Peterborough Sports anger fans by changing venue of match to 30 miles away with five days notice

Peterborough Sports anger fans by changing the venue of their home match (vs Darlington) to 30 miles away with five days notice.

The ground’s reduced capacity and the possibility of a large away crowd led to a number of concerns, but this is also causing quite a backlash.

The National League has granted Sports an extension until the end the month in order to finish their ground improvement with Latimer Park, the closest Category B ground to Peterborough Sports.

PETERBOROUGH SPORTS STATEMENT:

Today has seen many discussions about Saturday’s final league game versus Darlington with a wide variety of parties.

Identified early in the season as one of the high-risk games, the situation has been magnified by the ongoing ground works and the potential for a large following from Darlington with our reduced capacity.

Safety and security remain paramount considerations, so when you add to that a home game for Peterborough United and Truckfest, you will understand the issues.

The League obviously had some concerns and provided a range of options, all of which have been considered with the relevant parties.

All of these options involved an element of compromise as well as goodwill from other parties.

Tonight, I can announce that thanks to the cooperation of Ritchie at Kettering Town FC, the game will now take place at Latimer Park with Kettering being the nearest Category B ground to us.

One positive is that there are some precious additional hours that are needed to continue the work needed at the ground.

Full details about the arrangements will be discussed tomorrow, but the Presentation Evening event that was due to take place after the game will still take place at the Turbines Tavern, albeit slightly delayed.

Segregation will be in place with normal admission prices and of course Season Tickets remain valid.

🏟 Peterborough Sports game moved to Kettering

On the instructions of the league Saturday’s away game at @PSLFC has been switched to Kettering

After talks with Peterborough Sports, the league has ruled that their ground is unsuitable to stage the game for safety reasons pic.twitter.com/4LfgmTNFau

— Darlington FC (@Official_Darlo) April 24, 2023

As a fan-owned club, we want to help the fans as much as possible

If you would like to use the free coach please email neil.raper@darlingtonfc.org quoting your fan id#WeAreDarlo #YourClub https://t.co/3FEd0BC4M7

— Darlington FC (@Official_Darlo) April 25, 2023

DARLINGTON STATEMENT:

Instructions of the league

On the instructions of the league, Saturday’s away game at Peterborough Sports has been switched to Kettering.

After talks with Peterborough Sports, the league has ruled that their ground is unsuitable to stage the game for safety reasons. There is building work going on at the ground, which has significantly reduced their capacity.

We would like to apologise to our fans for the inconvenience this will cause, but the situation has been entirely out of our control.

As mentioned, Peterborough Sports anger fans by changing the venue of their match to 30 miles away with five days notice…

@GWaudby: National League and Peterborough Sports should refund all Darlo fans who have bought train tickets

@tom_1177: This is an utter disgrace. They’ve already missed the deadline for the improvements. The league should relegate them.

@Darlomatt159302: The timing of this is appalling

@Sarge15Lee: Feel for you guys such a poor decision. All because a team overspent on players rather then the ground. Good luck to all travelling fans, on the plus side at least you get a roof and a toilet at Kettering

@mullet69uk: If the league gave the slightest shite about travelling fans they’d look at somewhere like Grantham

@jords141: thats fucking joke, people have already booked trains

@NeilFromNorge: Tin pottery again.

@dale_sando: This just absolutely sums up the second half of this season…

@HappyHopperNE: Mickey Mouse league @TheVanaramaNL strikes again! Utter shambles not to have that in place prior to the season ending. Fans money on travel wasted during a cost of living crisis.

@si_hahn89: So Peterborough Sports are running out of time to finish their ground upgrades and due to work still taking place our game is moved only 5 days before the game…… seems fair. Feel for our fans the majority of which will have already bought train tickets in advance. Joke

@matthew_bartram: Get them relegated immediately, the national league have never made exceptions for anyone else

@BenPearson1997: And it’s taken you just 5 days before the fixture to realise this, which was scheduled back in July? Peterborough Sports should reimburse any fan that has already booked non-refundable travel to Peterborough for Saturday’s fixture.

@Rennie__23: This is shocking, lodes of fans already sorted travel

@tom_1177: Why are @KTFCOfficial seemingly sympathetic to the mess PS are in? We completed our improvements when threatened with expulsion from the league. They should be relegated via the last relegation spot.

@AndyClarke5: 0 consideration for the fans. How would you like the fans who have paid for non refundable train tickets to Peterborough to get to Kettering? @TheVanaramaNL

@GloverKevin: Feel for those with train tickets coming from Darlington.

@IsaacHUFC: This is a disgrace. Genuinely feel sorry for all the @Official_Darlo fans

@TyronEdwards15: Moving the game to a ground 30 miles away less than a week before the game. Absolute shambles. Feel for any away supporters who already have trains booked

@NotNotlynnfan1: imagine ketterings ground being an upgrade fuck me 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@DarloAddict: Any apology to the darlo fans for the inconvenience caused. So unprofessional you should be ashamed

@jok1r: Darlington should point blank refuse. If anything Peterborough should be made to come up North to play the game and compensate anyone who’s bought train tickets. This league man. Totally embarrassing decision. PS be laughing at getting away with it.

@SiBrodie: Given the last minute change of venue for Saturday, what are you going to do to account for those who have purchased advance rail tickets to Peterborough for the game?

@CaptainBoffin: Should have had the ongoing works completed months ago but instead you spent the money on your playing budget and got an extension from the league which nobody else has ever got

@ch4zf1: Disgrace of a club. How you got an extension is ridiculous when we’ve been playing with only 12 players in some cases because we spent our money on ground upgrades, yet you’ve been niced and got to splash your precious pounds on players. I sincerely hope you go down next season

@Hollis79N: Will you be reimbursing those darlo fans who have trains booked? Disgraceful at such short notice.

@coledogg: Wow shocking not darlos fault but what about those fans who have bought train tickets in advance

@al_quaker: Surely you can do a stronger statement than that? This is disgrace and you should be sticking up for those who have bought non refundable train tickets. Rightly quick to strongly condemn fan misbehaviour, but then when fans are completely innocent we just get this?

@tom_breedon: Doing this is at 5 days notice is terrible. This post trying to defend it is downright embarrassing.