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Bag Limit Size Ban at The Valley - updated policy p13
Comments
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No need to mention age at all there, completely uncalled forOhMyGodden said:
But you criticise everything the club does nowdays, and old people love moaning about everything.Fanny Fanackapan said:
This has to be an April Fools' Day joke come early !!!!clive said:Weegie Addick said:Club have replied to a fan that there will be a drop off facility in Covered End reception from 18.15 for tomorrow night.CAST are just checking how this will work eg will bags be tagged with fans given receipts and then bags securely stored during the match. It’s great that the club have listened to the concerns raised and implemented this drop off option.Supporters attending Wednesday's fixture with bags or luggage should be aware of the club's bag policy for the 2026/27 season.
Transparent bags are permitted inside the stadium. Reusable transparent bags are available to purchase from the club shop for 80p, allowing supporters to carry personal belongings or newly purchased merchandise into the ground.
Supporters bringing a laptop bag will be permitted to take it into the stadium, but it will be subject to a search before entry.
A new bag drop service will also be in operation for Wednesday's fixture. Located at the Covered End Reception, the bag drop will open from 5.45pm. Small bags can be stored for £5 per item, while bags larger than a rucksack will be charged £10 per item.
Click here to read the bag policy in full.
https://www.cafc.co.uk/news/matchday-info-charlton-v-queens-park-rangers
I am disgusted at how low our club has fallen in the operational side of things, including the catering which is a total mess, but also the communication issues ..or rather lack of such.
This has been a real concern for longer than I care to remember but has become laughable.
How many differing, confusing & belated announcements have now been made regarding the bag issue ???? Who, on here, at least, is completely, 100% sure of what the process will be , including from just over 24 hours' time ? My ( big) gob is totally smacked by this latest announcement which many fans will be completely unaware of when they arrive at The Valley tomorrow evening.
My first question is what is the Covered End Reception ? Is this the North Stand Reception as it's always been referred to as in the days of the POTY dinner ? And is this the ONLY drop off area on the Stadium, meaning a walk to & from the West before & after matches especiaally pertinent for evening games when some are rushing from work & then to get home after a long day....madness if this is the case. The area of entry to Crossbars is already busy pre match for bag checks. And why are "transparent bags " highlighted ? This presumably means that bo other kind of bag will be allowed. And no mention/reminder of the sizing this time ....or of the method/requirement to obtain an exemption. EVERYTHING undefined & open to interpretation. What is wrong with the department head that allows this kind of ill thought out " information" to posted on the OS ??????
But uppermost in my old mind is the cost of this "innovation" !!!! Unbelievable.
Weegie. This HAS to be taken up with the club before tomorrow when fans will be setting off for work etc at an early hour, confused about the issues facing them later in the day when ALL they want to do is to support their football team.
This, for me, is the tip of a very big iceberg that threatens to sink our own red & white Titanic unless some serious discussions are had ASAP to get things back on track before it's too late.
Something is very wrong in the state of SE7 & surely the appointment of an experienced CEO is crucial before everything descends into chaos.6 -
I'll show you how old & moany I can be, you young whipper snapper.OhMyGodden said:
But you criticise everything the club does nowdays, and old people love moaning about everything.Fanny Fanackapan said:
This has to be an April Fools' Day joke come early !!!!clive said:Weegie Addick said:Club have replied to a fan that there will be a drop off facility in Covered End reception from 18.15 for tomorrow night.CAST are just checking how this will work eg will bags be tagged with fans given receipts and then bags securely stored during the match. It’s great that the club have listened to the concerns raised and implemented this drop off option.Supporters attending Wednesday's fixture with bags or luggage should be aware of the club's bag policy for the 2026/27 season.
Transparent bags are permitted inside the stadium. Reusable transparent bags are available to purchase from the club shop for 80p, allowing supporters to carry personal belongings or newly purchased merchandise into the ground.
Supporters bringing a laptop bag will be permitted to take it into the stadium, but it will be subject to a search before entry.
A new bag drop service will also be in operation for Wednesday's fixture. Located at the Covered End Reception, the bag drop will open from 5.45pm. Small bags can be stored for £5 per item, while bags larger than a rucksack will be charged £10 per item.
Click here to read the bag policy in full.
https://www.cafc.co.uk/news/matchday-info-charlton-v-queens-park-rangers
I am disgusted at how low our club has fallen in the operational side of things, including the catering which is a total mess, but also the communication issues ..or rather lack of such.
