Excitement is running high at Edgeley Park ahead of our League Two play-off semi-final against Salford City, with a place at Wembley up for grabs.
The passionate support of our fans is what makes Stockport County so special, and we appreciate that such an occasion will emotions running high, particularly with so much still to play for.
However, we must remind you in the interests of safety for everyone inside our stadium, that the pitch is for managers, players and match officials, while the stands are there for you to support the team.
At the end of last season, some clubs witnessed some unwelcome scenes when fans entered the field of play without permission at several grounds. Even if this is done in celebratory fashion, any supporter who comes onto the pitch is putting the welfare of players, coaches, club staff and fellow fans at risk.
At the start of this season, the Premier League, EFL, NLS Leagues and The FA worked with the Football Supporters’ Association to introduce new measures and stronger sanctions to tackle anti-social and criminal behaviours, such as entering the pitch and the use of pyrotechnics.
This includes automatic club bans and police action, and we have seen cases this season which have led to fans receiving criminal records, which can impact employment, education prospects and international travel.
Furthermore, we’d like to remind supporters that the use of pyrotechnics or smoke bombs at football grounds also carries an automatic ban, with a zero-tolerance policy at Edgeley Park.
Please note that for safety reasons, persistent standing inside the ground is also not permitted. We have been contacted by the council regarding this matter – persistent standing in the stairwells, vomitories and gangways is a safety risk, and continuing to do so may lead to being asked to leave the stadium.
As a club we recognise that your support this season has been phenomenal, home and away, and the incidents above are the action of a minority. We thank you in advance for your co-operation.
