GEELONG FOOTBALL CLUB PUNISHES COLLECTIVE FOR ACTIONS OF ONE
Ben Jensen 6 July 2013

GEELONG announced on Friday they are banning all glass in corporate and other private boxes following an incident at the round 14 match with Fremantle, in which a spectator threw a bottle from the third tier of the Premership Stand after the match, strikin a man in the head on the ground level. The person in question has been slapped with a two year ban from attending matches, but the club hasn't stopped there, it has in fact decided to ban all glass at corproate boxes. It is not clear if the ban also extends to the Social Club and similar parts of the ground. This stikes The Cattery has an over-reaction, treating a symptom and not the cause.

GEELONG FOOTBALL CLUB STATEMENT

Following an incident at last Saturday’s match between Geelong and Fremantle at which a beer bottle was thrown by a patron from an outdoor box, striking another patron at the game, the club has undertaken the following actions.

Through the week, senior club officials held discussions with the victim, the patron that threw the bottle, the hirer of the box, officials from the City of Greater Geelong, Geelong Liquor Licensing Police and the AFL.

Following these wide ranging discussions, the following actions have been and will be undertaken:

· The patron that threw the bottle has been banned from attending Simonds Stadium until 1 July 2015. He was apologetic for his actions, but nonetheless the club believes a ban is appropriate given the actions on the night.

· Beer will now be served in cans rather than bottles in all corporate facilities on game days

· The club has written to all box holders in the Premiership Stand confirming that we are aware of what happened and expressing our commitment that nothing like this will happen again.

· In partnership with City of Greater Geelong, a review of the ESM Security and Skilled staffing levels at the entrance to the venue and specific corporate areas to screen patrons that have consumed considerable alcohol before arriving at games. If they are intoxicated when arriving at the venue, patrons will be refused entry.

· A greater presence and visibility of responsible serving of alcohol officers in the outdoor box and suite areas of the entire venue for the duration of the games.

The club takes extremely seriously the safety and enjoyment of all people attending games at Simonds Stadium. The club believes these steps will add to overall positive experience of attending Geelong games at Simonds Stadium.