This has been a real concern for longer than I care to remember but has become laughable.
How many differing, confusing & belated announcements have now been made regarding the bag issue ???? Who, on here, at least, is completely, 100% sure of what the process will be , including from just over 24 hours' time ? My ( big) gob is totally smacked by this latest announcement which many fans will be completely unaware of when they arrive at The Valley tomorrow evening.
My first question is what is the Covered End Reception ? Is this the North Stand Reception as it's always been referred to as in the days of the POTY dinner ? And is this the ONLY drop off area on the Stadium, meaning a walk to & from the West before & after matches especiaally pertinent for evening games when some are rushing from work & then to get home after a long day....madness if this is the case. The area of entry to Crossbars is already busy pre match for bag checks. And why are "transparent bags " highlighted ? This presumably means that bo other kind of bag will be allowed. And no mention/reminder of the sizing this time ....or of the method/requirement to obtain an exemption. EVERYTHING undefined & open to interpretation. What is wrong with the department head that allows this kind of ill thought out " information" to posted on the OS ??????
But uppermost in my old mind is the cost of this "innovation" !!!! Unbelievable.
Weegie. This HAS to be taken up with the club before tomorrow when fans will be setting off for work etc at an early hour, confused about the issues facing them later in the day when ALL they want to do is to support their football team.
This, for me, is the tip of a very big iceberg that threatens to sink our own red & white Titanic unless some serious discussions are had ASAP to get things back on track before it's too late.
Something is very wrong in the state of SE7 & surely the appointment of an experienced CEO is crucial before everything descends into chaos.
Meet me in Crossbars, far end, past the 2nd bar tomorrow evening if you dare.....and I'll show you what REAL anger is !
If you had any pride in your football club, you'd have some understanding of why this latest piece of nonsense is just one example of the manner in which it is currently being run & why it is alarming for those of us who fought for its very existence.
What is it "they" say ? A " haddock" rots from its head ?7 -
Laptop bag exemption bit is pretty vague. Presumably that doesn't include if you have your laptop in a rucksack?
Then says to look at the full policy for more details, and the policy doesn't mention the laptop bag thing at all. Excellent...5 -
I am working in Bloomsbury tomorrow and need to drive to Bristol first thing Thursday (from home). We're not allowed to leave laptops hidden in a locked car boot, let alone a 'bag drop'......Arsenetatters said:Why don’t people leave lap tops at work? I’m assuming there must be somewhere to lock your stuff up?
or is this a daft question?1 -
I want to bring a small thermal bag, with thermos inside, given that the bag is 23x17x16cm will I be allowed to and will they allow a thermos in. The blurb on the website not clear.
This is taking security to the ridiculous.2 -
They really are unlikely to enforce it I’m sure. Maybe a warning for future games I’d guess.I also doubt they know what they are searching / looking for. I find this when we go the theatre - a point of looking in everyone’s bags but short of a cartoon style stick of dynamite with a clock attached really not clear what they would balk at.4
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Does anyone ever get a reply from fans@cafc.co.uk?
I've emailed them a few times in recent years and I've never got a response.3 -
Those dimensions are easily smaller than A4 so you'll have no problem there,msomerton said:I want to bring a small thermal bag, with thermos inside, given that the bag is 23x17x16cm will I be allowed to and will they allow a thermos in. The blurb on the website not clear.
This is taking security to the ridiculous.
Re the queries about laptop bags, the club website info says they will be allowed but the steward will want to look inside, I presume thats the same as previously, given that they looked inside nearly all bags.
I emailed the email address quoted previously early this morning requesting that my (little bit larger than A4) bag be allowed quoting my reasons for it being allowed which were as per my earlier piece on here about its contents supporting my various health issues (needing to eat healthily, taking various medication (pills) with water, multiple pairs of glasses because of awkward eyes, snacks for grandson, and then additional clothing when it gets cold in winter time.
Thankfully at about 3pm this afternoon I received an email from Charlton agreeing with me and have allowed me to continue to bring my slightly bigger than A4 bag.2 -
I emailed ... SafetyTeam@cafc.co.uk ... early this morning and got my response at 3pm this afternoon.Chunes said:Does anyone ever get a reply from fans@cafc.co.uk?
