Exclusive big screen crowd for England match at KGV
ENGLAND’S crucial European Championships quarter-final match with Ukraine will be an exclusive affair this evening at one of the island’s leading sports venues.
Admission to watch the game at the KGV will be restricted to KGV card holders only, following damage caused to the venue as about 800 fans packed it out to see England beat Germany on Tuesday.
Some fans took their goal celebrations too far, and benches collapsed from fans jumping up on top of them, creating holes in the decking of the terrace bar.
KGV director Mark Latter said the damage was unprecedented and extremely disappointing. It forced the venue’s decision to allow only card holders on the premises today.
‘The first game we had here, we had a couple hundred less than Tuesday, and no security, and no problem, but a lot of people we saw on Tuesday were first-time users, and they didn’t quite get what the KGV was all about,’ he said.
‘They were not only throwing beer, jumping up and down on tables and breaking them, but way after the goals had been scored all the people behind them with their families still couldn’t see the screen.’
He said about 200 card holders are expected to attend today. They will need to present their card to gain entrance and no new cards will be issued until the end of the Euros.
Mr Latter added that the support online had been overwhelming and he thanked the public for their generosity.
A Just Giving page set up by Callum Dean has raised over £3,000 so far. Skipton International’s community fund donated a further £1,500 to help with repairs.
The Skipton fund has donated more than £100,000 to 117 projects in the Channel Islands.
Skipton commercial manager Aaron Walden said this donation was particularly important because the sporting venue was popular with its staff and their families. ‘The whole Skipton team was disappointed to see the damage that had been caused after Tuesday’s football match and wanted to do something to help,’ he said.
The KGV has plans to reopen the site for more football fans, if England win tonight and head for a semi-final on Wednesday, with improved security and safety measures in place.
