Worcester Warriors are urging all supporters who attend matches at Sixways to park only in designated and authorised parking areas.
During last week’s LV= Cup match with Leicester Tigers, it became apparent before kick-off that a substantial amount of supporters had parked their cars on verges and along inappropriate roads on and around Pershore Lane.
This not only affected traffic in the area but also created a very dangerous risk to the safety and wellbeing of spectators before and after the match.
We take our commitment to ensure spectator safety very seriously at Sixways and, although we cannot control areas outside of the stadium complex, we would like to appeal to supporters to stop parking in undesignated areas, as there is no safe access to the stadium from these points.
The club would also like to make clear that the Apex Motocross track car parking facility on the Sixways island, is in no way affiliated with Worcester Warriors and is not an endorsed car park facility for the stadium.
The club has written to Apex insisting that they provide some form of transport from their site to the stadium as a number of supporters are also using this car park before crossing the extremely busy Sixways motorway island to access the stadium on matchdays.
Warriors Head of Operations Brian Ryan said: “It was of great concern to witness the amount of people who parked on the Pershore Lane verges and then crossed the roundabout to enter the stadium via Warriors Way.
“Following the match, we positioned stewards on Warriors Way to encourage leaving spectators to walk on the grass verge, as many were openly walking in the middle of the road and dodging oncoming traffic.
“Our biggest concern was the number of children walking in the roads with their parents. Our stewards did a fantastic job, but were faced with hostility from many people who were making an unsafe exit from the complex.
“We have a number of official facilities available for spectators to park. I would therefore ask that all supporters use the official parking areas only as detailed on our website and ensure they are aware that parking in unofficial areas is hazardous to both their safety and the safety of others.
“We are very concerned about the growing trend of supporters parking in these areas and want to avoid any potential incidents occurring.
“We are reliant on our visitors using their common sense and not putting themselves at risk. These areas fall outside of our control and therefore we urge supporters to act responsibly and use the designated parking areas.”
The club would also like to inform all supporters that after discussions with our Safety Advisory Group and Wychavon District Council, the grass verges and areas surrounding Pershore Lane will become designated as no parking or stopping areas and will be enforced through fixed penalty fines within the coming weeks.
The club thanks supporters for their co-operation with this request and wish fans a safe and enjoyable day at Sixways.
Full travel and parking details can be found at here.