FC Den Bosch will take a maximum of 250 supporters to the remaining away games of this season. Because the permits and work passes of their own stewards have expired, security personnel must be called in. That is expensive and if more supporters travel to an away match, more security guards must also be hired, the club says.
The problems arose because employees of the security organization of the football club were sick at home. Since December, an interim safety manager, two volunteers and a number of office employees have been taking on tasks from the safety organization in addition to their normal work.
“That is not an ideal situation. They have to deal with overdue work, among other things. Because essential information is missing, it demands a lot from the organization,” reports FC Den Bosch.
For example, it was forgotten to extend the work passes of the stewards. The current stewards may be deployed as service employees, but may not perform safety duties.
Paid too late
The club cites more reasons to bring fewer away supporters. For example, not all bus companies would like to transport supporters of the club due to negative experiences from the past. The club has failed to pay bills on time on a number of occasions, which also causes mistrust among the carriers.
Clubs also sometimes impose restrictions on the number of visitors. For example, no away audience is welcome at the match against Willem II on April 2. In October 2022, riots broke out at this match. The ME then cleared the box with the supporters of FC Den Bosch.
Friendly ties
Den Bosch also has to visit Heracles, NAC, Roda JC, Jong Utrecht and De Graafschap this season. In the game against Roda JC, the club tries to bring more supporters because of the friendly ties between the two clubs.
The club asks the supporters for understanding for all the problems. No one at the club could say how many fans normally go along on Thursday afternoon. The supporters association also does not want to comment on the news.