Rotherham United are looking forward to welcoming you to AESSEAL New York Stadium for our upcoming fixture, and, after too long without supporters, cannot wait to see you back in the stands.
We are aware that it has been over 17 months since we last welcomed supporters to our stadium and, despite coronavirus restrictions being lifted on 19th July, we are keen to ensure that fans young and old feel that they can attend matches in the safest possible environment.
In addition to our ongoing efforts to safely navigate the coronavirus pandemic, we would also like to make visiting supporters aware of the temporary bridge repair works which are ongoing on Don Street and have resulted in access to the stadium from that location being restricted.
Whilst there is now no longer an obligation to abide by previous rules, we are also well-aware of our responsibility to our supporters and those in our community to continue to prevent the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, we want to ensure that those who are classed as vulnerable or may be uncomfortable about returning to large social gatherings can feel confident about returning to AESSEAL New York Stadium.
With this in mind, we will continue to exercise caution in our practices for the time-being and would politely request that supporters are courteous to one another in doing the same.
Changes to access caused by ongoing bridge repair works on Don Street
As a result of the above detailed works, there will be no pedestrian or vehicular access to the stadium via Don Street until mid- October.
Access to AESSEAL New York Stadium during this time is indicated in yellow for pedestrians and red for vehicles.
Vehicles will only be able to access the stadium via New York Way, which will also continue to be used by supporters on foot as normal.
Following discussions with Rotherham Council, the club has made provisions to utilise the car park located at the rear of Riverside House as a thoroughfare for supporters to enter and exit on foot, giving them access to Main Street via the top of Don Street (avoiding the ongoing works).
Facemasks
Our own stewarding and hospitality staff will be wearing masks within the stadium area and we are encouraging supporters to continue to wear masks when entering and moving around the stadium, although - as per current Government guidelines - this isn't compulsory.
There are hand sanitising stations located at every point of entry to the stadium and supporters are again encouraged to use these at their discretion during their time in our company at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Social distancing
With the help of our catering partners at Elior UK, we have made efforts to reduce contact time around the concourses and the potential spread of coronavirus. To achieve this, we have installed hand sanitisers at each kiosk point.
Whilst there will be no screens at the point of service, the Elior UK staff will be wearing masks and we have marked out 1m+ social distancing guidelines which we politely request supporters adhere to whilst queuing.
In an attempt to help us ensure that we can track and trace any potential outbreaks of the virus, we will be displaying QR codes at each entrance, with each one linked to the relevant stand that you are entering.
Socially distanced seating
Supporters will NOT be sat in a socially distanced manner for our fixtures at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
However, as a club, we are keen to ensure that supporters feel comfortable at all times and if there is a point during the game when you start to feel uncomfortable due to the proximity of others, or people around you not wearing facemasks, please speak to a steward and we will aim to find alternative seating for you to ensure you can continue to enjoy your experience.
QR codes
We will be displaying QR codes at every entrance to AESSEAL New York Stadium for those supporters wishing to continue tracking and tracing the spread of coronavirus.
Each QR code will be relevant to the stand in which you will be seated during your time in the ground, meaning that if a supporter in another stand is 'pinged' you will NOT get the same notification.
Ticket sales
Supporters are advised to purchase tickets early for the game, to avoid the anticipated queues on the night.
Home ticket sales will be from the Red and White Shop and the ticketing windows outside. Tickets are also available online until 5pm.
Away supporters can call the Red and White Shop from 9am Tuesday 27th July to order their away tickets in advance and if there are any tickets remaining, these will be on sale from the away box office from 5.30pm, CASH ONLY.
Ticket collections will be from the Red and White Shop until 5.30pm and then the tickets will be sent to the following turnstiles for the relevant stands:
Turnstile 8 – Eric Twigg Pukka Pies west stand collections
Turnstile 11 – KCM Recycling North Stand collections
Turnstile 15 – Ben Bennett Family East Stand collections
Away supporters will collect their tickets from out side the away tickets office located near to turnstile 22.
Car parking
The only car parking at the stadium will be for supporters who have purchased a seasonal disabled car parking space.
Supporters can be dropped off in the car park up to an hour before kick off and then from 30 minutes after kick off to be picked up.
Further information on local parking solutions can be found in our Away Fans’ Guide here.
Programmes
Matchday programmes will be available to purchase from our sellers around AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The Red and White Shop
The Red and White Shop will be open as normal on home matchdays.
We are aware that our club shop isn’t the biggest area, so would ask supporters to exercise courtesy to one another whilst entering the shop. Our staff will serve from behind perspex screens and will be continuing to wear masks.
Catering
Our new catering partners Elior UK have also taken a number of precautions to keep you safe around the stadium.
At the kiosks, they will be encouraging - but sales are not limited to - cashless payments. The Elior UK staff will be wearing masks at all times, whilst all queues will have social distancing guidelines marked out on the floor.
Please be assured that we will be continuing to accept cash and card payments throughout the stadium.
Video streaming passes
Please note that the Millers' pre-season friendlies will NOT be streamed live, but there will be live audio commentary on NUFC TV.
Rotherham United would like to remind supporters that all of the above measures are precautionary and add that we understand that for a number of reasons, personal, medical or otherwise, our fans may not wish to follow some or all of the advice.
Of course, we respect the prerogative of each and every individual supporter but would also like to reiterate that we have made the aforementioned details with your safety in mind.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to AESSEAL New York Stadium and we hope you enjoy your time in our company.
