Cork City owner Dermot Usher explains why he's meeting fans about issues with the Shed

CORK City supporters have been invited to attend a meeting with club owner Dermot Usher to discuss ongoing issues with the atmosphere on match night in Turner’s Cross.

Uster will consult with fans on Saturday afternoon at 2pm with a section reserved for this in the Turner's Cross Tavern. The owner wants to discuss ongoing issues with a focus on The Shed End, the beating heart of the club that contains ultra-groups Commandos 84 and First Cork City Brigade.

The Shed was one of the first things that the new owner made changes to, he implemented an over-16 policy for the section, and that came into effect on the opening night of the season against Bohemians.

He now wants this open forum to encourage solutions to issues that have been reported on match night in Turner’s Cross.

“The three home games we’ve had, there’s been feedback given regarding different aspects,” he said. “For example, the music during the first game was too loud in spots and it wasn’t balanced around the ground. So, I think we dealt with that in the last two games. 

“On my side, I would feel that there was an overcrowding issue in the Shed area in particular, for me that is health and safety.

“That is my responsibility, to run the club in the most proper way we can. 

I’ve been up in the Shed area for the last two matches before the matches kicked off and without question, the first match, there was definite overcrowding going on. 

"It was a case of, in the back few rows, two and three people to one seat. Bit of messing going on. We tried to deal with that for the second match and there was still an element of that happening. And then the match the last day, we clamped down a little bit more on what was going on.

ONE PER SEAT

“The instruction that was given to security on the night from myself in that area: There’s one person to a seat and when that area is full, stop letting people into the area.

“What happened then as a result, maybe some people who were used to going to the Shed area for a number of years, weren’t able to get up because the area was full as far as the stewards were concerned. That in itself caused a little bit of aggregation, which I can understand.

“At the end of the day, first and foremost, I have the health and safety of everybody that comes to the ground at the foremost of my mind and I want it to be an enjoyable experience for everybody that comes.

“I want to have a conversation with the various people that weren’t happy on Saturday. There is an opportunity to come and talk to me, to bring forward ideas. I’m really not looking for problems, I want solutions to problems. 

The solutions have to be from a holistic point of view, not just for one type of fan that comes to the ground as a member of a particular group within the fanbase."

One thing Usher wants to do is bring the atmosphere from away games to Turner’s Cross.

“If we have to look at the fans who have been going to away matches, and I can understand reasons why people can’t travel to away matches due to work, time, money, whatever. The atmosphere in the away section at our away games has been absolutely unbelievable,” he said.

“If we can bring that home, to our own ground. I’m not just talking about The Shed. I’m talking throughout the ground. But it needs to be driven by The Shed I feel. We can have an unbelievable atmosphere within the ground. The way it is currently, I feel as a club and a supporter base, I feel like we can all do better.”