Celebrating the life of a loved one
We asked Reading Football Club to let us know what their policy was on the scattering at Madejski Stadium in Reading
This is what they said:
We are unable to have ashes scattered on the pitch at the Madejski Stadium.
We do however have a garden of remembrance at the stadium where supporters are more than welcome to use at any time, details of which can be found on our website here.
Understandable and nice that they have seen fit to have a garden of remembrance instead.
Bournemouth has been one of the football league’s success stories, qualifying and managing to stay in the premiership in the face of very stiff competition. So we thought we better find out whether they permit the scattering or bury of ashes at the Vitality stadium.
Bad news I am afraid this is what they say:
We used to be able to provide this service to our supporters with a short commemoration service provided by our Chaplain bur this is now no longer possible. Nor do we have a memorial garden.
With kind regards
General Manager
AFC Bournemouth
Vitality Stadium
A shame and it goes on the reinforce the north south divide in permitting fans to memorialise at their club. I had half expected them to say yes as small clubs tend to be more fan-centric but there you go.
As part of our quest to find the which football clubs and sports grounds allow you are scatter or bury ashes at we have asked the new promoted Brighton and Hove Albion.
However it is not good news, this is what they say:
“Good Afternoon,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club. I have looked into your enquiry this afternoon and I can confirm that we are no longer able to intern ashes. At the time of the stadium opening we had a limited number of plots within our memorial garden but all the plots have now been taken. We are also unable to scatter any ashes within the stadium.
We do no offers supporters the chance to purchase a memorial tile which is placed upon the wall of our memorial garden. These can be purchased for £99 including VAT*.
If there is anything else we can assist you with in the meantime then please don’t hesitate to contact us again.
Kind Regards
Supporter Services
Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club”
*Depending on how long after publishing you are reading this please note that the price of the plaque is likely to change, so don’t quote on that as they say.
Burnley FC has number of famous supports perhaps the the most famous is Prince Charles (I was a little surprised to read this too) anyway among the faithful is Radio 5 Presenter Tony Livesey.
In a discussion about the Brazilian club Corinthians offering burial plots for their fans Mr Livsey, proclaimed that he was going to have his ashes scattered at the Turf Moor stadium.
Burnley were not to chuffed by the prospect, a spokesman said: “Tony is one of our biggest and keenest fans and we love him here and hopefully he will have a very long and happy life.
“But we, like most clubs, have strict rules on allowing ashes on the pitch as they are human remains and players are sliding and touching the grass all the time.
“We would suggest Tony’s friends don’t try to test our security as they won’t get too far!”
Why we ask? ‘Health and Safety they cried’, well what is it exactly are they are concerned about? Well the Mirror reckons –
Some clubs claim it is a health and safety rule, due to the fear of open wounds from players’ injuries making contact with the dead remains.
Others fear chemical reactions from the strong fertilisers they feed their grass to keep them lush and green.
However Tony has a cunning plan that will thwart the beady eyed security (not just the fact that Mr Livesy is in rude health and is unlikely to pass for some time and so they may forget), no, he is intending to get his friends to scatter him in the manner of the classic Second Word War film – The Great Escape – where the POWs hid soil from the tunnel they were digging in specially made holders that they used to scatter discretely as they walked along.
Well it is a cunning plan, but hopefully one we wont need to wonder whether it worked for many years to come.
Original story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/bbc-presenter-banned-scattering-ashes-4639054
The details of ashes scatterings and memorial services at Loftus Road are:
We would be delighted to carry out your wish for the ashes of your loved one to be scattered at QPR. The procedure starts when you contact the club chaplain, Rev’d Cameron Collington (details below). He will arrange a time with the club for you, and up to 20 others, to come to Loftus Road for a special ceremony of remembrance. It may happen any weekday between 9.30am – 4.30pm, subject to the availability of the stadium.
When the day arrives, you bring about a coffee-jar’s worth of the ashes to Reception on South Africa Road where you will be welcomed by the chaplain. You will be taken to the players’ dressing room where you can look around and take photographs. You will be led down the tunnel and taken pitchside (walking on the pitch itself is not permitted).
The chaplain will lead you round to the goalposts at the Loftus Road end, where he will get you to lay the ashes on a small tray in the vicinity of the goal line, which he will have prepared. Over the next few minutes, he will encourage you and any others to recall together one or two stories and memories, perhaps linked to of your loved one’s keenness for QPR. This is followed by a couple of short prayers, ending with a moment’s quiet.
You then return to the tunnel, stopping for photographs in the dugout, then through to Reception where the chaplain will say goodbye. Once you have left, the chaplain will gather the open tray of ashes and look after them until the pitch is dug up and re-seeded at the end of the season – in late May. They are scattered carefully and respectfully, together with other ashes which have been looked after during the season.
Again, please note that we can only accept about a coffee-jar’s worth of the ashes.
There is no charge made by the club or chaplain for this service, and it’s also worth knowing that regrettably the club has no parking to offer.
The chaplain’s details are:
Cameron Collington.
Vicar, St Simon’s Church
Well done QPR, there are precious few London clubs that have such a thoughtful and considered approach, so this is great to see.
Please note this was accurate at the time on publication (November 2014) but things do change so it is worth double checking first before you confirm your plans.
Look – here is something on French Telly! My Dad’s ashes at QPR
Leicester City (aka the Foxes) the powerhouse of East Midlands football secondly only to the might Cobblers in this part of the world a have a garden of remembrance for their fans. I am pleased to say that they offer a couple of options, a plaque and / or scattering.
