Alcohol At Cardiff

[AndyM]

Just wondered what peoples thoughts are on banning the sale of Alcohol at the Stadium?

 

Each year there seems to be more and more trouble and yesterday there was a big ruck on the top tier with stewards wading in and trying to stop iot and eject some. it carried on throughout the meeting.

 

Now i like a drink and i know this will set off a few people whinging but is it right that others have to put up with this?

 

From where i sat there were a few drunken groups trying to wind up other drunken groups and at one point the kids who were around me were getting pretty scared.

 

I agree with the old adage of why should the rest of us suffer because of the few, but i have been through it at footballl and it really isnt an issue these days, everybody knows the rules and thats that.

 

lets be honest, there is enought time for a drink in Cardiff pre meeting,

You can buy beer at cricket matches, albeit at a price, and everyone is usually quite civilised. Does anyone really abuse the privilege at speedway GPs? And how do you know they weren't already drunk before they got in the stadium?

 

[dave69]

Didn`t go this year as I was not having my kids put up with pissed Poles urinating where they were sitting like last year.They act like animals.....and no,I`m not rascist in any way beforethe PC mob start.

[loyal royal]

You can buy beer at cricket matches, albeit at a price, and everyone is usually quite civilised. Does anyone really abuse the privilege at speedway GPs? And how do you know they weren't already drunk before they got in the stadium?

 

 

Andy, have you read all the other posts on this thread ?

I think you will find that yes, it is abused !

[garyg]

I went to Twickenham a few weeks ago for the Sevens. On the Sunday one end of the ground was for beer, fancy dress and partying. The other end was families only. Worked really well. Not forgetting England won the tournament!!

[FairyTasha]

We was sitting 2nd bend at the front of middle tier and we had all our bags drenched. Me and my mum had to hold onto our bags from around heat 8. Some family next to us split their drink and didnt seem to care, so we spent time trying to make room for our bags then someone behind us split their beer and it was like a river. Our clothes stunk of beer as it came onto the back of our seats.

[AndyM]

Andy, have you read all the other posts on this thread ?

I think you will find that yes, it is abused !

Yes, but I still saw no evidence to suggest the people concerned were not already well gone before they got in the stadium. Rather than banning alcohol in the stadium it would be much more effective to refuse entry to people who look drunk and potentially disruptive before they get to their seats.

[Mateusz]

Didn`t go this year as I was not having my kids put up with pissed Poles urinating where they were sitting like last year.They act like animals.....and no,I`m not rascist in any way beforethe PC mob start.

Oh, I guess they must have seen some British tourists who were urinating all around the old square in Krakow before that

 

I have seen a lot, both in Poland and in the UK, and won't change my mind - Poles and Brits are equally bad when drunk. Of course some of them, I do not mean everyone.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Mateusz

[loyal royal]

Yes, but I still saw no evidence to suggest the people concerned were not already well gone before they got in the stadium. Rather than banning alcohol in the stadium it would be much more effective to refuse entry to people who look drunk and potentially disruptive before they get to their seats.

 

 

Of course they should be refuesed entry but that doesnt happen. Granted some turn up pissed already but i dont think them being allowed to chuck more pints down their throats is going to help much is it?

[AndyM]

Of course they should be refuesed entry but that doesnt happen. Granted some turn up pissed already but i dont think them being allowed to chuck more pints down their throats is going to help much is it?

No, but that prevents the decent well-behaved majority enjoying a drink because of the behaviour of a minority. If it were a well-publicise condition of entry that no alcohol could be brought into the stadium and that anyone giving the appearance of being drunk and/or disorderly would be refused access, people would moderate their behaviour.

[bellevueace]

The decent well behaved people who enjoyed a drink before the event wouldnt suffer through a policy of banning those drunk at the turnstiles as they would be sober and well behaved. Only those that go ott and cant hold their drink would suffer.

[MitzweenaPirate]

I think that much of this threads posts are slightly narrow minded.

I understand that not everyone is sensible with alcohol but some people generally drink it in order to have a good time- not to ruin others.

Not all the Polish fans were drunken morons, there were probably as many Polish as there were British drunken morons.

