RIOTING AND LUTON
Tim Heald reports
on a solution to football violence
`Unthinkable till this year,' he says. fans at the other end. couples of police around the ground itself Part of the theatre of modern football is but they seemed very relaxed. The green- the duel between opposing 'choirs' at each grocers all had fruit on display outside their end of the ground. It can sometimes shops. A small queue formed in Mario's produce moments of magic. It was marvel- Fish and Chip Restaurant. Desultory lous the other day to hear hundreds of weekend conversation took place outside Geordies belt out the Bladon Races as Malik and Bros Continental Food and Newcastle United went into a brief lead Halal Meat. Mr Pope even had a basket against QPR — and bizarre to witness the full of hats on offer on the pavement. 'sick-as-a-parrot' silence from the home The reason for the lifting of the Saturday There was none of that last Saturday at siege round Kenilworth Road is wonderful- Kenilworth Road, although contrary to ly simple. Since the beginning of this some national press reports there were a season Luton Town FC has introduced a number of West Ham supporters in the membership scheme and banned away main stand near me and my nine-year-old supporters. You can't get into the ground son. In other grounds the away supporters without pushing your plastic membership are caged behind bars. Children were card into a machine at the turnstiles. If it's sitting on the advertisement hoardings in order you get a green light and go before kick-off. I even saw players signing through; if it's not a message flashes on to autographs. People gave the impression of the screen of one of the Epson computers being there to watch football. As John in the control room and the security people Pope said earlier, 'There's nobody there to are immediately despatched to the gate. fight so they have to enjoy the game.' Much of football officialdom has been sceptical or even hostile but my impression was that it's working. Luton have lost the money from away supporters but every month another 500 of their own people take up membership. People who were scared off by violence and hooliganism are coming back and Saturday afternoon at Kenilworth Road has become, as it always used to be, packed with fathers and sons. Above all the membership scheme has introduced real sanctions. Earlier this sea- son a Luton fan was found guilty of threatening behaviour on his way back from a match at Wimbledon. Luton promptly cancelled his membership and he's banned from their ground. 'They said the club would lose fans,' said one suppor- ter, 'but the only people they've lost are the yobbos.'
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