' Cardiff City Fc Today Make an Official Statement '
Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:59 am
Cardiff City tell First Minister Mark Drakeford to make personal visit to Cardiff City Stadium in bid to get fans back.
CARDIFF CITY FC
Tuesday 8th December 2020
Club Statement | 08/12/2020
CEO Ken Choo:
Further to the joint open letter issued to First Minister Mark Drakeford yesterday (7th December 2020), Cardiff City Football Club would like to clarify its position on the points raised and the matter in hand.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=218953
Cardiff City Football Club has been speaking to the Welsh Government since early August (when infection rates were relatively low) in an attempt to reach agreement to run test events that would form the framework for the return of fans since to Cardiff City Stadium.
We felt that the August release of the Sports Ground Safety Authority’s (SGSA) supplementary guidance (SG.02) for the socially distanced return of fans provided a pathway and the return of supporters in relatively low numbers was possible. We, along with other clubs, also highlighted that the Welsh Government’s test event programme was wholly inadequate for stadia due to the fact that there were there were little, or no learnings, venues could take from an outdoor event at Theatre Clwyd or a triathlon at Pembrey Country Park (where 100 persons were present).
In September, the Club was made aware that the Welsh Government had asked the SGSA for a Welsh variant of the supplementary guidance that moved SG.02 from an optimal position of 1m plus mitigations to 2m. The variation (SG.02W) increased concern, as it presents a fundamental roadblock to the return of fans.
We highlighted in correspondence on 24th September that if SG.02W (the Welsh variant) was published, that Cardiff City Football Club would likely remain behind closed doors until SG.02 method 1 can be adopted or until money runs out and drastic action has to be taken. Many clubs shared the same concerns, and a meeting was held between stakeholders and the Welsh Government at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday 30th November. Again, there was no pathway offered by the Welsh Government and no acceptance that an engineered and managed solution could be provided to mitigate the risks.
Stadia are highly regulated and intensely managed environments. The options of core customer selection, a requirement to complete a health questionnaire and the need to agree to a supporter code of conduct are achievable in such environments. Awareness programmes for supporters, sanitisation and the wearing of face masks are additional mitigations.
Further to this, our proposal in reference to Cardiff City Stadium and its operations automatically maps and includes postcode management, real time health questionnaires and data collection of email addresses and contact details. Nobody would enter the stadium or occupy a seat without us having this valuable data to hand. We believe that this is better than any track and trace system in current operation.
The above is simply not possible in the retail, construction, transport or hospitality sectors that are being allowed to function without such restrictions as those imposed on the Welsh elite sports industry.
Cardiff City FC Executive Director & CEO, Ken Choo, said: “Whilst the health and safety of the public will always remain the top priority for all of us, we believe the above information warrants the Welsh Government to reconsider its approach to the socially distanced return of fans to our sports grounds. I therefore call on the Welsh Government to withdraw SG.02W and embrace the published SGSA guidance SG.02.
“We ask them to commit to transparency on the science and work on a collaborative approach between the sporting bodies, senior clubs, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government in order to provide a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sports grounds.
"I would like to personally invite ministers to visit us at Cardiff City Stadium to further discuss the measures we have in place for the safe return of fans in line with the original SG.02 guidance."
CARDIFF CITY FC
Tuesday 8th December 2020
Club Statement | 08/12/2020
CEO Ken Choo:
Further to the joint open letter issued to First Minister Mark Drakeford yesterday (7th December 2020), Cardiff City Football Club would like to clarify its position on the points raised and the matter in hand.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=218953
Cardiff City Football Club has been speaking to the Welsh Government since early August (when infection rates were relatively low) in an attempt to reach agreement to run test events that would form the framework for the return of fans since to Cardiff City Stadium.
We felt that the August release of the Sports Ground Safety Authority’s (SGSA) supplementary guidance (SG.02) for the socially distanced return of fans provided a pathway and the return of supporters in relatively low numbers was possible. We, along with other clubs, also highlighted that the Welsh Government’s test event programme was wholly inadequate for stadia due to the fact that there were there were little, or no learnings, venues could take from an outdoor event at Theatre Clwyd or a triathlon at Pembrey Country Park (where 100 persons were present).
In September, the Club was made aware that the Welsh Government had asked the SGSA for a Welsh variant of the supplementary guidance that moved SG.02 from an optimal position of 1m plus mitigations to 2m. The variation (SG.02W) increased concern, as it presents a fundamental roadblock to the return of fans.
We highlighted in correspondence on 24th September that if SG.02W (the Welsh variant) was published, that Cardiff City Football Club would likely remain behind closed doors until SG.02 method 1 can be adopted or until money runs out and drastic action has to be taken. Many clubs shared the same concerns, and a meeting was held between stakeholders and the Welsh Government at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday 30th November. Again, there was no pathway offered by the Welsh Government and no acceptance that an engineered and managed solution could be provided to mitigate the risks.
Stadia are highly regulated and intensely managed environments. The options of core customer selection, a requirement to complete a health questionnaire and the need to agree to a supporter code of conduct are achievable in such environments. Awareness programmes for supporters, sanitisation and the wearing of face masks are additional mitigations.
Further to this, our proposal in reference to Cardiff City Stadium and its operations automatically maps and includes postcode management, real time health questionnaires and data collection of email addresses and contact details. Nobody would enter the stadium or occupy a seat without us having this valuable data to hand. We believe that this is better than any track and trace system in current operation.
The above is simply not possible in the retail, construction, transport or hospitality sectors that are being allowed to function without such restrictions as those imposed on the Welsh elite sports industry.
