Family Section.

[royal-biscuit-man]

I'd be interested to hear what people have to say regarding having a family section at the Madejski. I think this is a good idea, reason being if all the kids and there parents are in one section, everyonelse can swear + stand, and drink without worrying about any youngens.

[Royal Lady]

Hi Jay.

[royal-biscuit-man]

Hi Jay.

Howdy.

[Row Z Royal]

There was a family area.


Now it's just got people like me in it.

[Magnus]

Amazed there isn't one tbf.

[Terminal Boardom]

Amazed there isn't one tbf.

That's because the whole stadium is a family section

[Svlad Cjelli]

That's because the whole stadium is a family section

Which does create an unintended problem.

The Football League's "Enjoy the Game" campaign is intended to apply to family sections of the game. This means in family areas there'll be less tolerance of swearing and abuse than there might be in other areas. The FL recognise that for many such behaviour is a normal, acceptable part of football matches, and that they can't (and don't want to) stamp this out completely. So they are focussing on designated family areas with stricter standards of behaviour there, which I think most would agree is reasonable and sensible.

So when Reading FC decided (mistakenly, IMHO) to designate the whole stadium as a "family area" they gave themselves a problem of how to implement these stricter standards of behaviour in family areas. Do they apply the stricter standards to the whole stadium, or just not bother - all in all it's a bit of a pig's ear.

To me, it's a no-brainer that there ought to be a designated family area - not just to benefit families who want to keep their young kids away from nasty coarse football supporters, but also because those same nasty coarse football supporters then have the advantage of not having young kids around them.

It's exactly the same debate as safe-standing in many ways - some people want to stand, some want to sit; some people want to swear and be raucous, others don't. Give them both dedicated sections to behave the way they want to an everyone's happy - force them to mix in the same area and it'll obviously lead to problems.

[West Stand Man]

That's because the whole stadium is a family section

Which does create an unintended problem.

The Football League's "Enjoy the Game" campaign is intended to apply to family sections of the game. This means in family areas there'll be less tolerance of swearing and abuse than there might be in other areas. The FL recognise that for many such behaviour is a normal, acceptable part of football matches, and that they can't (and don't want to) stamp this out completely. So they are focussing on designated family areas with stricter standards of behaviour there, which I think most would agree is reasonable and sensible.

So when Reading FC decided (mistakenly, IMHO) to designate the whole stadium as a "family area" they gave themselves a problem of how to implement these stricter standards of behaviour in family areas. Do they apply the stricter standards to the whole stadium, or just not bother - all in all it's a bit of a pig's ear.

To me, it's a no-brainer that there ought to be a designated family area - not just to benefit families who want to keep their young kids away from nasty coarse football supporters, but also because those same nasty coarse football supporters then have the advantage of not having young kids around them.

It's exactly the same debate as safe-standing in many ways - some people want to stand, some want to sit; some people want to swear and be raucous, others don't. Give them both dedicated sections to behave the way they want to an everyone's happy - force them to mix in the same area and it'll obviously lead to problems.

Given that it seems there are more of us who want the non-swearing approach to football maybe what is needed is a 'no families area' for the minority who can't manage without swearing?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Surely there are two different kinds of swearing, though?

There's the single expletive expressing exasperation etc at what's happening on the pitch, and the prolonged, abusive, tirade of swearing. The former is surely acceptable and inevitable at a football ground, the latter is not acceptable there (or arguably anywhere).

[Duke the Dog]

I think the fans already regard certain areas of the stadium as rowdy and non-rowdy. The West and North are non-rowdy and the East is where all the loud, rowdy and rough (largely) fans go.

We're back to the sanitising of the game subject again.

Svlad's right, there are 2 types of swearing. I fall into category 1, with outburst of expletives at times of disappointment or angst (kebe slices cross into Stand, Mills bundles player over at edge of box, Howard misses open etc etc), but the endless tirade of expletives (usually from the same person directed at the same player/official) every game gets a bit tedious. But it's what creates atmosphere (being loud and rowdy, not just the swearing, but it usually goes together).

[bigmike]

there was 3 kids next to me for the palace game and all they did was swing there legs as they couldnt touch the floor whilst sitting Kicking the backs of the people infront and kicking their cups of fanta and coke over ensuring that anything that was placed carefully under my seat was soaked. All the while I was trying not to swear ... I really wish that there was a Family section so that we could get all the little people whos feet cant touch the ground when sitting in the seats rounded up in to.

Either that or a Minimum Height for entry so that these little sods with the swinging legs were not allowed in to irritate me

[Svlad Cjelli]

There's a simple test - anyone who feels the need to do a falsetto count down of the last 10 seconds of each half needs to go in the family area.

[Gloria Gooner]

Either that or a Minimum Height for entry so that these little sods with the swinging legs were not allowed in to irritate me

I think they'd have to inform some of us of this before we bought our season tickets.

[Royal Lady]

Either that or a Minimum Height for entry so that these little sods with the swinging legs were not allowed in to irritate me

I think they'd have to inform some of us of this before we bought our season tickets.

Poor Glo.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Most of the swearing comes out of the kids though.... so suggest they have a swearing section then all the kids can go in there and swear until they finally get bored with it

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Make the West Stand into the family section and we're sorted.

[Terminal Boardom]

Put the oiks in the West Stand Lower and leave the rest of the stadium to the happy clappys. Problem solved.

[Scrappy]

IIRC there is a family section in the Lower West, block closest the North Stand.

[SLAMMED]

We must have one, after all, we're FCOTMFY

[Sarah Star]

Make the West Stand into the family section and we're sorted.

Presumably so they can hear the swearing from dugouts.