I've emailed them a few times in recent years and I've never got a response.1 -
Whilst of course this is the right and only acceptable outcome to my mind it only highlights how pointless the ‘policy’ is.CombeMartin said:
Those dimensions are easily smaller than A4 so you'll have no problem there,msomerton said:I want to bring a small thermal bag, with thermos inside, given that the bag is 23x17x16cm will I be allowed to and will they allow a thermos in. The blurb on the website not clear.
This is taking security to the ridiculous.
Re the queries about laptop bags, the club website info says they will be allowed but the steward will want to look inside, I presume thats the same as previously, given that they looked inside nearly all bags.
I emailed the email address quoted previously early this morning requesting that my (little bit larger than A4) bag be allowed quoting my reasons for it being allowed which were as per my earlier piece on here about its contents supporting my various health issues (needing to eat healthily, taking various medication (pills) with water, multiple pairs of glasses because of awkward eyes, snacks for grandson, and then additional clothing when it gets cold in winter time.
Thankfully at about 3pm this afternoon I received an email from Charlton agreeing with me and have allowed me to continue to bring my slightly bigger than A4 bag.If I wanted to be a ‘bad actor’ I’d seemingly be able to do a similar request to get a dispensation.It really feels that we have adopted an EFL / FA standard blindly with no real challenge / interpretation of the objectives and risks we need to mitigate.The reality I suspect is they really just want to ask people not to bring large bags unnecessarily and be prepared to have the contents looked at if you do with attendant delay. But we can’t find the right words / messaging to get that across.5 -
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So is anyone coming from work and risking bringing a bag with a laptop? I just hope the club’s employee’s are aware of their own rulings.2
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I will be turning up straight from work with a backpack which has a laptop holder within it (my usual backpack I took to every midweek home game last year).I am not allowed to leave this unattended due to work policy / confidential information / at work.So if they refuse me entry, I’ll just go home and watch it on the TV.Already paid for my season ticket, so no financial loss for me but will be one less supporter backing the team in the ground …
in reality I expect no issues and at worst a warning for future games.
I will report back… as I am sure many others will do.4 -
Makinh my first visit of the season to SE7 with a small rucksack with my laptop in.If they make me pay for a bag drop or any other bollox it will also be my last home game this season. Simples4
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I think you can still take those inkinveachyaddick said:Makinh my first visit of the season to SE7 with a small rucksack with my laptop in.If they make me pay for a bag drop or any other bollox it will also be my last home game this season. Simples6 -
I’m in Birmingham with work today but would have been back in time to make the game. However, like others, policy prevents me leaving my work laptop in a drop facility.
Didn’t want to risk getting turned away so didn’t bother getting a ticket.
I emailed the safety address yesterday about medical exemptions and how they work (do I need to apply for every game or can I get one for the season) but haven’t had a reply yet.
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I'm self employed in construction. I will never leave my laptop at work even if there is a place to lock it up.Arsenetatters said:Why don’t people leave lap tops at work? I’m assuming there must be somewhere to lock your stuff up?
or is this a daft question?1 -
A laptop in a laptop bag will be no problem, they'll just want to look in it (the bag), a laptop loose in a rucksack is a bit different, depends upon the rucksack size. I suspect the stewards will be sensible as long as the rucksack isn't huge.
As someone else said on here previously, I think they're mainly aiming this at away supporters.
Although if I went to an evening away game on the train I'd probably have to stay in a hotel overnight (so needing an overnight bag or travel home smelly), would the away side let me take that into their ground ?, I know someone that sits near me stays overnight, but he drives up. I'd have to check in to the hotel before the game and hope it wasn't miles from the ground (it could end up being 4 taxi journeys in total). The problem I have is even if I can get back to London same night on the train, getting to Ramsgate after that is impossible until next day.
Years ago (70's) I can remember driving up to Bolton for a midweek FA cup replay, and getting back home to Maidstone about 6.30am because of fog at the top end of the M6. We lost 4-0 !
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I don't believe there are any EFL/FA standards imposed. It is down to the individual venue operators to decide (presumably in conjunction with their premises licence issuer - presumably in CAFC's case the RBG.)valleynick66 said:
Whilst of course this is the right and only acceptable outcome to my mind it only highlights how pointless the ‘policy’ is.CombeMartin said:
Those dimensions are easily smaller than A4 so you'll have no problem there,msomerton said:I want to bring a small thermal bag, with thermos inside, given that the bag is 23x17x16cm will I be allowed to and will they allow a thermos in. The blurb on the website not clear.
This is taking security to the ridiculous.
