Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig has explained why he let opposition fans take up seats in areas of Adams Park that are usually dedicated to home spectators in a handful of fixtures last season.
In matches against Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, the Chairboys chairman allowed visiting supporters of the two teams to take up a part of the Frank Adams stand.
The travelling spectators of the sides mentioned above sat in areas of the stand close to the away end of Adams Park, and the American has revealed that he did this to try and ‘fill up’ the stadium if home tickets are not bought.
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Speaking on Wycombe Sound in the evening of May 23, he explained: “We did that because it was the safest and best way for us to maximise the stadium.
“It’s infuriating to see empty seats when we know that they can be filled, and the players will tell you that they love the atmosphere when they are filled.
“They would of course prefer them being filled with our fans, but nonetheless, it’s good to see fans filling them up.
“And as an American, I’m not quite used to all this segregation of the crowds as much.
“When I go to a ball game and I start to cheer for the New Orleans Saints when the idiot next to me is for the Atlanta Falcons.
“We don’t break into fights…sometimes…but not much, and you’re able to enjoy the experience.
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“And I think our fans by large will enjoy what we’re doing as we’re not dealing with that hooligan aspect anymore.
“We have got fantastic security to take appropriate steps if things did get out of hand.”
The owner also touched on the atmosphere at Adams Park this season, admitting that it had got ‘worse’ this year.
Speaking in the live Q and A on Wycombe Sound, he was asked about how the atmosphere around the Hillbottom Road venue had dipped, and he said: “It got worse this year and I don’t know why.
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“Those in the terrace are in a way the heart and soul of the club on matchdays, and the players can tell you that they feel it when they see them bouncing behind the goal due to the energy.
“We are looking at the acoustics.
“It bothers me how fans in the away end can sound so much louder when there are fewer of them.”
Wycombe will start the 2023/24 season on August 5.
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