Dear Member,
We hope that you are all safe and well.
We would like to update you on how things are progressing around supporters returning to Anfield.
We have now had our initial discussions with senior representatives from Liverpool Football Club and other supporters groups which were very informative and constructive.
We have also taken part in a webinar with LPF and Rick Riding who is lead inspector on accessibility for the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) the group that is compiling the guidance on returning to stadiums.
We have placed a link to this guidance (SG02 ) below which is the document that all clubs must follow if they are to get a safety certificate from their local authority.
This guidance is also rubber stamped by central government.
The document is a long read but it is very informative and it is well worth reading, you can access the guidance here.
We are pleased to inform you that all of the concerns that you raised in our recent surveys have been presented to LFC and our very presence in the working group only goes to highlight that the club are taking the safety of disabled supporters returning to Anfield very seriously.
Amongst other things we discussed:
* Safety Issues
* Social Distancing
* Arrival/Departure
* Ticketing
* Stadium Access
* Toilets
* Supporter flow
* Face coverings
* Parking
* Drop Off Points
* And many other concerns
These topics were all discussed by the group and most of these are already under serious discussion with the planning team as they look to open up Anfield in October.
If and when the ground does open it will be at a very much reduced capacity and the club are looking at ways of making it as fair as they possibly can to all supporters.
Disabled capacity will also be reduced in line with social distancing measures that will need to be followed.
We have a site visit next week to look at what measures Liverpool Football Club are looking to put in place and we will update you accordingly after the visit.
LFC are working extremely hard at making the return of supporters to Anfield as safe as they possibly can but this is not easy and there are many complexities.
What is very clear is that when supporters do eventually return to Anfield it will be like nothing they have seen before. The hope and expectation is that all of those supporters will accept this new norm and to ensure that safety guidelines are strictly adhered to all supporters will have to accept individual responsibility and agree to a code of conduct.
We will keep you updated as talks progress.
YNWA