Should Notts move back into the KOP?

Having lived in Hampshire for 13 years now, I've got to know lots of supporters of southern teams who have regularly travelled to Notts to support their team. Almost unanimously, they find it hilarious that the most imposing stand in the ground is ‘given' to away supporters. They all love coming to Meadow Lane as it's ‘so nice'.

As away supporters, we are usually subjected to the worst parts of other grounds, out of the way, in an attempt that we're not seen and not heard.

Quite simply, the away supporters must be moved into the X block of the Jimmy Sirrell stand. Away supporters and our supporters can easily be segregated using the mesh seat covering, that almost all other grounds use, between blocks X & Y (See picture below). How many empty seats are there in the end of the Sirrell stand every game now? This will not impact on our supporter's current arrangements at all. We know away fans have been in the X block before. The Police are satisfied by this arrangement, because it's still in the correct ‘corner' of the ground for them to supervise their exit to coaches. The police are more concerned with things like proximity to the coaches and will fans cross one another outside the ground more than they do at present. As anyone coming up London Road from town to the Jimmy Sirrell Stand has to walk through away fans as it is, I can't see any issue with travelling supporters being given the X block end section of County Road.

Simply use LOTS of the mesh seat covering, that ALL other clubs use to separate blocks X & Y, as per above image. You'd only then need to steward the perimeter of the pitch, because supporters seeking ‘trouble' could only get down onto the perimeter and then along the side of the pitch to get to the opposition supporters - an arrestable offence.

'End' culture is a long established part of football and having our singers in a corner of a side stand, currently block Z, is the worst place for us. But more importantly, the Kop is currently the best place for away supporters to make the most noise and support their team. We NEED to put the away supporters in a less imposing place.

Since the ground was redeveloped, we've struggled at home. We know the Kop isn't the reason, but taking the Kop away from visiting fans WILL only help Notts County as a team. Whether Notts fans move to the Kop or not could almost be considered irrelevant. Away fans currently have the advantage. It HAS to be worth a go. It will be the legacy of whichever Chairman/Board of Directors has the strength to go for it. What a legacy if it works…

That takes care of moving the away fans out of the Kop.

Now to us. Notts supporters should definitely be allowed to sit in the Kop.

If you were looking at Meadow Lane (without any preconceptions) as a new ground, the blindingly obvious place for home fans to go would be the covered kop.

You can't argue with acoustics, the kop and its roof are one giant loudspeaker. Currently, 200 away supporters always sound at least twice as loud as our singing contingent in the Z block.

Notts supporters should be allowed to sit in the Kop. BUT, all the ‘FC'Quite simply area to the front right of The Kop should be closed to Notts supporters, again using the mesh seat covering. We can then sit in the area to the left of the mesh seat covering, directly behind the goal and to the left side of the Kop, pretty much as we were in the good old pre-redevelopment days. The mesh seat covering can run from top to bottom of the stand in a straight line, starting to the left of the ‘S' of NOTTS at the top and continuing down to the bottom of the stand finishing pitch side to the left of the ‘FC'.

See Kop picture below.

We've established that away supporters should be in block X, BUT, when there are too many visiting supporters to fit in block X, the Kop can be used as an overspill. Away supporters can sit in the ‘FC' area to the right of the mesh seat covering and therefore still in the ‘correct' corner of the ground for policing. This is exactly the sort of thing that happens now at the likes of Swindon Town, for example.

We cannot live in a climate where we are awaiting a big game where away supporters number 5000. When that does happen, we would have to be flexible and home supporters in the Kop, may have to relocate for ‘that' one in a hundred game. This currently happens at ALL Premier League grounds as when the FA Cup is in town, home sides have to give 10% of their ground to visiting supporters. Chelsea and Tottenham instantly spring to mind. These clubs have to ‘give' what is usually a home stand to the visiting supporters to meet the 10% requirement. Forest supporters, for example, just took over the ‘shed end' on their recent visit to Stamford Bridge. I don't think any Notts fan would begrudge moving out of the Kop to accommodate 4000 visitors on the very rare occasion it happens.

The final, but certainly least attractive alternative is to shut the kop, putting the away fans in block X. You can always open it again for "big" games like Mansfield, Peterborough and Lincoln. I guess the club would save money on stewarding / catering / gatemen etc too. To date, of our 15 home games this season, only Peterborough have brought more than 1500.

In summary

Away fans moved into X block – wide area of mesh seat covering between blocks X & Y. This is a MUST.

Allow Notts supporters to sit in the Kop – *keeping the ‘FC' area permanently closed using the mesh seat covering and therefore well away from the visiting supporters. This becomes an overspill area if block X becomes full.

Last resort. Close the Kop completely, opening it only when needed as overspill for away supporters.

And finally:

From a Lincoln City website: