Important information for the fans
PORT VALE SUPPORTERS’ STATEMENT AUGUST 9, 2012
Port Vale Football Club and Port Vale Supporters’ Club are advising fans planning to attend Saturday’s friendly match at home to Tranmere that no refreshments will be on sale inside the ground.
All executive boxes will also be closed and there will also be no food or drink in corporate areas which will be out of bounds to all apart from visiting directors.
Supporters will be allowed into Vale Park with their own food and soft drinks or water in plastic bottles. Flasks containing hot drinks will also be permitted.
Fans will not be allowed to bring their own alcohol into the ground or drinks in cans or glass bottles, however, Tommy Cheadle’s will be open before the game.
Port Vale FC has confirmed that these restrictions will only be in place for the pre-season friendly and that refreshments will be available as usual for the cup match against Burnley next week.
The Lorne Street Stand will be open for home supporters against Tranmere Rovers with a contingency to overspill in to the Bycars if required, while the Hamil Road end will be open for away fans. Tickets for the match are priced at £8 for adults and £4 for concessions and the match kicks off at 3pm.
Supporters’ Club Chairman Pete Williams said he wanted to thank fans who were volunteering to help prepare Vale Park for the new season.
This morning the first group of volunteers swept and cleaned the Railway Stand, the Bycars End and sections of the Hamil Stand along with the dug-outs and turnstiles. Supporters also put numbered stickers on seats.
It was day one of an initiative co-ordinated by the Supporters’ Club to help the club get preparations for the season back on track.
It comes amid further delays to the takeover of the club which have resulted in some preparatory work not being done ahead of pre-season friendlies and the kick-off of the competitive season next week.
Mr Williams said: “I’m delighted with the response. Tomorrow fans will be jet-washing seats and helping to spruce-up the toilet blocks. This really is supporters demonstrating – in a very practical way – what Port Vale means to them.”
Volunteers are needed still needed for general duties including sweeping up, cleaning seats, painting toilet walls, checking that all seats are correctly numbered, adding season ticket names to seats and possibly helping the ticket office out with preparation and distribution of season tickets.
Additionally an appeal has gone out for tradespeople willing to offer services or donate materials.
Volunteers and tradespeople are needed tomorrow from 8am to 4pm, and Saturday, August 11, from 9am to 1pm. Fans can also help out between Monday and Friday of next week between 8am and 4pm.
Volunteers assisting with the sweeping and cleaning are asked to bring along additional brushes and large refuse bags.
Anyone wishing to help should contact Supporters’ Club Chairman Pete Williams directly on 07522 679886 or report to Vale Park during the dates and times listed and seek out groundsman Steve Speed or another member of the club’s staff. Alternatively, on arrival at Vale Park then can ring the club’s reception on 01782 655800 to ask for guidance.
Mr Williams echoed his appeal for supporters to attend matches if they were able to and emphasised the importance of stay-away fans returning in numbers.
He said: “We now know that the club needs 5,000 fans at each home game to break even and that’s only a couple of hundred more than we were getting last season during the protests.
“If you are a Vale fan, lapsed or not, your club needs you now. Let’s make Vale Park a fortress once more and give this new bunch of players a really good atmosphere as we kick-off a new era.”
Mr Williams added that there was no update on the takeover situation at this time.