Stadium

[Delboy]

What has gone wrong at the turnstiles big delays, we used to get 24000 no problem now struggle with 7000 , is it technology etc looks like they need upgrading or more put in

[Crusader Royal]

See my comments on the Burnley thread

[Clyde1998]

I wonder if it's a maintenance thing with the turnstiles not being able to turn as quickly as possible.

Another factor is the multiple ways people can enter the ground. Physical season ticket/member card, QR code/barcode from a physical ticket, QR code on a mobile phone, contactless on a mobile phone - does mean people aren't sure what they need to do as they all need to be placed in different locations. As someone who uses their physical season ticket, I have no idea how to assist someone with a QR code on their phone for example. Slows the process down a lot, especially when there's a lot of people who don't usually show up to matches attending. This also assumes people are ready with their ticket before they get to the gate too.

[Snowflake Royal]

I wasn't there to see it, but a few ideas beyond what I remember of Crusader's.

Money is an issue, so if we aren't paying for software updates or upgrading to new versions the processiy just be slowing down. Happens all the time with older phones and computers.

It was a frigid day. Did people turn up in a smaller window before the game. People always used to arrive through about a 90 minute window pre-kick off. Some drinking inside, some outside, visiting the shop etc. If the East stand capacity all turned up and tried to enter in the same 30 minutes that could do it.

[Clyde1998]

It was a frigid day. Did people turn up in a smaller window before the game. People always used to arrive through about a 90 minute window pre-kick off. Some drinking inside, some outside, visiting the shop etc. If the East stand capacity all turned up and tried to enter in the same 30 minutes that could do it.

This might be an issue of having all the catering units outside the ground - perfect for half-time, but a lot of people stay outside the ground longer than they otherwise would before the game due to wanting beers, food, etc. This puts much more pressure on the turnstiles, as people aren't entering the ground immediately when they turn up.

[Horsham Royal]

Was it just yesterday that was particularly bad or has it been getting worse over time?

I wonder if it's the tech slowing things ... e.g. take out phone, unlock it, open the app, find the ticket, scan it as opposed to open wallet take out ticket, scan it.

How many people use virtual vs paper tickets?

[Crusader Royal]

Was it just yesterday that was particularly bad or has it been getting worse over time?

I wonder if it's the tech slowing things ... e.g. take out phone, unlock it, open the app, find the ticket, scan it as opposed to open wallet take out ticket, scan it.

How many people use virtual vs paper tickets?

For a league game most people are STH so use exactly the same process every time.
For cup games you have to buy a ticket. I don’t know how they do it these days but if the cup ticket has to be accessed differently it might add to turnstile confusion.

[Royals and Racers]

Was it just yesterday that was particularly bad or has it been getting worse over time?

I wonder if it's the tech slowing things ... e.g. take out phone, unlock it, open the app, find the ticket, scan it as opposed to open wallet take out ticket, scan it.

How many people use virtual vs paper tickets?

For a league game most people are STH so use exactly the same process every time.
For cup games you have to buy a ticket. I don’t know how they do it these days but if the cup ticket has to be accessed differently it might add to turnstile confusion.

You buy a ticket and if a season ticket holder it’s added to how you normally get in ie card.

[Crusader Royal]

Was it just yesterday that was particularly bad or has it been getting worse over time?

I wonder if it's the tech slowing things ... e.g. take out phone, unlock it, open the app, find the ticket, scan it as opposed to open wallet take out ticket, scan it.

How many people use virtual vs paper tickets?

For a league game most people are STH so use exactly the same process every time.
For cup games you have to buy a ticket. I don’t know how they do it these days but if the cup ticket has to be accessed differently it might add to turnstile confusion.

You buy a ticket and if a season ticket holder it’s added to how you normally get in ie card.

At the Liverpool game I mentioned elsewhere it was found that the system was set up so all STH were verified on one central database whereas match tickets were verified locally at each gate. It was an evening game so really late turn up by fans. The net effect was everything just fell over. We couldn’t let STH in manually because the STH had no info on whether a match ticket had been bought or for where, same with member card holders. We coukd let people with paper tickets in because we could visually check them and rip them to stop reuse.
It’s horribly difficult when stuff goes wrong (especially when you spend lots of time facing awful abuse from understandably frustrated people)

[tnosugar]

Could be the technology or just not enough turnstiles for the crowd. Maybe they should look into updating the system or adding more to handle bigger numbers again.

