Rotherham United are back in Sky Bet Championship action this Friday, when they welcome Ipswich Town to AESSEAL New York Stadium for an 8pm kick off. Ahead of the fixture, we've provided the below matchday guide.
Rotherham United and Ipswich Town will join clubs throughout the EFL in paying their respects to the innocent victims who have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Isreal and Palestine with a minute’s silence prior to tonight’s Sky Bet Championship fixture.
Both teams will also wear black armbands for the fixture – which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports – as a visible reminder that our thoughts and prayers remain with those in the Middle East.
The thoughts of both clubs and the wider football community stay with everyone affected, their families and friends and all of the communities that find themselves amidst the escalating conflict.
The silence will take place before kick off on the referee’s whistle and we would ask any supporters joining us in the stadium around that time to be mindful of the tribute when entering the stadium.
Rotherham United would like to reassure supporters travelling to tonight’s game that the club currently has no concerns about the playing surface at AESSEAL New York Stadium, despite the inclement weather around the UK at present.
The club’s ground staff have – and will continue to – monitor the condition of the pitch in the build-up to tonight’s 8pm kick off against Ipswich Town but, at present, have no concerns about a potential postponement.
As a result, there are currently NO pitch inspections planned ahead of tonight’s game but should this change throughout the course of the day, we will communicate that message at the earliest possible opportunity.
We do recognise that the weather may have affected travel plans for supporters attending the match and would remind those same fans to exercise caution on their route to the stadium and allow plenty of time to account for any delays that the weather may have had on their journey. As always, we would advise fans travelling to check the latest traffic updates and information from public transport providers ahead of their trip.
Rotherham United can confirm that due to adverse weather conditions, the Concession Three Pop-up Bar will closed for this evening’s hosting of Ipswich Town.
As part of our new and improved service with Elior UK, this will be up and running for future games.
We would like to once again encourage supporters who are attending this fixture to arrive in plenty of time ahead of the 8pm kick-off.
Having issued a similar message through the 2022/23 campaign – which yielded a more positive outcome with supporters entering the turnstiles with greater ease – we are once again asking that fans arrive at AESSEAL New York Stadium in plenty of time and familiarise themselves with the new ticket scanning process at the stadium.
Supporters who are collecting tickets for the match can do so from the following locations.
- Any tickets purchased in the Eric Twigg Pukka Pie West Stand - Turnstile 8
- Any tickets purchased for the KCM Recycling North Stand - Turnstile 11
- Any tickets purchased in the Ben Bennett Family East Stand or the South East Corner - Turnstile 15
As we continue to work towards speeding up food and drink services on matchdays, our catering partners at Elior UK would like to once again encourage card payments on the concourse kiosks.
While cash will still be accepted, we would like to take this opportunity to encourage fans to use card payments which remains the quickest and most convenient way to pay on a matchday.
Having noted feedback from supporters about queuing times and whilst continuing to work closely with Elior UK, we remain committed to achieving the best supporter experience possible at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Rotherham United would like to once again remind supporters that the club can and will be sanctioned for any instances of anti-social behaviour or pitch encroachment.
We would like to reiterate that the football club operates a ZERO tolerance policy towards all forms of anti-social behaviour and anyone found guilty of such offences at any time will face a ban and police action.
The football club, of course, remain firmly of the belief that the actions of a small group of individuals absolutely do not represent the majority of our fan base, who we would like to thank for always behaving impeccably when following the club home and away.
However, we must stress the potential consequences of anti-social behaviour. Clubs throughout the pyramid have again been contacted and reminded by the football authorities that any incidents will result in the club being sanctioned with financial penalties or potentially worse.
It goes without saying that as a club and a fanbase, we want to do everything in our power to ensure we avoid facing sanctions of this nature, at all costs.
For the 2023/24 campaign, English football authorities have introduced a series of measures to help improve the behaviour of not just supporters, but managers, players and coaches across the professional, National League system and grassroots games, as well as addressing the issue of football tragedy abuse.
New policies, procedures, and regulations will come into force from the start of the 2023/24 season, to address unacceptable conduct on the pitch, on the side-lines and in the stands, to ensure that the actions of the minority do not spoil the game for all. This builds on the work carried out throughout last season to combat dangerous and illegal fan behaviour, supported by the ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ football-wide campaign.
The robust and collective approach which has been taken by clubs across the whole pyramid reflects just how seriously we all view this issue and the severity of the risks that come with it. The pitch must remain safe for players, managers and match officials, just as the stands should be safe for supporters.
Once again, we would like to thanks the thousands of Rotherham United who represent our town and badge in line with our core principles and values. We look forward to seeing you all for the new campaign.
We have a full page dedicated to providing information for First Time Fans which can be found HERE.
Check out all the key information prior to your visit in our Away Fans' Guide, HERE.
Copies of our official matchday programme The New York Way are available for £3 and contain our popular Q&As, as well as the usual columns from Chairman Tony Stewart and Manager Matt Taylor.
Rotherham United and Rotherham United Community Trust are once again pledging their support to try and help raise awareness around the issue of hate crimes and their consequences, by dedicating Friday evening’s Sky Bet Championship fixture with Ipswich Town to National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
This is an opportunity to showcase the incredible work that has been carried out at the football club over the last few years, which further reaffirms our commitment to irradicating discrimination, not just at the football club, but society as a whole. We are one club, one community and together we are United in ending discrimination.
As has previously been the case, we have been working closely with South Yorkshire Police and Remedi, who are a charity organisation working with young people and adults to help educate people on the consequences of hate abuse.
South Yorkshire police’s PC Chris Nicholson has been the hate crime lead in Rotherham for the past seven years and is heavily involved with the ongoing partnership working with the club and community sport trust.
He said:
“Hate in all its forms is a serious offence and one that the police and criminal justice system take very seriously.
