Port Vale FC have announced that they will try and house home fans in an “unused section” of the Bycars stand for the final home game of the season.
The club are expecting a bumper crowd for the fixture, which will give fans a chance to celebrate promotion, and Gillingham are unlikely to fill the 3,300 capacity stand. Allowing home fans to use part of the Bycars stand could mean Vale’s attendance could break the 11,829 attendance set for the home game against Grimsby.
A statement from the club said:
We can confirm that we have been exploring the option with the relevant authorities that make up the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) in regards to opening a section of the Bycars Stand for home supporters for our fixture against Gillingham FC.
We have been planning for this eventuality for a number of weeks and can now confirm that following our promotion we have now instigated communication to seek approval to utilise what would be an unused section of the Bycars Stand.
We will keep you with updated with the progress of these discussions.
The Bycars stand was the defacto home end for supporters until 2023 when the club switched home fans to the Hamil End to take advantage of better facilities and to enable a fanzone to be established next to Hamil Road.
I first stood on Bycars End with my late grandfather Charlie James in the 58/59 season. Everyone knew everyone else in those days and Vale always played towards the Bycars in the 2nd half at every home match. Great days. Forever the Vale.
Vale fans would have to use the Lorne side of the bycars
Just opened the rest of Lorne street. All it needs is toilets ????
The Lorne St needs more than that. It doesn’t have any food concourses, turnstiles and the gym equipment is there. Perhaps more importantly it won’t have been signed off by the safety people. So, I think it’s a no go until those things are resolved.
I know fans who have not missed a game for years and season ticket holders and travel sway almost every game who can not get tickets.
They were amongst the 50 to 100 away fans in the old 4th division when crowds were under 2000 at the vale and can’t get in.
That’s a good number so where have all these loyal vale fans come from all of a sudden.
Can’t remember them on a Monday night at Southend losing 5 1 at half time.
Mid table next year they will be Liverpool fans.
Open the bycars for the fans get it rammed
Well done to the people who have got the authorisation for vale supporters to share the Bycars.
In this day and age I’m sure it was no mean feat.
Can’t wait to get out of the Welsh sunshine (holiday) and get to the match.
Hope there’s enough security to contain any idiots that turn up.
☺️
Makes perfect sense
I’m not complaining but it always amazes me how 5 or 6000 more fans can just appear from nowhere for certain games, yet show no interest in going during the season.
I don’t think it’s (pardon the pun) as black and white as “show no interest” – I think it’s overly simplistic to think getting to Vale Park is easy for every fan.
I think there are fans who can’t get to every game for a variety of reasons – location, work or illness. I am one, as I am based in Somerset I just can’t get to every home game. If you take me as an example a seven hour round trip to Burslem has planning and financial implications and isn’t undertaken lightly.
When a big game comes along, those fans – wherever they are based – will make a real effort to make it and as a result rather than those fans appearing in dribs and drabs at League games, they all turn up at the same time resulting in a surge of interest. In doing so, there’s probably been some effort by a lot of them to do so.