Supporter Information for FA Cup Semi Finals 2015
Policing
There will be police officers deployed around the perimeter of the stadium who will support Wembley Stadium stewards and response teams. Police officers will be dressed in beat duty uniform and will be on hand to deal with any crime and disorder issues. Police will also be on hand to deal with any issues in central London and in area’s such as Kingsbury and Harrow where supporters may be congregating pre and post match.
The police match commander - A/Commander Colin Morgan will be working closely with the Stadium Safety Officer - Julia Pendry to ensure that all supporters have a safe and enjoyable day out. Colin Morgan is keen for all of his officers to have a friendly approach to the day and would encourage supporters to speak to his officers should they require any assistance.
Stadium
Tickets - No tickets will be sold on the day of the game. Please do not travel if you do not have a ticket for the game as both games will be a sell out. Do not buy tickets from touts as these may put you in the wrong side of the stadium and you may even buy a counterfeit which would not allow you entry into the stadium. Police will be patrolling the area’s used by ticket touts and will arrest touts seen selling or attempting to sell match day tickets.
Stewards - each club will provide a number of their own stewards to work with Wembley staff on the day of the game.
Pyrotechnics - do not bring pyrotechnics to the stadium. Anyone found in possession of flares etc whilst entering the ground will be arrested. This view is supported by the police commander, Colin Morgan.
Flags - One crowd surfing flag is permitted per club, and this must be communicated via official club representatives in advance to The FA to ensure that all necessary details are known and to arrange the delivery of the flag in advance of the match. The crowd surfing flag will be surfed prior to the match free of charge. Other flags will be allowed in but their poles should not be longer than 1 metre and no thicker than 1cm. As a guide the flags should not be any larger than 250cm at the widest and longest point. If in doubt, please contact Wembley Stadium staff.
Bands/Instruments - Wembley Stadium will allow bands and instruments into the ground but all requests must be sent in advance via club representatives to The FA before the day of the game in order to confirm this. Musical instruments need to be authorised via your clubs in consultation with The FA and Wembley stadium
Lost Tickets - Wembley Stadium will take an ‘investigative’ approach to any supporter who claims to have lost their match day ticket. If a supporter finds that their ticket has been mislaid then they should approach a member of stadium staff who will direct them to the ticket office. Each incident will be looked at individually and details of the ticket with proof of purchase may well be required. Supporters are advised not to show their tickets until they are about to enter the stadium. There have been incidents in the past where tickets have been snatched out of people’s hands whilst walking up to the stadium. Please hold on tight to your tickets and keep them close to you at all times.
Travel
Coaches - Reading/Liverpool will be allocated the Green car park (large car park at the front of the stadium). Arsenal/Aston Villa will be allocated the Yellow car park (behind the new Town Hall in Engineers Way).
Some pubs may have spaces for supporter coaches but arrangements for parking must be made through the relevant licensee.
British Transport Police - There are no engineering works planned for Saturday or Sunday on the lines mainly used by all 4 clubs.
Reading- supporters will travel into Paddington or Marylebone. There are 7 scheduled trains out of Paddington to carry supporters out of London after the game. The last train is 2330hrs.
Liverpool - Main station will be Euston. The 1st train out of Liverpool Lime Street on Sunday will be 0815hrs. There are 5 scheduled trains to carry supporters into Euston before the game with the last train back to Liverpool being 2120hrs.
Aston Villa - Main stations are Euston and Marylebone. Chiltern Rail has just announced that additional trains will put in place for Sunday 19th April but the times have yet to be published. The train company has also announced that all their trains on Sunday will be DRYtherefore no alcohol will be permitted.
Chiltern Rail have also published the following…
Saturday - Visitors travelling by car to the Stadium can utilise park and ride options and make the last part of their journey by public transport. Park and ride facilities are available at the following Chiltern Railways stations north of Wembley Stadium:
- High Wycombe - HP13 6NN
- Beaconsfield - HP9 2PJ
Sunday- We advise our customers to travel to Birmingham Moor Street station for trains to Wembley Stadium, as we will not be operating our special services from Snow Hill.
Visitors travelling by car to the Stadium can utilise park and ride options and make the last part of their journey by public transport. Park and ride facilities are available at the following Chiltern Railways Stations north of Wembley Stadium:
- Warwick Parkway - CV35 8RH
- Banbury - OX16 5AB
- Bicester North - OX26 6EF
- High Wycombe - HP13 6NN
I strongly recommend that all supporters check the train company’s websites before their day of travel to ensure that they have the most up to date information.
BTP officers will be on duty at all the main train stations in London, Reading, Birmingham and Liverpool to assist train staff on the day of the games. Due to some recent events on the rail network, all incidents of racist behaviour and assault will be thoroughly investigated by BTP officers and offenders will be arrested.
Licensing
Arsenal/Aston Villa will have all pubs on the WEST side of the stadium (Wembley Central)
Reading/Liverpool will have all pubs on the EAST side of the stadium (WembleyPark).
The pub split only applies to those premises directly around the stadium. Many other pubs further afield but within walking distance of the stadium will accept supporters from all teams but this will be at the discretion of the individual licensee’s. Many of these pubs will accept families but again it is down to individual pubs so please check first.
The London Designer Outlet which is directly opposite the stadium has a number of restaurants which sell alcohol and are family friendly. There are also 3 external open air bars close to Wembley Arena where supporters can take children and enjoy a drink before the game (adults, not children!).
Wembley Stadium will be opening its doors 2 hours before the advertised kick off and will be selling alcohol on the inside concourse. They welcome you into their stadium as early as possible to avoid possible queues at the turnstiles and to enjoy the pre match build up events.
CDZ -Please note that the Borough of Brent (Wembley and surrounds) operates a Controlled Drinking Zone (CDZ). This prohibits the drinking of alcohol in the street. Police have the power to seize and dispose of open canisters containing alcohol in the street where necessary. This legislation has been put in place to protect local residents as they have previously suffered from drunken, anti social behaviour from supporters travelling to the stadium.
Miscellaneous
There are a number of planned events and protests taking place in London on Saturday 18th April. There are also 6 football games taking place (including the FA Cup Semi Final) along with 6 London clubs playing outside the Capital but returning later that day and another 12 teams passing through. It goes without saying that all transport hubs will be very busy along with pubs, restaurants and hotels. Please take extra time when travelling to and from the stadium either by coach, car or train as the whole transport network will be extremely busy.
The Metropolitan Police Service will make every effort to keep all supporters informed of any disruption or changes to their day. Information will sent through our MPS Twitter site @MPSfootballunit so please join the site to keep up to date. Information will also be passed to the respective clubs and to the Football Supporters Federation who will ensure that it reaches as many supporters as possible.
The MPS work extremely closely with Wembley Stadium and BTP. Colin Morgan, Julia Pendry and the BTP commander - Chief Inspector Ray Shields genuinely wish all supporters a safe and pleasurably day out. If you see anything that you feel is inappropriate then please do not hesitate in approaching a police officer or steward and we will do everything we can to resolve the matter for you.
Dave Hine - Police Sergeant Central Football Unit New Scotland Yard