This isn't snobbery, just the club's way of making sure that only legitimate news-gathering organizations have. Space is limited and sidelines can get very crowded. Each photographer has a different style and technique. Some like to kneel when shooting. It makes action photos look a little cleaner and enhances pictures in which the players are airborne.
Most kneeling shooters wear knee pads for obvious reasons.
Camera bags are completely impractical and sometimes verboten on sidelines, so equipment and film is carried either in fanny packs or in a photo vest. Photographers usually carry at least two cameras, one with a long telephoto lens, usually a 400mm or longer, and one with a 70-200mm lens for closer action. Autofocus systems are so good now that most sports shooters use autofocus lenses. Photographers often carry a third camera body with a 50mm lens for the times when players almost run over them. The long lenses are supported by a monopod, a one-legged tripod, that steadies the lens but doesn't take up room on the sidelines.