Re the queries about laptop bags, the club website info says they will be allowed but the steward will want to look inside, I presume thats the same as previously, given that they looked inside nearly all bags.
I emailed the email address quoted previously early this morning requesting that my (little bit larger than A4) bag be allowed quoting my reasons for it being allowed which were as per my earlier piece on here about its contents supporting my various health issues (needing to eat healthily, taking various medication (pills) with water, multiple pairs of glasses because of awkward eyes, snacks for grandson, and then additional clothing when it gets cold in winter time.
Thankfully at about 3pm this afternoon I received an email from Charlton agreeing with me and have allowed me to continue to bring my slightly bigger than A4 bag.If I wanted to be a ‘bad actor’ I’d seemingly be able to do a similar request to get a dispensation.It really feels that we have adopted an EFL / FA standard blindly with no real challenge / interpretation of the objectives and risks we need to mitigate.The reality I suspect is they really just want to ask people not to bring large bags unnecessarily and be prepared to have the contents looked at if you do with attendant delay. But we can’t find the right words / messaging to get that across.
It is true that virtually everywhere has now imposed a similar policy. It makes sense to set a bag size (A4) that is easily understood by most people. There are a number of reasons why large bags are bad. Primarily, I would think, because they can contain a larger amount of explosives/shrapnel but also because they become a nightmare in the event of an emergency evacuation event with no power/lighting availability.
We are still operating under a "severe" level warning for terrorist activity which means a repeat of the Manchester Arena bombing is considered "highly likely". It is difficult to imagine that threat level will ever go away isn't it? So we are just going to have to suck it up. Of course a "soft" target like a packed but not particularly high profile London football stadium would seem to me to be an ideal target for an Islamist extremist.2 -
If your rucksack is small (as you say) i seriously doubt you'll have any issues.kinveachyaddick said:Makinh my first visit of the season to SE7 with a small rucksack with my laptop in.If they make me pay for a bag drop or any other bollox it will also be my last home game this season. Simples
If people turn up with one of those giant rucksacks from Millets that you can fit half your house inside then of course it'll be an issue and you'll likely be told to leave it at the bag drop.1 -
Wouldn’t it be great if the club diverted energy towards ensuring all the Curbs Stand turnstiles are working properly instead of this malarkey?
We could have harassed temporary staff having to click people through whilst at the same time searching bags.2 -
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As long as the bag is under A4 sizedDaveMehmet said:
I think you can still take those inkinveachyaddick said:Makinh my first visit of the season to SE7 with a small rucksack with my laptop in.If they make me pay for a bag drop or any other bollox it will also be my last home game this season. Simples0 -
Stick your laptop in this and no one will want to touch it.
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What type of construction do you do with a laptop ?cafc999 said:
I'm self employed in construction. I will never leave my laptop at work even if there is a place to lock it up.Arsenetatters said:Why don’t people leave lap tops at work? I’m assuming there must be somewhere to lock your stuff up?
or is this a daft question?0 -
I accept this policy is a bit inconvenient but I can't help thinking that some supporters are looking for issues where there aren't any.
The club have already said that laptop bags will be permitted, provided they are used for that purpose. They will also issue exemptions for medical reasons & while I appreciate that the admin may be lacking at the moment, seems like the stewards will be allowed some discretion until things bed in.
I bought myself an A4 sized rucksack before attending the West Ham game & have used it several times since, as most venues already have this policy.
I can get everything I need in the smaller bag, although winter might be more of a challenge when extra layers may be needed but I'm sure I can work something out !4 -
All valid points except you don’t really see lots of people with overly large bags at our games that would be an issue in the event of an evacuation.cafcfan said:
I don't believe there are any EFL/FA standards imposed. It is down to the individual venue operators to decide (presumably in conjunction with their premises licence issuer - presumably in CAFC's case the RBG.)valleynick66 said:
Whilst of course this is the right and only acceptable outcome to my mind it only highlights how pointless the ‘policy’ is.CombeMartin said:
Those dimensions are easily smaller than A4 so you'll have no problem there,msomerton said:I want to bring a small thermal bag, with thermos inside, given that the bag is 23x17x16cm will I be allowed to and will they allow a thermos in. The blurb on the website not clear.
This is taking security to the ridiculous.
Re the queries about laptop bags, the club website info says they will be allowed but the steward will want to look inside, I presume thats the same as previously, given that they looked inside nearly all bags.
