Three fans admit storming Blackpool Football Club’s directors’ box
Blackpool Gazette
Friday 1st Jan 2016
Three Blackpool fans have narrowly escaped jail terms after admitting threatening behaviour likely to put victims in fear of violence when they stormed the directors’ box during a pitch invasion.
Hatred between fans and a football club’s owners culminated in a furious hoard of supporters storming the directors box, a court heard.
"What happened was appalling. There were innocent guests in that box"
District Judge Rod Ross
The battle of Bloomfield Road broke out after relegated Blackpool FC’s game against Huddersfield Town was abandoned after 48 minutes at nil-nil when 1,000 Blackpool supporters invaded the pitch at the end of last season.
But matters turned nasty when a splinter group of masked men climbed over seats in the main stand, their objective to take over the private box being used by club owners the Oyston family and their guests.
Video footage of what happened was shown to District Judge Rod Ross, sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court, where three men admitted threatening behaviour likely to put victims in fear of violence.
One of the trio is a successful company director and father of two who lives in a £750,000 mansion.
Pam Smith, prosecuting, said that there had been a series of protests about the way the then-Championship club was being run, attracting up to 1,500 fans at a time.
On the day of the game, 1,000 fans marched on the ground in protest at the Oyston’s stewardship of the club, the court was told.
Blackpool fans stag attempting to reach the director's box at Bloomfield Road during a protest some have now been prosecuted
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