Bairns 'family-friendly fan zone' given go ahead for Queen's Park evening match

Falkirk FC “is a club on the up – on and off the pitch”, members of Falkirk Council’s licensing board heard today (Wednesday), as the club sought permission to try to improve the experience for fans attending home games.

Members backed the plans for a fully ticketed marquee on July 22 – when Falkirk take on Queen’s Park – where food and drink will be served and fans will get the chance to hear from players or staff from the club.

Falkirk’s heroics on the pitch over the last two seasons have seen more and more fans attending games and solicitor Niall Hassard told the board that the club’s current facilities can no longer cater for the numbers attending.

He said: “As you all know, Falkirk Football Club has had a couple of stellar seasons, with back to back promotions. It’s a club that is on the up – on and off the pitch.

“Season tickets are nearly sold out and sponsorship is going well – but the feedback they have received from their fan base is a demand for a more rounded match day experience.

“The club’s existing bar and catering facilities cannot engage with fans the way they want to – they cannot cater for sufficient numbers of fans.”

The club intends to use an area in between the stadium and the training pitch, which will be fully enclosed by high fencing.

Fans will need a ticket for the match and a separate ticket, costing £1, with a QR code that will be scanned to allow them entry to the area.

“What they aim to create is a family friendly fan zone with a food and beverage offer, weather-proofed by a marquee with a low rise stage,

“They want to engage fans, so they intend to have interviews with staff and players – something that fans will respond well to.”

Business development manager Lewis Dickson told the board that making the area family friendly was an important part of the application.

He said: “A big part of what we are looking to do as a football club over the next period is to inspire the next generation of fans.

“We have increased our season tickets hugely over the last two years and our attendance is up over 50 per cent, so we want to continue that.

“We want to engage with our fans and we want them to have a full match day experience, and this area will really help us to do that.”

On Tuesday, July 22, those with tickets for the fan zone can arrive from 4pm.

It will close for the 7.45 pm kick-off and reopen from the final whistle until 11 pm.

Capacity will be capped at 800 for the first game but this will be reviewed.

Police Scotland representative Sgt Bellingham said that the police had no objections but he would be attending the game to see if it creates any issues for future applications.