Message from Altrincham Co-Chairman Bill Waterson

At our last two home games, we have been disappointed to see a significant increase in anti-social behaviour from people calling themselves Alty fans, and, at both games, we have had to eject the miscreants from The J. Davidson Stadium.

Against Curzon Ashton, a number of spectators in their early 20s stood at the Chequers End in the first half, abusing our opponents' goalkeeper and his family.

The group re-appeared at the Halifax game and stood against the segregation barrier in the second half to taunt the away fans.

“Banter” is, of course, a long-standing tradition in football, part and parcel of the game, but it is usually carried out in a good-natured manner, and its primary purpose is to demonstrate support for your own team.

The barracking at these two games far exceeded these norms, and we were fully justified in ejecting the guilty individuals.

Starting with the Bromley game on Saturday, we will be introducing stadium bans for anyone indulging in such behaviour – not only will they be ejected, they will be barred from attending future games at The J. Davidson Stadium.

And we will be making the culprits more widely known by publishing details of their transgressions.

This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated by anyone at Altrincham FC.

We have also seen an increase in spectators in their late teens smuggling alcohol into the stadium, in particular to the back of the Golf Road End.

Can we remind everyone that alcohol is not allowed to be consumed in sight of the pitch and that, in addition, any person under the age of 18 cannot consume alcohol at all?

Again, we cannot allow this behaviour to continue, and, hence, anyone found trying to bring alcohol into the ground will be denied admission, and anyone found with alcohol in their possession in the ground will be ejected.

We do not want to increase stewarding on the Golf Road for two reasons. First and foremost, it will have a detrimental effect on the matchday experience, and we certainly don’t want to do anything to reduce the impact from our fans behind the goal.

Those fans make the Golf Road a cauldron of noise, and we recognise how this has lifted the team in our most recent home games.

Secondly, in a year where funding is tight, we do not want to be spending more on stewarding, particularly of our own fans. So eliminating this behaviour
benefits us all.

It is, of course, a small minority we are talking about, and it is important to stress how much the backing of true Alty fans is appreciated by everyone at the club and the immense difference it makes every time the players step on the pitch.

The increase in numbers at The J.Davidson over the last few seasons has been spectacular, and the passionate support you all provide is second to none.

We have no intention of letting the actions of a handful of idiots spoil the atmosphere, and we know you are fully behind us on this and share our determination to eradicate anything that might tarnish the club's good name.

Thank you for your support, and bring on the Alty