Cardiff City FC Executive Director & CEO, Ken Choo, said: “Whilst the health and safety of the public will always remain the top priority for all of us, we believe the above information warrants the Welsh Government to reconsider its approach to the socially distanced return of fans to our sports grounds. I therefore call on the Welsh Government to withdraw SG.02W and embrace the published SGSA guidance SG.02.
“We ask them to commit to transparency on the science and work on a collaborative approach between the sporting bodies, senior clubs, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government in order to provide a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sports grounds.
"I would like to personally invite ministers to visit us at Cardiff City Stadium to further discuss the measures we have in place for the safe return of fans in line with the original SG.02 guidance."
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Re: ' Cardiff City Fc Today Make an Official Statement '
Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:00 am
Re: ' Cardiff City Fc Today Make an Official Statement '
Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:05 pm
Cardiff City tell First Minister Mark Drakeford to make personal visit to Cardiff City Stadium in bid to get fans back
Cardiff City have taken a further step and appealed to the Welsh Government in a new statement to get supporters back into grounds as soon as possible
Tuesday 8th December 2020
Cardiff City have invited First Minister Mark Drakeford to make a visit to Cardiff City Stadium in a bid to get supporters back to sporting events in Wales.
Yesterday, Welsh organisations united to sign an open letter to the Welsh Government expressing their concerns over the future of sport in this country if fans were kept away from matches due to coronavirus restrictions.
Cardiff, Swansea City, Wrexham, the Welsh Rugby Union and Glamorgan Cricket Club executives, among others, joined forces to make their feelings known and to warn over a "real risk of bankruptcy" should the directives continue.
In the letter, they criticised the government's "entrenched position" on the issue, and say they were left "extremely disappointed by the lack of prior consultation" ahead of a meeting in November to discuss the potential return of fans.
In England, grounds that are in areas of a Tier One lockdown are allowed up to 4,000 fans in the stadium and grounds in Tier Two can have up to 2,000 supporters. Manager Neil Harris has previously labelled the guidelines "unfair" on Welsh clubs, who he feels are at a sporting disadvantage.
Welsh grounds remain out of bounds, with the Welsh Government suggesting in response to the open letter that fans will not return until the spring.
Cardiff have now gone one step further, with executive director and CEO Ken Choo inviting Mr Drakeford to Cardiff City Stadium in order for him to see the provisions they are putting in place to allow fans a safe return to the stadium.
In a lengthy statement on the club website, Cardiff clarified their position, with Mr Choo imploring the Welsh government to reconsider their approach.
Mr Choo said: “Whilst the health and safety of the public will always remain the top priority for all of us, we believe the information warrants the Welsh Government to reconsider its approach to the socially distanced return of fans to our sports grounds.
“We ask them to commit to transparency on the science and work on a collaborative approach between the sporting bodies, senior clubs, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government in order to provide a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sports grounds.
"I would like to personally invite ministers to visit us at Cardiff City Stadium to further discuss the measures we have in place for the safe return of fans in line with the original SG.02 guidance."
Cardiff City have taken a further step and appealed to the Welsh Government in a new statement to get supporters back into grounds as soon as possible
Tuesday 8th December 2020
Cardiff City have invited First Minister Mark Drakeford to make a visit to Cardiff City Stadium in a bid to get supporters back to sporting events in Wales.
Yesterday, Welsh organisations united to sign an open letter to the Welsh Government expressing their concerns over the future of sport in this country if fans were kept away from matches due to coronavirus restrictions.
Cardiff, Swansea City, Wrexham, the Welsh Rugby Union and Glamorgan Cricket Club executives, among others, joined forces to make their feelings known and to warn over a "real risk of bankruptcy" should the directives continue.
In the letter, they criticised the government's "entrenched position" on the issue, and say they were left "extremely disappointed by the lack of prior consultation" ahead of a meeting in November to discuss the potential return of fans.
In England, grounds that are in areas of a Tier One lockdown are allowed up to 4,000 fans in the stadium and grounds in Tier Two can have up to 2,000 supporters. Manager Neil Harris has previously labelled the guidelines "unfair" on Welsh clubs, who he feels are at a sporting disadvantage.
Welsh grounds remain out of bounds, with the Welsh Government suggesting in response to the open letter that fans will not return until the spring.
Cardiff have now gone one step further, with executive director and CEO Ken Choo inviting Mr Drakeford to Cardiff City Stadium in order for him to see the provisions they are putting in place to allow fans a safe return to the stadium.
In a lengthy statement on the club website, Cardiff clarified their position, with Mr Choo imploring the Welsh government to reconsider their approach.
Mr Choo said: “Whilst the health and safety of the public will always remain the top priority for all of us, we believe the information warrants the Welsh Government to reconsider its approach to the socially distanced return of fans to our sports grounds.
“We ask them to commit to transparency on the science and work on a collaborative approach between the sporting bodies, senior clubs, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government in order to provide a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sports grounds.
"I would like to personally invite ministers to visit us at Cardiff City Stadium to further discuss the measures we have in place for the safe return of fans in line with the original SG.02 guidance."
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Re: ' Cardiff City Fc Today Make an Official Statement '
Wed Dec 09, 2020 7:56 am
I dont think Drakeford will be going there any time soon. He's not a sports fan of any kind that Im aware of. Drakeford does what he's told to do by Gethin at the moment, which is a worrying sign. That's like taking advice from Dai Hunt - and when it goes t1ts up in your face, then Dai saying well you did it not me.
Re: ' Cardiff City Fc Today Make an Official Statement '
Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:03 am
Not sure about soccer but seen him in Glamorgan cricket matches a few times. Anyway as a Corbinite he's anti-business so he wont sanction any crowd return.