You can choose to have plaque which has a personal inscription made from blue acrylic this is then affixed to their memorial stone.
Scatterings of ashes in the clubs garden of remembrance needs to be booked in advance, at least 48 hours before the desired date. Although they can be carried out in any time, including weekends as long as it does not clash with a match day. They can be administered by either a Funeral Director or our Club Chaplain if he is available. All scatterings need to take place in the centre circle of pebbles in either of the gardens.
To contact the club follow this link and ask to be through to the Chaplain or Grounds Maintenance
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club based in Hillsborough in the north of the city have a designated area is directly outside the ground on the south stand bridge for the purposes of scattering ashes of the their fans and supporters. It is outside the ground rather than inside so family and friends can pay tributes at any given time should they so require.
The cost? “There is no cost and this is an effectively public service if that makes sense……all done at the convenience of the respective party.”
To make arrangements you will need contact the club directly.
Well played the Owls as they say…
(c) npr.org
Humble apologies if you clicked on the title expecting a policy position statement. Sorry to disappoint but the truth is the Football Association does not have one, at least that is what they told me when I asked.
The very helpful lady at the FA said: ” We have looked into this for you and had a look at the FA handbook and this is not covered. We believe there isn’t FA guidance on this and it would be down to the individual clubs. For grassroots clubs, you might want to contact the relevant local County FA, and for professional clubs you would need to contact the clubs themselves directly.”
The main reason for posting this is because a lot of clubs (including the one in this specific article) are saying it is the FA that stops them from allowing scattering ceremonies.
It would seem that some clubs are hiding behind a mythical guidance document banning scattering of ashes on football pitches on the grounds of Health and Safety, good old health and safety no wonder it gets such a bad reputation, it is so often used by organisations to hide behind when it something that they don’t wish to do – well ‘fess up I say and if you don’t wish to do it say so!
Might be nice if they gave the real reason or perhaps offered an alternative site for memorialisation, but that could be just me being picky.
David Beckham scatters his Grandfather’s ashes at Tottenham’s White Heart lane
As you may have noticed from our page on football pitches Tottenham Hotspur do not usually allow the scattering of ashes on there ground, but were prepared to make an exception for Joseph the Grandfather of the ex England captain.
His grandfather was passionate about the game had been a season-ticket holder at Tottenham for most of his life, so the family thought it fitting.
After the ceremony David did a tour of the ground and one official reported that “David said that the stadium brought back so many happy memories for him from his childhood. He joked that the stadium still smelled the same.”
My one thought on this (and it is a lovely story), is that people tend to think about those just departed and not what goes on after that event. It may be that his Grandma will want to be put with his grandad, but she may have reservations I don’t know she might have hated the place?
Also you will notice Becks is wearing a skull cap, his grandfather was Jewish, odd then he he opted for cremation? Guessing he may have been Jewish by tradition as opposed to belief?
Sadly you are not allowed scatter a home of football…So inspiring memories and not memorials then.
The main reason they say is that the company that runs it does not own it. So if this was you plan you may need to reconsider it.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (The Baggies) say:
We have a garden of remembrance at The Hawthorns which is where ashes can be scattered and small plaques left for loved ones that have passed away. The garden is situated in the corner of the East stand car park. Ashes can be scattered at any time (other than match days) and the family is welcome to have a minister or alike present if they so wish.
The garden is currently being extended at present, with all works expected to be completed by the middle of July.
We do not permit the scattering of ashes on the pitch.
This information was correct at the time of publication, organisations can change their position so for the most accurate information please contact the organisation in question directly.
There is a Memorial Garden available at the Stadium for families of fans to spread ashes and take time to remember. This garden is located outside Entrance at The Colin Bell Stand. The Garden has been created by volunteers, including staff at the Club and local businesses. The Garden is maintained by staff at the Club and there is no charge for the use of the garden.
To arrange a time to spread ashes or hold a short service, please call Reception on 0161 438 7601 during office hours or email receptionuser@mcfc.co.uk
All respect will be given to those who visit the Memorial Garden but please be aware that it is a working Stadium. Flowers and cards ONLY may be left at the garden. It is not possible for any kind of permanent memorials/plates or personal plantings. If left, they will be removed. MCFC will regularly clear the garden of faded flowers and cards etc and will as necessary, dig in ashes.
We can also arrange for our Club Reverend to attend and hold a short service if he is available for your requested date. If you would be interested in this, please contact Reception and we can try to arrange this for you.
The Memorial Garden is an on-going development and its layout and content will be reviewed on a regular basis. The views of those using the garden are always welcome.
There is also a Remembrance book that is located at the main reception which visitors are welcome to sign with a message of condolence.
Please contact Reception if you have any questions or wish to arrange a date to use the Memorial Garden to lay ashes.
This information was correct at the time of publication, organisations can change their position so for the most accurate information please contact the origination in question directly.
Here is what the Gunners have to say on the matter of scattering cremation ashes at the Emirates Stadium…
Ashes are not interred or scattered at Emirates stadium. Also, there is no memorial plaque within the Stadium for individual memorials. The board arrived at this decision after much consultation and had investigated many different avenues.
However if you visit the Arsenal website; https://bookings.arsenal.com/stones/northbankterrace/stones/book.htm this gives you and opportunity to personalise a granite stone in memory of your [loved one] which will be placed outside the Armoury in the near future.
This information was correct at the time of publication, organisations can change their position so for the most accurate information please contact the origination in question directly.
