Are ‘tourists’ ruining the Sincil Bank atmosphere?

“Coz everybody hates a tourist,
Especially one who thinks it’s all such a laugh.”

Our recent 2-1 win against Chesterfield has sparked an odd reaction across social media. It is widely thought we ground out a result without ever hitting top gear, that in itself isn’t too bad. Last season we did the same thing on occasions and most successful sides manage to win games they haven’t reached their peak in. Nobody can complain at 10th after 12 games and on Saturday we put in a workman-like and controlled performance in, even if it wasn’t all swashbuckling football and samba soccer Cowley-style.

Off the pitch there has been something of a debate also, several fans have commented that our own support seemed subdued. Some of the 617 lads have spoken of how Upper Block 7 wasn’t as much a ‘singing section’ as a ‘status section’. This has been blamed for a noticable drop in the noise levels, noticeable perhaps to some but not all. So, is the reputation of UB7 now beginning to be its ultimate undoing? Are atmosphere tourists, keen to have their name attached to the 617 and their incredible support, slowly killing off the very thing they want to claim to be  part of?

I think the first point to make is we were still very vocal on Saturday as a group of fans. Chesterfield sounded great, but when you travel in large numbers it is far easier to generate more noise, away fans are all grouped together and for some reason an away day often finds fans in good voice and in good humour. When visiting fans are vocal it can seem as though the home support is quiet. In comparison, when 50 FGR fans roll up in a couple of taxis, the home support will seem deafening if we all just cough at the same time.

Were the fans quieter than usual this week? Perhaps, although some in the Selenity stand still caught videos of them bouncing and singing like always. To those directly opposite UB7 there wasn’t a significant drop in atmosphere, and once again both Alex Woodyard and Danny Cowley paid tribute to the noise the fans generated. That said, something clearly riled a few of the UB7 regulars, and I think that needs to be addressed.

I’ve seen the usual debate that the 617 don’t have a monopoly on singing, they don’t have a right to tickets in one block, they take themselves too seriously and all of that, but that is incorrect and misses the point. I don’t agree with comments such as ‘we sit where we want’ when travelling away, but at home they negotiated that block as their base. They did that before many of the younger lads currently in there had stopped sleeping with a teddy bear and they should have a say in what happens in there over the rest of the season.

One complaint is that some ‘new faces’ were even trying to stand at the front of the block to conduct the singing. Having a ‘capo’ in Italy isn’t unusual but perhaps to English football fans it isn’t usual. For a while the 617 boys have had three or four lads down at the front starting the chants and encouraging singing, something that has been effective in raising the volume levels. Again, they fought for that right and they fought hard. I remember the days where they were moved on, when they felt they were being treated as the enemy despite being the only ones amongst a 1,800 crowd with the energy or desire to bother singing. Whilst our various National League squads were stumbling to mid-table finishes in a stadium not even a quarter full, those lads were doing what they do now. No one fan is more important than the other, new or old, but when a group of fans have worked at something such as this then they earn the right to have a say in the direction it takes.

Maybe the 617 could work with the club to move fans exiled to other parts of the ground, those that are known to want to stand and sing?

Success comes at a price and sadly this is going to be one of those situations that does not have an easy answer. The club cannot possibly save a whole block for fans whom the 617 pick and choose. Some of their leading figures don’t make it to every home game and the success of the club means often tickets are at a premium. There is much debate around segregation and how it affects our overall capacity, therefore we couldn’t possibly go into a game with UB7 half empty because certain singers can’t make it. Many of the group are dotted about the stadium too, which they claim further dilutes the atmosphere.

On Saturday it has been claimed that many of the faces in UB7 were new to the block and that whole groups spent more time on their phones or throwing caps about than actually generating atmosphere. Again, I stress that it is not the sole responsibility of the 617 to generate atmosphere, but they did fight for UB7 and I feel they earned their say on how to take it forward. One leading member even mentioned he felt like jacking it all in on Saturday after their hard work was being infiltrated and killed from inside by those wanting to claim to be Upper 7 but not actually take part. UB7 is not a status symbol, it is not the place to go just to tell your mates that is where you stand. It is only something worth discussing here because 50 or so lads have grafted, battled and campaigned to make it what it is.

It’s been said that certain blocks are too quiet also, many fans have complained they’re in a block which has lots of fans sat down and not singing. You know what? That is their prerogative and even if the thought of going to a game and not singing is alien to you, you still need to respect that not everyone wants to do it. I don’t and I’ll happily take the flack for that. I chose to sit in Upper 5 because I don’t chant and stand up for ninety minutes, but believe me that doesn’t make me less of a fan. Success may come at a cost, but we can reduce that cost by simply respecting each others right to do as we choose at the ground. I won’t ever respect anyone’s right to call our players every name under the sun just because they’ve paid their money, supporters, by definition, should support the side in whichever way they see fit. I’ll join in some songs, I’ll cheer the goals and I’ll spend money all around the ground, but I have no desire to get drunk and miss half of the game bouncing up and down. That is why I sit where I do.

I can’t see a clear way forward but there is a way to perhaps bridge the gap a little. There are lots of people across the ground who claim to be singers exiled from UB7, people who want to generate atmosphere but feel they can’t as they’re stuck in a quieter part of the ground where those around them choose to sit (as they should in an all-seater stadium). My understanding is that some of these fans are currently season ticket holders. Also, the fact new faces, unawares of what being in UB7 should entail, are infiltrating the block means some of the tickets for that area are on general sale. Maybe the 617 could work with the club to move fans exiled from other parts of the ground, those that are known to want to stand and sing? After all, standing in any other part of the ground is actually incredibly disrespectful to other fans, and believing you have a right to do so is arrogant and offensive. The 617 have negotiated their various allowances up in UB7but that doesn’t mean that any fan can suddenly do as he or she pleases in other areas of the ground.

These problems might be frustrating to those that they affect, but I’d rather be writing about them than not having enough people in the ground to muster a song. I’d rather see discussion about having too many fans than not enough, but I’d also rather see that discussion constructive and respectful of others. I know some feel the 617 are a little petulant at times, or they do themselves no favours with social media comments, but that isn’t entirely fair at all. They did work hard, really hard, to ensure the ground had some atmosphere through the bad times, and although there was chanting long before they arrived at the ground (and will be in a hundred years time when we’ve all been consigned to history) their place in our modern-day match day experience is important to the great atmosphere we’ve generated. I’m not saying new fans shouldn’t be encouraged to join in, nor am I saying that the 617 should be able to exclusively pick and choose who goes in UB7, but then again neither are they. All they ask is if you do go up there you respect the fact they negotiated to have a couple of lads conducting things at the front and that in order to be a part of UB7 you have to actually join in and add to what they’re trying to create. That isn’t too much to ask now, is it?