Bradford Park Avenue win alcohol licence reprieve (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Councillors approve alcohol sales at Horsfall Stadium
9:00am Friday 17th August 2012 in Sport
Avenue's Bob Blackburn
Bradford Park Avenue Football Club has retained its licence to sell alcohol despite accusations from the police of drunken disorder and supporters taking glass bottles into the grounds.
However, a string of extra conditions have been placed on the licence which must be introduced at Horsfall Stadium, including installing a CCTV system to cover the bar and outside drinking area.
It also emerged that without a licence Park Avenue’s promotion could have been in jeopardy as a clubhouse with a bar is necessary to play in the higher division. The team’s debut in the Conference North takes place tomorrow against Worcester City at home.
During the hearing yesterday club bosses Bob Blackburn and Kevin Hainsworth disputed the police version of events, saying they were not aware of any trouble at the match in May against FC United of Manchester.
They were also not aware of any glasses or bottles leaving the bar.
Mr Hainsworth dismissed police allegations of the club putting profit before safety, describing how extra stewards had been drafted in at their expense and they also dropped the number of tickets on offer from 3,000 to 2,000.
PC Su Dawson, Bradford South police licensing officer, told the hearing she had inspected the club twice before and found breaches of the club certificate, then later the licence, following complaints that there appeared to be no control over the running of the bar.
At the play-off match she said the mood of the crowd changed as the match went into extra time so the police wanted to cut off the alcohol supply to prevent any disorder. She said Mr Hainsworth refused to close the bar voluntarily and that officers stepped in to close it down.
She accused club bosses of “failing to comprehend the seriousness of the potential for disorder”.
However, Mr Hainsworth told Bradford licensing panel: “I was very disappointed with the decision to close the bar, not from a profiteering perspective, but to me it seemed very heavy-handed and not required.”
After the hearing he said “common sense had prevailed” and the club was happy to comply with the extra conditions.
In deciding not to revoke the club’s licence, panel members warned they had serious concerns about the allegations of licence breaches and of a lack of co-operation with the police.
Councillor John Ruding , chairman of the panel, said if a review was sought again it would give serious consideration to suspending the club’s licence.
Comments(17)
Billyboyarnold
says...
10:40am Fri 17 Aug 12
Rambo
says...
10:49am Fri 17 Aug 12
Albion.
says...
11:02am Fri 17 Aug 12
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
Wanna Have
says...
11:21am Fri 17 Aug 12
Rather than objecting to BPA, I suggest the Police try to learn from the club as judging by the numbers of officers they seem to think they require to police bigger games they are failing badly.
Whenever I have been down to BPA, which is far more often than the couple of visits the police make each season, opposing supporters get along without the need for segregation, CCTV, loads of police on Overtime etc.
BPA are a model the police could learn from, instead they seem intent on punishing the club over a couple of sore losers in a crowd of 2,000, but then I do suppose they will do anything to get their CCTV systems installed.
GC BD4
says...
12:09pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Billyboyarnold
says...
1:32pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Albion. wrote:I know it's not a pub but you get a couple of idiots from out of town who can't hold their drink, and the Home Club gets the blame. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. Good luck to Avenue for the coming season.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
Albion.
says...
2:02pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Billyboyarnold wrote:It wasn't about the one incident.
Albion. wrote:I know it's not a pub but you get a couple of idiots from out of town who can't hold their drink, and the Home Club gets the blame. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. Good luck to Avenue for the coming season.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
parader no1
says...
4:10pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Wanna Have
says...
5:20pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Albion. wrote:Yes the police seemingly invented other issue's that no one else despite attending this arena far more than they do, had witnessed.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It wasn't about the one incident.
Albion. wrote:I know it's not a pub but you get a couple of idiots from out of town who can't hold their drink, and the Home Club gets the blame. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. Good luck to Avenue for the coming season.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
Answers on a postcard as to what these mystery issue's were.
I'm all ears ......
Albion.
says...
5:31pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Wanna Have wrote:Are you saying that PC Dawson is a liar?
Albion. wrote:Yes the police seemingly invented other issue's that no one else despite attending this arena far more than they do, had witnessed.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It wasn't about the one incident.
Albion. wrote:I know it's not a pub but you get a couple of idiots from out of town who can't hold their drink, and the Home Club gets the blame. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. Good luck to Avenue for the coming season.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
Answers on a postcard as to what these mystery issue's were.
I'm all ears ......
beardedclam
says...
5:49pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Wanna Have wrote:Oblivious to the trouble going on around you more like!
Albion. wrote:Yes the police seemingly invented other issue's that no one else despite attending this arena far more than they do, had witnessed.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It wasn't about the one incident.
Albion. wrote:I know it's not a pub but you get a couple of idiots from out of town who can't hold their drink, and the Home Club gets the blame. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. Good luck to Avenue for the coming season.
Billyboyarnold wrote:It isn't a pub.
What have they got away with, one or two from Manchester want to cause a few problems and Avenue get the blame, get real, you obviously have never run a pub, a good decision and common sense rules. Come on you "Super Seagulls" Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull.
Answers on a postcard as to what these mystery issue's were.
I'm all ears ......
Seems quite a few in the stadium turned a blind eye.
Trouble, what trouble?
BigFigure
says...
9:45pm Fri 17 Aug 12
trueBradfordian
says...
10:36pm Fri 17 Aug 12
BPA need to keep the police onside though. They could do a lot of damage to the club's aspirations, and I would like to think that there will be more big games like this in the future. Not all fans are as dignified in defeat as FCUMs. Some clubs with much smaller away followings have been to Horsfall and caught the stewards on the hop. The club needs to be ready for these occasions.
a reasonable sort of chap
says...
10:48am Sat 18 Aug 12
Albion.
says...
11:17am Sat 18 Aug 12
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:For the players?
There should be NO alcohol allowed at any football matches anywhere. Cannabis, on the other hand, ought to be compulsory.
Prisoner Cell Block A
says...
12:59pm Mon 20 Aug 12
Albion. wrote:After watching City over many years I think some may be anyway.
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:For the players?
There should be NO alcohol allowed at any football matches anywhere. Cannabis, on the other hand, ought to be compulsory.
Albion. says...
10:03am Fri 17 Aug 12