“A hate offence is a very personal attack on a person because of who they are and something about them that they cannot change.
“This may be because of their race, disability, sexuality, gender identity or faith and no one should be judged or discriminated against because of this.
“If a person feels that they are being targeted because of this, they should feel confident to come forward and report it so that the matter can be dealt with.
“Rotherham United are one of a number of third-party reporting centres where victims or witnesses can report hate incidents and be supported whilst doing so”.
For more information on reporting through Rotherham United Community Trust please contact us on 01709 827767.
Rotherham United Community Trust will once again be opening their GoalZone.
The entertainment facility is free to enter to supporters who are season ticket holders or have purchased tickets for the match, with pre-match entertainment provided for kids who are arriving early for the game.
The centre is now on the ground floor of the Community offices, located on the ground floor of the Eric Twigg Foods West Stand, near the Players' Entrance.
Resident club mascot Miller Bear frequently pops in to say hello on matchdays too, so come along and check it out.
The Goal Zone is open from 6:30pm on Friday but children attending must be accompanied by an adult.
We are committed to ensuring that Rotherham United is a place where everyone can enjoy football...
If you hear abuse of any kind whilst in and around our stadium grounds, we encourage you to report it using our anonymous mobile service.
Full information on how to report can be found HERE.
The club would like to emphasise that we operate a zero tolerance policy on discrimination of any sort. Anyone found to be in breach of this rule will receive a lifetime banning order. Any reported acts of disciplinary conducts by the club’s supporters are also highly likely to lead to formal disciplinary action by the FA under rule E20.
Anyone wishing to anonymously report discrimination or inappropriate behaviour within the ground can do so by using the following number: 07507 449121.
You can also use the Kick Out reporting app which provides users with the ability to attach video, photo and audio evidence to complaints to help support investigations into discriminatory abuse and behaviour.
The free Kick It Out app can be downloaded NOW from Google Play and the App Store.
Referee: J. Gillett
Assistants: D. Caan & N. Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: K. Stroud
Rotherham United are delighted to inform supporters that we have now implemented a new Disabled Supporters’ Room on-site at AESSEAL New York Stadium, which will be in operation prior to Wednesday's game against Ipswich Town.
Going right back to when the designs of our new home were conceived, we have always strived to ensure that AESSEAL New York Stadium offers everyone the opportunity to watch the Millers in both comfort and safety and whilst our disabled facilities have come in for much praise from both home and away supporters alike over the years, we are always looking at ways in which we can improve our matchday experienced right across the board.
In conjunction with the Rotherham United Disabled Supporters’ Association, we have been able to take on board feedback from our own fans on the matters and as a result, we have been able to amend a number of our practices in line with such suggestions.
One such proposal has been to introduce a facility that our disabled fans can enjoy prior to our home games and we are delighted that this is something we are now able to offer.
Working closely with our Community Sports Trust, the Millers will now be offering access to the new room which will be located on the ground floor of the Community Sports Trust area of the stadium, next to the players entrance.
Use of the room will mean that can provide our disabled supporters with a warm and comfortable environment in which to enjoy the build-up to matches at AESSEAL New York Stadium and will be open from 6:45pm.
For the latest news from RUDSA, you can follow them on twitter @OfficialRUDSA or on Facebook by searching OfficialRUDSA.
Rotherham United
Goalkeeper: Black shirts, black shorts and black socks.
Outfield: Red and White shirts, white shorts and socks.
Ipswich Town
Goalkeeper: Green shirts, green shorts and green socks.
Outfield: Blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks.
Our resident club mascot Miller Bear loves meeting supporters young and old!
He'll be on-site at AESSEAL New York Stadium throughout the day and will happily post for photos and sign autographs, so please be sure to say 'hello' if you see him around.
Check out his social media on Twitter here!
Rotherham United would like to remind supporters parked in the club's official car park that supporters are permitted to leave the premises up to the 85th minute of the match.
After this time the car park will be closed to all traffic until a point whereby all of our spectators have safely vacated the premises.
Rotherham United are continuing to take steps towards making AESSEAL New York Stadium a cashless venue by introducing card payments for sales of matchday programmes and 50/50 tickets.
The club already facilitates cashless payments around the kiosks and in the hospitality areas and, as of this weekend, will also have the ability to take card payments for both matchday programme and 50/50 ticket sales.
Six sellers in total – three for programmes and three for 50/50 – will be in possession of card machines on Saturday, allowing supporters to make their matchday purchases on the walk up to AESSEAL New York Stadium using cards or contactless payments such as GooglePay and ApplePay.
The sellers will be located in the vicinity of the areas as displayed on the following diagram and will accept BOTH cash and card payments.
The figures in red denote programme sellers – one of which will make sales internally at AESSEAL New York Stadium – whilst the figure in yellow is the 50/50 seller who will be equipped with a card machine. Two further 50/50 sellers will have card machines in the hospitality lounges.
Other sellers around the ground will only be able to facilitate cash payments.
The club are hopeful that in taking these steps it makes the sales process for our supporters easier and more convenient.
Rotherham United Community Trust have taken steps to do something positive to address topical issues around sustainability and the environment. They have been working closely with Millers striker Georgie Kelly for the launch of their kit recycling scheme at upcoming home games, including Wednesday night’s hosting of Bristol City.
Supporters are invited to reduce their home kit mountains and deposit replica kits, training kits and football boots into our collection bins at the Fan Zone and other locations across Rotherham.
RUCT will be opening a Swap Shop in the Goal Zone, with all the reusable items we have received. The Swap Shop will open once a month on a date and time to be confirmed.
We are looking for the following items:
Football Boots
RUFC Shirts
Training Wear
Shin Pads
Please note, we can only accept items that are in usable condition.