Everyone here at Rotherham United is eagerly anticipating the return of supporters to AESSEAL New York Stadium for our upcoming pre-season friendlies and the 2021/22 Sky Bet League One campaign.
We are aware that it has been over 17 months since we last welcomed supporters to our stadium and, despite coronavirus restrictions being lifted on 19th July, we are keen to ensure that fans young and old feel that they can attend matches in the safest possible environment.
In addition to our ongoing efforts to safely navigate the coronavirus pandemic, fans who have been down to see us more recently or those who live locally may have noticed the temporary bridge repair works which are ongoing on Don Street and have resulted in access to the stadium from that location being restricted.
Changes to access caused by ongoing bridge repair works on Don Street
As a result of the above detailed works, there will be no pedestrian or vehicular access to the stadium via Don Street until mid- October.
Vehicles will only be able to access the stadium via New York Way, which will also continue to be used by supporters on foot as normal.
Following discussions with Rotherham Council, the club has made provisions to utilise the car park located at the rear of Riverside House as a thoroughfare for supporters to enter and exit on foot, giving them access to Main Street via the top of Don Street (avoiding the ongoing works).
The flood gates at Riverside House will be opened to allow supporters access to Don Street via their car park during the period in which the entrance to AESSEAL New York Stadium from Don Street is closed
For fixtures at which we anticipate the stadium nearing capacity, an exit plan will be put in place using these two egress routes to ensure that segregation is maintained. More detail on that will follow nearer the time.
The club has made provisions to install some temporary steps which will lead from the North Stand down towards the car park area to accommodate supporters coming from the East Stand who would normally have made their way behind the Guest & Chrimes building and along Don Street. Until the repair work is complete all supporters will now leave the stadium footprint via either New York Way or the Riverside House car park route.
A stewarding plan has been agreed with the police and emergency services to ensure minimal disruption to our supporters during this period.
Access to AESSEAL New York Stadium during this time is indicated in yellow for pedestrians and red for vehicles
Precautionary measures at AESSEAL New York Stadium to prevent the spread of Coronavirus
We are delighted to be once again opening our doors to supporters following an age without you and, like the rest of the nation, we’re encouraged by the relaxation of the coronavirus restrictions on Monday 19th July 2021.
Whilst there is now no longer an obligation to abide by previous rules, we are also well-aware of our responsibility to our supporters and those in our community to continue to prevent the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, we want to ensure that those who are classed as vulnerable or may be uncomfortable about returning to large social gatherings can feel confident about returning to AESSEAL New York Stadium.
With this in mind, we will continue to exercise caution in our practices for the time-being and would politely request that supporters are courteous to one another in doing the same.
Our own stewarding and hospitality staff will be wearing masks within the stadium area and we are encouraging supporters to continue to wear masks when entering and moving around the stadium, although – as per current Government guidelines - this isn’t compulsory.
There are hand sanitising stations located at every point of entry to the stadium and supporters are again encouraged to use these at their discretion during their time in our company at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Hand sanitising stations have been installed at all points of entry to the stadium
With the help of our catering partners at Elior UK, we have made efforts to reduce contact time around the concourses and the potential spread of coronavirus. To achieve this, we have installed hand sanitisers at each kiosk point. Whilst there will be no screens at the point of service, the Elior UK staff will be wearing masks and we have marked out 1m+ social distancing guidelines which we politely request supporters adhere to whilst queuing.
In an attempt to help us ensure that we can track and trace any potential outbreaks of the virus, we will be displaying QR codes at each entrance, with each one linked to the relevant stand that you are entering.
QR codes - relevant to each stand around the stadium - will also be displayed at each point of entry
Guidance from the Government continues to request that individuals stay at home if they are asked to self-isolate, or if they are showing symptoms of the virus or feeling unwell. We would encourage our fans to do the same as we look to keep everyone safe here at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
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Car parking
The only car parking at the stadium will be for supporters who have purchased a seasonal disabled car parking space.
Supporters can be dropped off in the car park up to an hour before kick off and then from 30 minutes after kick off to be picked up.
Further information on local parking solutions can be found in our Away Fans’ Guide here.
https://www.themillers.co.uk/fans/away-fans/
Programmes
Matchday programmes will be available to purchase from our sellers around AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The Red and White Shop
The Red and White Shop will be open as normal on home matchdays.
We are aware that our club shop isn’t the biggest area, so would ask supporters to exercise courtesy to one another whilst entering the shop. Our staff will serve from behind perspex screens and will be continuing to wear masks.
Summary
We would like to remind supporters that all of the above measures are precautionary and add that we understand that for a number of reasons, personal, medical or otherwise, our fans may not wish to follow some or all of the advice.
Of course, we respect the prerogative of each and every individual supporter but would also like to reiterate that we have made the aforementioned details with your safety in mind.
We ask that you exercise common courtesy to your fellow Millers supporters. Whilst plenty are, we know that some people are not ready to adjust to life as we knew it before the pandemic just yet, and we would ask that you respect those individuals who want to support the team in as safe and environment as possible.
We absolutely cannot wait to have you back with us here at AESSEAL New York Stadium and would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.