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NewcastleWorld
Newcastle United have issued a statement asking fans to stop gathering at their Benton training ground.
Newcastle United have asked supporters to stay away from their training ground for safety reasons.
The road leading to the entrance at Benton is a narrow, single public road that is used by Newcastle staff, players, pedestrians and vehicles working on the training ground expansion.
There have been many examples of fans gathering in their numbers, particularly in the school holidays, some of whom have jumped into the road in an attempt to get an autograph or selfie.
In addition, supporters have also been known to wait at nearby traffic lights and approach the players’ cars whilst on red.
Newcastle have been considering taking action for a while and it was an incident earlier this week that prompted a club statement. As reported by the Daily Mail, a senior player was alarmed when he nearly hit a young autograph-hunter while driving his car,
Newcastle United issue training ground safety statement
The Magpies released an official statement on Thursday evening, outlining their reasons for the crackdown. It is a decision they say they haven’t taken lightly.
A club statement read: “To ensure the safety of all supporters, players, staff and members of the public, we are asking people to avoid gathering at our Training Centre entrance and surrounding roadways.
“Why are we asking this?
“The only entrance for players, staff, deliveries and construction vehicles to the current Training Centre site is a narrow, single public lane that is shared by vehicles and pedestrians.
“As the number of people gathering at the Training Centre increases, so too does the risk of serious injury with so many vehicles and people sharing a small space.
“As crowds gather, people are stepping into in the lane and creating a risk to their own safety and to road users. Individuals also continued to pose a risk to themselves and others by entering busy roads to approach players' vehicles while at traffic lights up to a kilometre away.
“Please avoid the Training Centre entrance
“To support public safety, we have instructed players and coaches not to stop their vehicles upon entry or exit. We do not take this step lightly.
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“We value the incredibly strong connection that exists between supporters and our players and coaches. But safety must come first, and we trust our fans will support the club, players and staff by adhering to this request.
“We will continue to organise opportunities for supporters to meet the players through the season, which will be communicated through newcastleunited.com and official channels.
“Charity policy
“We appreciate some supporters seek signed items on behalf of charitable organisations. Our charity policy can be found here.”
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