Derry City FC: No valid reason for fans to ever use flares at the Brandywell

Ahead of the first home game of the season at the Brandywell this coming Friday, Derry City have once again urged fans to refrain from the use of flares. 

In the President's Cup game against Shamrock Rovers on February 10, flares were prevalent in the early stages, whilst Friday night's game at St. Patrick's Athletic had to be held up due to a flare being thrown onto the pitch.

Cork City visit the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday and Derry City Commercial Manager Robert Martin has insisted that there is no valid reason for using flares. 

“We appealed to the people intending to pay tribute last week not to use flares or smoke bombs because apart from the safety concerns, it costs the club a fortune. They are very, very dangerous. Our security company are very robust in searching people going into the ground, but it’s very difficult to pick up on everything because there are people who still manage to get alcohol in, as well as flares and smoke bombs. We just have to appeal to our supporters – the more this happens, the more we’re going to get fined, and the less progress the club will make.

“I know last season, virtually every game early in the season, we received a thousand euro fine. We also received very heavy fines for the European game in Riga, because of pitch encroachment and because of flares and people refusing to sit down. PULSE did get a good handle on it throughout the season and there were fewer and fewer incidents of flares and smoke bombs as the season went on, but we really need it to stop. It’s very, very dangerous. People have been burned and people have lost limbs over flares exploding so I would just hate to see somebody getting a serious injury through tis at the Brandywell, because anything can happen, and we really need people to stop bringing these items into the stadium.

“Anyone caught will not be allowed back into the ground again. Anyone caught bringing flares in, or using flares or smoke bombs during a game will receive long-term bans from the stadium.”