can request you to sit (or whatever) but if they need to enforce an issue they must call in the tango team.

Happy to be proved wrong, but you'll need to provide better evidence than that given to me by the club when I was asked to recruit some yellow jackets for them.

[Sun Tzu]

Well, I can assure you I have seen yellow jackets, including one who is about 80 and certainly doesn't "dash" anywhere, march up to fans and have a go at them.

I suspect I know the one you mean. There are one or two who take things a bit too seriously but they get as much grief form the supervisors as they do from the fans !

I've seen fans spit at stewards, I've seen stewards (female) pinned by the throat against walls, I've seen stewards screamed at and threatened. It's a real minority of fans who do it but you never know who is going to have a go at you and whether you'll get any back up.

Well worth £60, but without them you'd get no game.....

[Big Foot]

I was under the impression that all stewards have to adhere to The Green Guide, within which SIA approval is a pre-requisite but I don't mind being proved wrong.

As for recruiting yellow jackets, I now know who to channel my aggression at!!!

[West Stand Man]

I was under the impression that all stewards have to adhere to The Green Guide, within which SIA approval is a pre-requisite but I don't mind being proved wrong.

As for recruiting yellow jackets, I now know who to channel my aggression at!!!

Not me I am delighted to say, as I didn't actually provide any! The offer was not good enough to persuade my guys to do it.

[Sun Tzu]

Reading Football Club are recruiting part time match day staff for Coca cola Championship Football and Premier League Rugby Matches.
Safety Stewards
Hospitality Security (SIA badge required)
Response Stewards (SIA badge required)

The above from the RFC OS Jobs section.
Response steward = tango
Safety steward = yellow jacket

The Green Guide differentiates between stewards and security personnel. The former (= yellow jackets) need L2 stewarding quals and the latter (= tangoes_ need to be SIA badged). See P40 of the guide....

[STAR Liaison]

There's effectively two lots of yellow jackets. Most of them kind of just man safety positions (pitchside, by exit doors etc) and are really there in case of an emergency evacuation or something. They really aren't going to get involved in telling people to sit down etc. there's a minimum number that have to be in the ground for a game to happen but a lot of them are just 'bodies' and might be different every game.

The others are the ones who are a bit more active and dash around a bit - usually the more regular / experienced ones. They might have a word with someone who is standing or over using the industrial language but it's probably only the stand supervisor or deputy who's going to do that. Unless it's persistant or causing problems because it's annoying others there aren't enough stewards to monitor the whole stand and jump on every swear word ! The stand supervisors have enough to do making sure all the safety regs are being observed, dealing with accidents etc

Thanks for the explanation, it a fits in with what those who have come to the stewards forums have been told - but that is a very small elite

As there is so much ignorance we have invited both yellow jacket and tango senior staff to our next fans forum on 24 March so there will be a half hour to ask them questions and if there is enough interest maybe arrange a forum solely to discuss stewarding and policing

[Big Foot]

As there is so much ignorance we have invited both yellow jacket and tango senior staff to our next fans forum on 24 March so there will be a half hour to ask them questions and if there is enough interest maybe arrange a forum solely to discuss stewarding and policing

I agree, the stewards need to learn how to do their job IMO.

[Sun Tzu]

As there is so much ignorance we have invited both yellow jacket and tango senior staff to our next fans forum on 24 March so there will be a half hour to ask them questions and if there is enough interest maybe arrange a forum solely to discuss stewarding and policing

I agree, the stewards need to learn how to do their job IMO.

Not that you know what their job actually is

[West Stand Man]

As there is so much ignorance we have invited both yellow jacket and tango senior staff to our next fans forum on 24 March so there will be a half hour to ask them questions and if there is enough interest maybe arrange a forum solely to discuss stewarding and policing

I agree, the stewards need to learn how to do their job IMO.

..or to look at it from a slightly different perspective, they need to make it more clear to us what their job is and why they do it the way that they do.

[RoyalBlue]

Prejudice it may be, but personally I do feel that some of the stewarding at the Mad Stad is over zealous/bordering on the oppressive.

I guess it can seem like that sometimes, you should try experiencing it from the other side though ! I did work as a steward for a while a couple of seasons ago and can tell you some of the stuff that gets hurled at you is unbelieveable. What can happen is that stweards go from one confrontation to another and if you've just been physically attacked or had a couple of people screaming in your face you may just be a little bit sharp with the next person who has a go at you. none of the stewards (AFAIK) and not all of the tangoes are 'professional' bouncers or law enforcers and it's a tough job at times.

They plead for loud and passionate support but then you get things happening like people being admonished for ‘shouting too loudly’ or being hoiked out and warned for using a swear word (frequently heard on tv) just once!

To be honest I have never heard any stewards being told to warn people for 'shouting a bit' and even swearing isn't something that there is time to make a big thing of. The number of stewards at a game is pretty tiny and there is a huge amount to do that you would never pick up on anyone 'shouting'. You might have to deal with foul language but generally that would be after complaints from other fans or rascist type abuse. It's really rare to take someone out and usually it would be done to diffuse a problem and if the person was warned about 'language' chances are they were doing a lot more than shouting the odd swear word !