I wouldn't be so quick to class people as drunken and unruly, when they were just having a good time by supporting their own riders.

I know that some people would act out of control when drunk, but not everyone does.

Besides, let people be responsible for their own actions.

Some people may celebrate by going crazy, singing and cheering. Whereas other my prefer to sit and clap.

However I do totally understand when drunks do ruin your night, it's not nice.

 

As to the Polish free zone statement, I'm British and I would much prefer to sit with the Polish fans than next to someone who is so petty.

Edited June 28, 2009 by MitzweenaPirate

[Concrete Cowboy]

No, but that prevents the decent well-behaved majority enjoying a drink because of the behaviour of a minority. If it were a well-publicise condition of entry that no alcohol could be brought into the stadium and that anyone giving the appearance of being drunk and/or disorderly would be refused access, people would moderate their behaviour.

 

Andy i appreciate your view on this but i assure you, i was in the stadium from the time the gates opened and saw no evidence at all of anyone being anywhere near drunk.

 

Within minutes the first group of Poles arrived, (before going any further i did see many non-drunk and well behaved Polish folks there too),they each brought one of the cardboard four glass holders of lager with them. No longer than 30 minutes later they disappeared and returned fully laden again.

 

These 5 guys alone must have consumed a minimum of 12 pints each during the course of the night and spilled another 2 or 3 each into the bargain, and they were one of perhaps 10 or 12 groups of 4/5/6 poles on the back straight lower tier.

 

Now i took my Dad with me as a fathers day treat, he's 88 years old and his health is not too good but he's been a speedway fan all his life and i wanted to treat him so i made sure when i booked that i got the lower tier, back row, end of aisle seats so there was not too much walking & climbing stairs etc.

 

Well to cut a long story short, after moving 4 times, getting splashed with beer, not being able to walk without slipping in beer, not being able to put anything on the floor due to beer, being gestured to and sworn at and having to stand up to see anything at all as a result of beer i have to say that any kind of ban cannot come soon enough.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Concrete Cowboy

[screm]

I think that much of this threads posts are slightly narrow minded.

I understand that not everyone is sensible with alcohol but some people generally drink it in order to have a good time- not to ruin others.

Not all the Polish fans were drunken morons, there were probably as many Polish as there were British drunken morons.

I wouldn't be so quick to class people as drunken and unruly, when they were just having a good time by supporting their own riders.

I know that some people would act out of control when drunk, but not everyone does.

Besides, let people be responsible for their own actions.

Some people may celebrate by going crazy, singing and cheering. Whereas other my prefer to sit and clap.

However I do totally understand when drunks do ruin your night, it's not nice.

 

As to the Polish free zone statement, I'm British and I would much prefer to sit with the Polish fans than next to someone who is so petty.

Agree,an idiot who cant handle their drink can ruin the night for everybody.Doesnt matter whether they are British,Polish or whatever.

[John Leslie]

Guess I got lucky. I was in the top tier surrounded by Poles, a few Danes, and a large family from some Eastern European country that I couldn't work out what it was.

 

The Poles in particular were drinking pint after pint all night (including the women), yet none of them seemed to get drunk at all. Apart from cheering their favourites loudly, the only thing they did was to spend the meeting swapping scarves and passing cameras back and forth to take pictures of each other.

[fryit]

I went to Twickenham a few weeks ago for the Sevens. On the Sunday one end of the ground was for beer, fancy dress and partying. The other end was families only. Worked really well. Not forgetting England won the tournament!!

 

 

Sounds like a sensible option to me, we didn't have too much problem yesterday although there were some fans who were getting a little wild and kept standing for the races with the Polish riders in, if I was directly behind them I would have had words.

 

Have the set sections for alcohol consumption and non alcohol consumption and you take your pick...........simples

[Brummie Boy]

Went to the Cardiff GP a few years ago and swore I would never go back, as the whole evening was ruined by people who justed seemed to be there to get drunk rather than watch the speedway. Going into the stadium the thugs on the doors took any kind of drink off people, even water (not sure if this still happens), and they were abusive to anyone who protested. I could maybe of understood the alchol as I thought there might be no drinking in the stadium, but why the water!