[JR]

When it is slow it is typically human error rather than system error.

Can guarantee 1 in 4 people in a queue don’t know / understand how to scan their ticket / phone.

[Crusader Royal]

When it is slow it is typically human error rather than system error.

Can guarantee 1 in 4 people in a queue don’t know / understand how to scan their ticket / phone.

To be honest that’s not really human error. A system like this should be designed to make it easy. The flow rate for entry is probably totally unrealistic and assumes everyone just taps and goes. The prospect of a 24,000 crowd is quite scary !

[Clyde1998]

There certainly needs to be clearer instructions as to how to use various entry types. I know there are a couple of posters near the turnstiles, but they're not particularly clear and are likely missed when people are rushing to get into the ground.

Something simple like:
Season tickets - tap on reader
Contactless phone - tap on reader
QR codes - scan in slot
etc.

This should be made clear when people buy their tickets too.

[Brogue]

there should be a 'i don't know what i'm doing gate' in each stand for the day trippers, then they can all ruin each others days rather than impacting on the more seasoned supporter.

[Crusader Royal]

there should be a 'i don't know what i'm doing gate' in each stand for the day trippers, then they can all ruin each others days rather than impacting on the more seasoned supporter.

That gate could go into a u shaped passage ejecting people back outside.
We don’t want day trippers in our ground

[Snowflake Royal]

There certainly needs to be clearer instructions as to how to use various entry types. I know there are a couple of posters near the turnstiles, but they're not particularly clear and are likely missed when people are rushing to get into the ground.

Something simple like:
Season tickets - tap on reader
Contactless phone - tap on reader
QR codes - scan in slot
etc.

This should be made clear when people buy their tickets too.

I mean take some responsibility when you buy your ticket and go prepared.

[Crusader Royal]

There certainly needs to be clearer instructions as to how to use various entry types. I know there are a couple of posters near the turnstiles, but they're not particularly clear and are likely missed when people are rushing to get into the ground.

Something simple like:
Season tickets - tap on reader
Contactless phone - tap on reader
QR codes - scan in slot
etc.

This should be made clear when people buy their tickets too.

I mean take some responsibility when you buy your ticket and go prepared.

Obviously, but that’s no excuse for an unhelpful system. It’s much more the responsibility of the vendor to make their product easily, and unambiguously accessible.
You’ll never design out every idiot though.

[Whore Jackie]

They're making upgrades to the stadium access systems today.

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2025/january/13/ticketing-systems-upgrade/

[JedMaxwell]

there should be a 'i don't know what i'm doing gate' in each stand for the day trippers, then they can all ruin each others days rather than impacting on the more seasoned supporter.

That gate could go into a u shaped passage ejecting people back outside.
We don’t want day trippers in our ground

I'd happily take as many day trippers as possible, and their kids or anyone else who might be inclined to start coming regularly.

[Clyde1998]

From the Couhig Q&A:

12. Are there any plans to bring Safe standing to the SCL?

Following a discussion with other Staff members earlier today, the topic of safe standing was brought up. Rob said it will be explored and looked at. It’s not just the 1871 area of the ground that could see the introduction of safe standing; all areas of the ground will be looked at. In addition to safe standing, the club is also looking at ways it can improve access for disabled supporters throughout the ground.

14. What are the plans surrounding Stadium upgrades?

Couhig said that it was embarrassing that the seats aren't painted and that the club are looking into sorting the issue. The seats are one of many things that the club are looking to upgrade, with the bathrooms, CCTV and wifi improvements all being worked on. Throughout the week, the stadium is used for smaller events, but for a lot of the year, the stadium is empty, and Rob says that the club are looking at ways they can use the ground throughout the year. An interview process has begun in regards to people taking over the operation of the stadium with the plan to bring events to maximise the space more often. When pushed on a date for an announcement he said an announcement will be made this season.