I emailed the email address quoted previously early this morning requesting that my (little bit larger than A4) bag be allowed quoting my reasons for it being allowed which were as per my earlier piece on here about its contents supporting my various health issues (needing to eat healthily, taking various medication (pills) with water, multiple pairs of glasses because of awkward eyes, snacks for grandson, and then additional clothing when it gets cold in winter time.
Thankfully at about 3pm this afternoon I received an email from Charlton agreeing with me and have allowed me to continue to bring my slightly bigger than A4 bag.If I wanted to be a ‘bad actor’ I’d seemingly be able to do a similar request to get a dispensation.It really feels that we have adopted an EFL / FA standard blindly with no real challenge / interpretation of the objectives and risks we need to mitigate.The reality I suspect is they really just want to ask people not to bring large bags unnecessarily and be prepared to have the contents looked at if you do with attendant delay. But we can’t find the right words / messaging to get that across.
It is true that virtually everywhere has now imposed a similar policy. It makes sense to set a bag size (A4) that is easily understood by most people. There are a number of reasons why large bags are bad. Primarily, I would think, because they can contain a larger amount of explosives/shrapnel but also because they become a nightmare in the event of an emergency evacuation event with no power/lighting availability.
We are still operating under a "severe" level warning for terrorist activity which means a repeat of the Manchester Arena bombing is considered "highly likely". It is difficult to imagine that threat level will ever go away isn't it? So we are just going to have to suck it up. Of course a "soft" target like a packed but not particularly high profile London football stadium would seem to me to be an ideal target for an Islamist extremist.It’s more that you are inconveniencing those who travel from work or with kids etc when we are trying to attract people.It seems a default approach whether that’s following EFL or local government advice. I don’t know but would assume the EFL do support clubs on this sort of thing.As an aside since when is A4 a recognised rucksack size anyway? 🤔
The point is people carry sensible size bags on their daily commute (also a terroist target) including carrying a laptop / charger / umbrella / lunch etc and I suggest most are more than A4.For me it’s the arbitrary A4 reference. Why not the more typical rucksack many take as a matter of course?
We do potentially need to dissuade people / make alternative arrangements for those who carry large items but those are surely the exception.2 -
It’s a no from me. I have about 4 different “laptop bags/bags for laptops” but they are all laptop-rucksacks for want of a better word, laptop bags are very 90’s and no good for your back but I’m not getting into an argument with a spotty twat about whether a laptop-rucksack is the same as a laptop-bag and at £39 a ticket I won’t be talked into a £10 bag drop ffs, it’s another tv match for me….5
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It would seem more sensible to use airline cabin bag dimensions - even Ryanair at 40x30x20. A lot of people have bags that size and they’d fit under stadium seats as they do under plane seats.A4 is 30x20 but it’s the 40 that actually provides capacity. Maybe we can suggest that is the unspecified third dimension?2
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No, seriously, it wouldn't.jose said:Wouldn’t it be great if the club diverted energy towards ensuring all the Curbs Stand turnstiles are working properly instead of this malarkey?
We could have harassed temporary staff having to click people through whilst at the same time searching bags.
Imagine the situation where the stadium was blown up and the club had put in place absolutely no security measures to counter the possibility of an IED in a bag. The club would (quite rightly) be sued into oblivion. Would you prefer that to the minor inconvenience of some turnstiles not working?1 -
What about the turnstiles being fully functional so that staff could devote their full attention to searching and looking for threats?cafcfan said:
No, seriously, it wouldn't.jose said:Wouldn’t it be great if the club diverted energy towards ensuring all the Curbs Stand turnstiles are working properly instead of this malarkey?
We could have harassed temporary staff having to click people through whilst at the same time searching bags.
Imagine the situation where the stadium was blown up and the club had put in place absolutely no security measures to counter the possibility of an IED in a bag. The club would (quite rightly) be sued into oblivion. Would you prefer that to the minor inconvenience of some turnstiles not working?4 -
I missed the KO because of you Jose!jose said:When I went to Tottenham there was a person behind a table who said they wanted to search my (rather ridiculously elaborate bum bag with about five zips and pockets), so I put it on the table and he unzipped all the compartments and rummaged around. I had a folded up Charlton flag, travel pass, a cheese and tomato sandwich, my wallet, my phone, my keys and some tissues.
He disrupted the bag in his search and shoved the bum bag back in my direction in a disrupted state.I refused to move on until he had restored the bag and contents to the original state it was in before the search, compartments zips and all.2
