Implications of capacity reduction.

image @BristolLiveBRFC

With the announcement of the delays in the redevelopment of the south and south east stand, come the regrettable implications.

What we know at this stage, as confirmed by the club, is that the allocation for away supporters will be reduced to 500, with no offering of disabled or accessibility seating.

We also know that the club has started to contact the Gas supporters who had already purchased their season tickets for the proposed new stand, in order to relocate them. If this is you, share what you make of it here. Bristol Live reports this number to be around 600. The club is reportedly also offering a goodwill gesture compensation of £10 per ticket holder, credited to their eticketing account.

Bristol Rovers have told that they have been in discussions with both Barnsley and the EFL to assess their options as we near the season opener. Barnsley rejected a Rovers proposal to reverse the fixtures. The Gas were told by the EFL that "should they be unable to fulfill this or any other fixture, then it would result in an investigation under the regulations".

As we reported previously, the EFL does have it within their gift to suspend aspects of the Regulations, specifically in relation to away supporter accomodation. It's not clear whether the EFL has suspended any regulations. GasBurner has reached out to the EFL.

It is possible that an investigation will happen anyway and Rovers could face sanctions including fines or retention of pool account funds shared between clubs. That would be unlikely to extend to a points reduction, unless the situation deteriorates.

As touched upon earlier the implications for Gasheads, aside from the potential sanctions on the club, include the upheaval of their expected seats for the start of the season. This also wont have done much to quell the disquiet among those in our fan base with concerns about club leadership and direction. The club have unfortunately scored abit of an own goal here albeit with their hands tied once the planning application was submitted.

Though the club have this morning announced a 50% refund to all those who purchased the online stream to watch the Chesterfield friendly last week after glitches meant much of the first half was unwatchable. Let us know what you make of this also.

It's not clear what, if any, implications this will have on the council's planning approval process.