 

Anyway, when we got in it was evident that the objective of the exercise was just to get people to buy the overpriced slop they served in the bars. We then spent the rest of the night getting up for people to go and buy booze at the bar and then for them to keep constantly going the toilet. We got beer spilled on us as the the drunks got progressively more unsteady on their feet and we had to sit with our feet soaked in beer as it cascaded down the terracing. Was it worth over € 50 a ticket + cost of the trip to Cardiff, you must be joking.

 

Since then we take turns to throw a British GP party, have a few drinks with friends, watch the action on the TV, lots to eat (barbie when the weather allows) and have a great time. Party with a group of friends who know how to hold their beer (great), a really good atmosphere with a bit of betting on the side and lots of good natured banter (excellent) and not having to put up with the Cardiff GP drunks (priceless).

 

The Sky coverage was excellent last night and a fantastic track at long last made the racing what it should be at every GP. I know watching on TV was not as good as seeing the racing live and feeling the electric atmosphere of a great meeting, especially when the racing was top class, but frankly the Cardiff experience is just not worth the hassle. Been there, got the teeshirt and frankly don't think it's worth going back.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Brummie Boy

[Chezza]

Went to the Cardiff GP a few years ago and swore I would never go back, as the whole evening was ruined by people who justed seemed to be there to get drunk rather than watch the speedway. Going into the stadium the thugs on the doors took any kind of drink off people, even water (not sure if this still happens), and they were abusive to anyone who protested. I could maybe of understood the alchol as I thought there might be no drinking in the stadium, but why the water!

 

They are still taking away plastic bottles of anything (soft drinks & water) claiming it is for health & safety reasons and also got told that they would confiscate food if we'd had that as well. On a previous visit, they did give you plastic cups so you could transfer out of the bottles to the cups in order to take it. This year they had nothing and suggested as it was still early enough we could walk around and drink what we had and come back later and then go in! If anything, I would have thought that wooden flag poles would be more of a health & safety issue than an empty plastic bottle - but perhaps maybe keep quiet on that one in case this could cause a new rule for next year!! What annoyed even more was that once sat down inside someone who was sat 2 rows in front had gone off somewhere and came back with a plastic bottle of soft drink - she never had any bags with her so i'm assuming it must have been from a vending machine.

 

We were sat on top tier 2nd bend and towards the end of the night there was an accumulation of security stood in stairwell looking up towards the back rows of the block obviously with their eyes on someone but not once did any of them volunteer to go up and confront them. There were a few 'wobblers' going backwards and forwards to the loo throught out the night but fortunately not sat by us and no disruptions although in previous years we have suffered with drink being spilt and dripping down from the row behind. I don't think you'll ever stop the 'stupid drinkers' who insist on seeing how much they can get through, but on the positive side they're the ones that have paid to miss the racing in order to queue at the bar!

 

Slightly off topic but still regarding do's and don'ts, I did feel sorry for the little lad at the next check point who was there with his dad/grandad who had 2x airhorn canisters (still in the sealed packaging) took off him as they didn't conform to their rules. They got told it was because there had been a fire last year - not quite sure I can believe that one!!

 

[neil_L]

I stood outside gate 6 and 7 pre-meeting, great atmosphere, sad that time and time again we watched drunk polish fans chucking bottles and cans off into the river yet there was a big bin right next to us, in fact the center of Cardiff around the stadium looked like a dump post meeting, I actually felt embarrassed, I think the speedway GP organizers need to communicate to polish speedway fans that this behavior is unacceptable. Great meeting on track though.

[davidba]

<post removed>

What the !!!Is this sort of thuggish bigotry allowed on here?

[Guest Ashie Smashy]

They got told it was because there had been a fire last year - not quite sure I can believe that one!!

 

 

Bit silly to confiscate air horns, considering all I could hear all night on the coverage was the air horns. It is possible for them to become lethal though, I inadvertently created an instant flame thrower at Oxford one night. Might have been the pairs final that LE boys won, not sure. Anyway, I popped the air horn at the same time a friend thought it would be funny to pop a party popper right next to my air horn and somehow the bugger was flaming. Luckily there was nobody behind me when I lobbed it away.