A QUID TOO FAR: Why Clapton Ultras and other Tons fans won’t be watching the Hullbridge game

The prices rise boycott has been resolved. Check the post on the 2017/2018 boycott

http://www.claptonultras.org/2018/03/01/clapton-ultras-boycott-home-games/

Clapton play Hullbridge on Tuesday night and for the first time since our group began, the Ultras won’t be supporting from the Scaffold. Instead we’ll be outside the Old Spotted Dog ground and we want you to join us.

At our last home game, against Sporting Bengal, fans were confronted with a sudden price rise of £1 across the board, including concessions for, Under 16s, OAPs and students. The club failed to announce the mid-season increase to supporters, who were also met with Premier League-style invasive searches by SIA security staff at turnstiles.

The Chief Executive had initially said the extra £1 would go to the players – then the very next day back peddled and announced it would go to paying fines. So we want to know, where our money is going? Clapton recently scaled back its operations, ditching youth and reserve teams, all the while our average home attendances have continued to grow.

Because of this, Clapton Ultras feel there is no alternative but to call on supporters to send a strong and timely message to the club in joining us outside the Dog this Tuesday and not pay entry into the ground. The club hierarchy clearly feels it is unaccountable to Clapton fans, we aim to convince them otherwise.

Price Hike & Searches

On Tuesday 22nd November, Clapton’s Chief Executive, Vince McBean put up the price of entry to games at the Old Spotted Dog. The Clapton website was updated just prior to the game to remove all reference to the old prices – social media was not used – meaning fans were left in the dark about the sudden, mid-season increase before arriving at the turnstile. The club has since started advertising half season-tickets & advance tickets with prices based on the new charges (+ booking fee).

In addition to the unannounced price rise, supporters found at the gate they were now subject to invasive searches by SIA security staff. Again, there was no prior warning as the club clearly did not respect fans enough to notify in advance the new measures. To supporters who follow the team week in, week out, this was a clear and deliberate demonstration to us that the club hierarchy feels it is completely unaccountable.

For some paying an extra pound at the gate won’t hit too hard, but for others it could, particularly OAP’s, students and others on low incomes who are all expected to shoulder the same increase. Many people come to Clapton do so because it is affordable, but with an administration that feels it can disregard fans so easily, yet another door to affordable football could be closed.

Transparency

New manager Jonny Fowell assured fans that the extra pound is for the players, and that he would guarantee that it got to them, although Vince seems to think differently. Speaking in the Newham Recorder the very next day, he attributed the price hike and new security measures as a response to fines. However, the club is yet to receive a fine this season in relation to supporter conduct.

So, where’s the extra money going? Players or fines?

Or what?

Clapton FC enjoy by far the highest average attendance in the league and usually rank among the highest in country for crowd numbers in Step 5. In the same Newham Recorder article Vince McBean used to rail against the club’s supporters, it was reported that Clapton took £40,000 over the gate alone last season. This figure of course doesn’t include the various rents Vince collects from other clubs, the mobile phone mast or regular events hosted at the ground.

The club has also notably scaled back its operations recently by ditching its youth and reserve teams, while average attendances at The Dog are significantly up on last season. Despite being considerably poorer in terms of supporter revenue, only a few of Clapton’s Essex Senior League counterparts charge more than £6. The vast majority have a full complement of youth teams, some have women’s teams and a few even have senior teams, Sunday development squads and teams of differing abilities.

What we want

We don’t want to be subjected to invasive searches at our own ground and we don’t want ticket prices put up without any discussion, notice or consultation and without clear reason. Clapton’s finances are a mystery and fans are frozen out. No one knows where our money goes, we have no say over what it’s spent on as ‘membership’ has been officially ‘closed for restructuring’ since 2012.

An initial £1 price rise and turnstile searches might not sound a lot to some, but it’s about much more than that. We’re calling on Vince McBean to meet with supporters to discuss these issues.

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