Concrete Walls

[Blue Bayou]

It's been discussed before but the cost is prohibitive. Leitchy has been banging on about this for years that not doing it was a false economy and it was dangerous but sadly it will indeed have taken someone getting killed at football for change. I hope, somewhat selfishly that we'll be able to get grants because those walls are bombproof.

Forgive my ignorance I’m certainly no expert but I fail to see how this can be such a major expense. Knocking down a couple of walls albeit sturdy ones at that isn’t surely as pricey as building them? Some labourers and a few big hammers and hydraulic drill thingys…….job done!!??

That's a monumental amount of unnecessary work and mess - those blocks need to be lifted away with a hoist.

[Suffolk Blue]

Forgive my ignorance I’m certainly no expert but I fail to see how this can be such a major expense. Knocking down a couple of walls albeit sturdy ones at that isn’t surely as pricey as building them? Some labourers and a few big hammers and hydraulic drill thingys…….job done!!??

That's a monumental amount of unnecessary work and mess - those blocks need to be lifted away with a hoist.

And simply by knocking down walls you do not make the ground any safer. Far from it. You just change the risk. The real cost may come in whatever solution is mandated to replace the wall.

TBH this is something that the EFL should have been working on for years and change could have been introduced gradually. I would be very interested to see any guidance coming from football authorities with regard to perimeter wall construction when stadiums are now redeveloped or newly built.

[McMark]

That's a monumental amount of unnecessary work and mess - those blocks need to be lifted away with a hoist.

And simply by knocking down walls you do not make the ground any safer. Far from it. You just change the risk. The real cost may come in whatever solution is mandated to replace the wall.

TBH this is something that the EFL should have been working on for years and change could have been introduced gradually. I would be very interested to see any guidance coming from football authorities with regard to perimeter wall construction when stadiums are now redeveloped or newly built.

Agree it’s a difficult one, plus they have to be robust enough as to not give way to supporters but safe enough as to minimise injury to players who impact with them.
Really sad that it’s taken a fatality to finally discus change that’s been needed for decades.
Nuclear bunkers are less robust than some of our perimeter walls.

[Hadrian]

Access?

Cost of disposal, too. Not cheap.

Pop side wall supports the front of the terrace, too. A plastic fence wouldn't support that.

Simple solutions often aren't.

[Jim]

I fear the SMBD syndrome here. with the FA/EFL deanding that all walls must be dug up and replaced with something more forgiving, at huge expense. There needs to be an assessment of level of risk v cost of solution.

* Something Must Be Done syndrome, which usually leads to knee jerk reaction and hasty decisions after a tragic event. Classic case recently was a fatal car accident on the A61 when a woman and two of her children were killed after colliding head on with a bus. Massive clamour for speed restrictions on a"dangerous road". Speed cameras and a 50mph limit imposed. Then inquest found that the woman was driving relatively slowly and inexplicably veered across the road into the path of a bus.

[Barrowvianbedlam]

Did nick rogan suffer an injury from the wall too at some point? Does amaze me in this health and safety mad age that these walls are still permitted, always has been an accident waiting to happen. Definitely need some padding over them.

[Cubbins Paratrooper]

Don't want to get involved in the argument per se though Speedway has used air fences on the bends for years. Whilst obviously a very different type of sport, maybe a watered down version is worth looking at as an alternative to ripping out walls. However, how many incidents are recorded each season?

[bluessupporter]

However, how many incidents are recorded each season?

One is one too many - as we've seen recently at the ground which led to this thread.

There must be some way of padding the walls, rather than knocking them down.

[Jonty]

If permitted - Shorten the pitch would reduce the risk, until a longer term solution. Easiest short term.

[xerxes]

Padding

Exactly. It wouldn't cost much to cover the walls with the kind of padding they put round the bottom of rugby posts. Certainly a lot less than knocking down and rebuilding.

[Bruce]

100 or so of these..? https://promofoam.co.uk/foam-barrier-2m-x-30cm-x-15cm

[Suffolk Blue]

So what happens to the static advertising boards when obscured by padding? How much revenue would that cost?

[bluessupporter]

So what happens to the static advertising boards when obscured by padding? How much revenue would that cost?

You can't put a price on the possibility of saving a life!

As someone pointed out in an earlier illustrated reply, the adverts are on the padding rather than on boards attached to the walls.

Simples!

[xerxes]

So what happens to the static advertising boards when obscured by padding? How much revenue would that cost?

You can't put a price on the possibility of saving a life!

As someone pointed out in an earlier illustrated reply, the adverts are on the padding rather than on boards attached to the walls.

Simples!

Though it may not work if you want to display that advert of a Dachshund running round the pitch!

[DA52]

Padding

Exactly. It wouldn't cost much to cover the walls with the kind of padding they put round the bottom of rugby posts. Certainly a lot less than knocking down and rebuilding.

Unfortunately, the cost of those rugby post protectors are eye watering expensive.