Some leave early to get home more quickly, some leave on 40 mins to get served at the bars more quickly. If there was better integration with public transport Links, and U.S-style stadia refreshment vendors, fans would be happier to stick around.
I always stay until the end, but I get on a coach that picks us up outside the stadium and I’m always back home within an hour of the final whistle.
However, whenever I get the tram or (god forbid) have parked at the ground it can take an eternity to get away from the stadium, so don’t blame those who leave early, particularly for later kick offs (especially if you have kids with you). Also, if you’ve bought a ticket then it’s no one else’s business when you decide to leave. Never really understood why people get worked up about it.
I always stay until the end, but I get on a coach that picks us up outside the stadium and I’m always back home within an hour of the final whistle.
However, whenever I get the tram or (god forbid) have parked at the ground it can take an eternity to get away from the stadium, so don’t blame those who leave early, particularly for later kick offs (especially if you have kids with you). Also, if you’ve bought a ticket then it’s no one else’s business when you decide to leave. Never really understood why people get worked up about it.
This won't be a popular view but to be honest, when compared to getting away from other premier league grounds, I think our fans overstate how difficult it is to get away from the etihad. The trams have to improve but there is also an inevitability that they along with the buses are going to get full when nearly 60k people leave all at once. It's nowhere near as bad as getting away from some of the London grounds which usually means a 30min wait to simply get into a train station and no option of walking. And I dunno how many of you were at Brighton earlier in the season but that was crazy. Dunno how their fans put up with that.
We're a 20-30 minute walk out of the city centre which is a big plus and even though it's hard to find a parking spot there are still decent spots for free within a 10 mins walk of the ground. Driving is still a miles more viable option than it would be in London. I know walking into town isn't possible for everyone, but it is for a lot of us and it's what I usually do if I'm not driving.
Great post and point Shirley.The more I read that people who buy tickets have the right to not show or leave early confirms that in this PC era we are no longer fans but merely customers.
That tram going back through tameside is equally a fuckin nightmare aft the game. Always two carriages with folk left at the stop.Yep. I fully understand that those who are unable to walk far will need to park up at the stadium but there are indeed loads of free parking spaces 10-15 minutes walk from the ground - plenty of great spots in the side streets over the road from Ashburys station for example and people I know who have parked there have never had a problem down the years. Quick getaway up Gorton Lane afterwards in the direction of Hyde Road and on to the M60 up at Denton for those that need it.
Another trick which a mate of mine who has recently moved to Sheffield uses is instead of parking up somewhere near town, and getting the tram back there afterwards he now parks up for free in Droylsden just a minute walk from Droylsden tram stop. Couple of pints before the match then gets the tram to the ground. Afterwards, instead of having to queue with the main body of fans for the trams into town he gets one of the less busier trams going the other way back to Droylsden.
That tram going back through tameside is equally a fuckin nightmare aft the game. Always two carriages with folk left at the stop.