letting the kids run on to the pitch at full time

[Dunbar]

12 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

the word spontaneity has been removed from the modern dictionary

I hope they carefully considered all the implications before making that decision. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I hope they carefully considered all the implications before making that decision. 

I think it was a pretty spontaneous decision tbh. 

[17 stone giant]

I too must be in the fun police, because I think it would be stupid to go back to the days of letting/encouraging people to run onto the pitch at full time.

The reason all sports have stopped it, is because it's unnecessary and it creates risks that are best avoided.

Lots of players clearly weren't in favour either, as many of them would run to get into the tunnel before the pitch invaders reached them.

Plenty of kids are enjoying all manner of sporting occasions, without ever needing to set foot on the pitch.

[M j M]

As elsewhere it used to be such a common thing at Headingley and then, suddenly in the early '90s, they began surrounding the pitch with an entire ring of stewards. It died out very quickly after that.

However for some reason after the Leeds-Cas game in June 2012 they allowed it for one last time. I honestly can't remember why now but they replaced the pitch at the end of that season and they'd never let it happen on the new one (although they do other terrible things to that). 

 

[Loiner]

17 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

All the Leeds players do a lap of the stadium signing autographs, shirts having selfies with fans for a considerable length of time on the last home game of the season. I can’t see why the fans need to leave the stands to interact with the players. Running onto the pitch is yobbish and completely unnecessary. 

There's always one.

[Scubby]

When I was about 11, I ran onto the pitch and got Kurt Sorensen's tie ups. They actually had Kurt Sorensen written on them in black pen. Used them all throughout my time playing youth RL. A lot of people didn't believe me and said I'd written it on myself!  

Good times.

[daz39]

22 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

We can't do that, one of our little darlings might be a terrorist bomber wanting to blow up their heroes..!

Or they havent got enough adults to 'safeguard' them for 3 minutes while they did it, it would be a huge logistical operation to let 30 kids run onto a field these days.

[Eddie]

9 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

RL and pretty much every other sport can thank football for this change. Its due to their thugs that government advice was changed (and if memory serves laws updated) to make entering a pitch a criminal offence.

At least we can still have a bevvy in view of the pitch. 

[wasginger]

21 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

All the Leeds players do a lap of the stadium signing autographs, shirts having selfies with fans for a considerable length of time on the last home game of the season. I can’t see why the fans need to leave the stands to interact with the players. Running onto the pitch is yobbish and completely unnecessary. 

Yobbish I am then. I remember when Fev needed to win at Barrow to win the league. As soon as the whistle went, I was straight onto the pitch. Happy days and great memories.

[graveyard johnny]

i suppose their is a point about health and safety - if an 11 year was to run on the pitch to give his/her favourite winger a pat on the back these days it could result in serious injury to ,,,,, Tom Johnstone 

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, wasginger said:

Yobbish I am then. I remember when Fev needed to win at Barrow to win the league. As soon as the whistle went, I was straight onto the pitch. Happy days and great memories.

45 years ago.

As irrelevant to today as 1932 was to 1977.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

More importantly we need to get people like Erica Rowe back on the pitch

[Morris Wanchuk]

Yeah memories of trying in vain to get Wally Lewis’s tie ups at Belle Vue after home games, never managed it! 

[meast]

On 08/09/2021 at 21:31, Josef K said:

And that’s what life’s about. 
Trouble is these days you never see a dog on the pitch. 

I had a first the other night, a football game stopped due to a duck that refused to leave the field of play, presumably it got bored of swimming about on the river Irwell at Ramsbottom and decided it wanted to play up front for Colne .

It wasn't as interesting as a dog on the pitch, but animal pitch invaders are always fun!

[meast]

I never realised just how sweaty and dirty rugby players' kits were until I joined in the celebrations of a rare Huddersfield win at Fartown in the late 80s!

Infection control and health and safety nightmare these days I imagine

[Damien]

10 minutes ago, meast said:

I never realised just how sweaty and dirty rugby players were until I joined in the celebrations of a rare Huddersfield win at Fartown in the late 80s!

Infection control and health and safety nightmare these days I imagine

I wondered where you were going with this for a moment.... Indeed reading back I'm still not sure, perhaps you'd be better not elaborating further 

[JohnM]

Fans running onto the pitch was somewhat a speciality of the home fans at Naughton Park.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment of the OP:

Bring back rickets.

The banter in the queue for liver (that'll be 5 ration coupons, please,  Mrs Graveyard) is sadly missed. 

Of course it all went wrong when they introduced the driving test.

it's a Long Way to Tipperary. 

I just loved walking in front of cars with my red flag.

[meast]

9 hours ago, Damien said:

I wondered where you were going with this for a moment.... Indeed reading back I'm still not sure, perhaps you'd be better not elaborating further 

Or rather, their kits were sweaty and dirty

[JohnM]

43 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

We used to run onto the pitch at the old Valley Parade after every game. If there was a ball knocking about we used to have a quick kick around too before being told to b*gger off out of it.

I’m just surprised we didn’t all turn out to be serial killers or something, such was the yobbishness on display.

....well......they walk amongst us....

[Lapsed Leeds Fan]

On 08/09/2021 at 21:02, Josef K said:

Even men with steel hearts love to see a dog on the pitch. 

Unfortunately Ray begged to differ .