Following the incidents at our away game against Yate Town on Saturday 21 March, it was deeply disappointing to be involved in such events and then have to manage the situation in order to allow the game to continue safely for everyone present, our supporters, Yate Town’s supporters, and both teams.
Acts like this have a negative impact on football. While our supporters were not the only people involved, and we were told that Yate supporters were also involved, we travel as a club representing our fans, ourselves, and the club they claim to love.
We are currently working with Yate Town, at their request, to help identify the individuals involved, and we will continue to provide any assistance and support we can.
We understand that some of the incidents involved younger supporters and stemmed from rivalries with fans of nearby clubs, in some cases influenced by communication through social media, something that is becoming an increasing concern across football.
This included individuals from the Yate area who later attempted to enter the stadium to seemingly cause trouble. While we worked hard to keep them out and to separate supporters, it was an extremely challenging situation.
Grounds such as Yate’s, excellent as they are as a community club, do not always have the facilities to provide natural segregation, which meant that our officials as well as the Yate officals had to do everything we could to help manage matters and ensure the game could continue safely.
Away support is incredibly important to us, and we value those who travel to back the team. However, it is vital that this support is not used by any group as a backdrop for disruption. Everyone associated with the club has a responsibility to represent it in the right way.
At home, we have introduced measures that allow us to identify everyone in the stadium, including those under the age of 16, and we will continue to explore ways to support clubs we visit in maintaining safe environments.
As officials, we are volunteers who attend matches to represent the club, and while we will always step in where necessary to help manage situations, that should not be required in the way it was on this occasion.
We would also encourage all supporters, particularly younger fans, to recognise the importance of responsible behaviour. Those attending matches should be doing so safely and appropriately, and it is worth reflecting on whether those responsible for them would be comfortable with the situations they may find themselves involved in.
I will also say that these incidents had a negative effect on our team. Yate Town were absolutely right, and the referee was correct, to take the players off the pitch while the match was delayed before restarting. However, the disruption still affected our squad.
Fortunately, our players showed great character and determination to dig deep and secure the win we so desperately needed. But the flow of the game would undoubtedly have been very different from the outset had these incidents not occurred.
I would say this to any supporter: if you truly support our club and understand how important that game was, you should be there to act as the 12th man, not to create the kind of disruption that happened in the very first minute of open play.
Ultimately, our priority is to ensure that football remains a safe and positive environment for everyone involved, and we all have a role to play in making that happen.
Ralph Ricardo
Weymouth Football Club Chairman