Incidentally on Saturday I got the evil eye from one steward for shouting out to the East Stand Linesman that he was ‘crap’. Does that count as a banned swear word at the Mad Stad now?! I was very careful not to use any stronger form of language!

Doubt it. If it was just a steward (ie yellow jacket, looking after a gangway) he's not really there for that sort of thing.

You may have never heard any stewards being told to warn people for shouting too loud but I can assure you that at least one of them took it upon himself to do so. I took the matter up with STAR at the time that it happened so please don't keep trying to make out that these sort of things never happen i.e. 'The number of stewards at a game is pretty tiny and there is a huge amount to do that you would never pick up on anyone 'shouting'.'

Also please do not try to make out that they would never take someone out and warn them for just using the odd swear word. Unless you want to directly call me a liar, instead of just implying it, I know from personal experience that they have done so on at least one occasion. The stewards concerned were OK about it but I still question their need for the action in the first place.

The consequence of that sort of action, in my personal experience? Those concerned either don't fancy going to the next game and/or their vocal support is considerably subdued for a good time thereafter. My youngest child still gets concerned when I start to shout loudly out of fear that I will 'get into trouble'.

And finally, the steward 'may not really be there for that sort of thing' but it didn't stop the glare in my direction. Or maybe you would like to suggest I misinterpreted that too and he just fancied me!

In none of these instances did the supporters have a go at the stewards prior to the incident, so, even if the stewards had had a couple of people screaming in their face previously that did not excuse their approach during the incidents in question.

I have always acknowledged that the majority of the stewards at the Mad Stad are OK. It's a shame that you seem incapable of accepting that there might just be some who do adopt an over-zealous/bordering on oppressive approach.

[Royal Rother]

I had always assumed you were a bloke.

[Sun Tzu]

You may have never heard any stewards being told to warn people for shouting too loud but I can assure you that at least one of them took it upon himself to do so. I took the matter up with STAR at the time that it happened so please don't keep trying to make out that these sort of things never happen

It's quite laughable to suggest that the stadium authorities brief the safety staff to stamp down on people 'shouting'. Sorry, but it is. Sometimes people who get a ticking off are a little bit economical with the truth regarding what they were actually doing - happens all the time although clearly not in your case which must have been a deliberate and personal attempt to victimise a wholly innocent person
Could I also refer you to my comment 'There are one or two who take things a bit too seriously but they get as much grief form the supervisors as they do from the fans !'. Of course you'll get a steward who may be new who gets things wrong.

Also please do not try to make out that they would never take someone out and warn them for just using the odd swear word. Unless you want to directly call me a liar, instead of just implying it, I know from personal experience that they have done so on at least one occasion.

Again, it is simply not what the rules are or the direction is. A more objective view of the alleged incident would be needed to comment but stewards just aren't told to haul everyone who utters a profanity out, they don't get time to listen for it or deal with it. I'm not calling you a liar, but i would suggest that you are giving the view of the allged incidents that suits you.

The consequence of that sort of action, in my personal experience? Those concerned either don't fancy going to the next game and/or their vocal support is considerably subdued for a good time thereafter. My youngest child still gets concerned when I start to shout loudly out of fear that I will 'get into trouble'.

I can appreciate that. I've seen some parents really embarrass their kids by their behaviour. And usually they don't realise it and if you have a quiet word they are quite ashamed at what they were doing.

And finally, the steward 'may not really be there for that sort of thing' but it didn't stop the glare in my direction. Or maybe you would like to suggest I misinterpreted that too and he just fancied me!

Unlikely he fancied you, let's be honest.....
I think it's verging on paranoia to worry that a steward looked at you in a bit of an odd way. Why on earth were you looking in his direction rather than at whatever you were shouting at ? Guilty feeling perhaps ? Sounds most odd.....

I have always acknowledged that the majority of the stewards at the Mad Stad are OK. It's a shame that you seem incapable of accepting that there might just be some who do adopt an over-zealous/bordering on oppressive approach.

'There are one or two who take things a bit too seriously but they get as much grief form the supervisors as they do from the fans !'.

0/10 for observation and accurate reporting there RB....
You do seem to be picking up on the tiniest perceived injustice and making it into a huge issue. The generality is as I described it, the stewards are not at all interested in 'shouting' but may need to deal with people who persistently use foul language.

[bishbosh92]

Reading stewards are dicks its simple

they think there big in there big orange jackets and ruiening everyones time by telling them to sit down even though they sit at the top of stand obstruting no1 !!!

oxf*rd OFF HOME AND GET A PROPER JOB!!

[Sun Tzu]

oxf*rd OFF HOME AND GET A PROPER JOB!!

Most of them have got 'proper' jobs. Shouting at lippy teenagers is just a hobby.

LOL at school kids telling adults to 'get a proper job' !!

[Compo's Hat]

Why on earth were those Charlton fans moved out for doing the conga towards the end tonight? Ridiculous!