DUE to all the Derby day furore over the weekend, the following initiative was mentioned in the press, but may have bypassed many fans:
‘Aston Villa have become the first Premier League club to publicly back a new campaign for trials of standing areas for fans in top-flight and Championship matches.
The campaign has been launched by the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) and with Birmingham MP Roger Godsiff. Aston Villa and Peterborough United have both given their support to calls for the Government to allow “small-scale trials of safe standing areas” and have volunteered to host a trial.
Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “We have had a number of good discussions and meetings with the FSF over the past 12 months and fully support their campaign to allow small-scale trials of safe standing areas at grounds.”
He added: “Whenever we have discussed the topic with our fans we’ve found almost unanimous support for such a trial, and the concept of giving fans the choice to decide to either sit or stand at a game.
“We believe Villa Park could be a potential venue for such a trial, and would like the opportunity to progress the plans further with the wider support of the football community in this country.”
Mr Godsiff has also submitted an early day motion to Parliament which “urges the Government to accept the case for introducing, on a trial basis, limited standing areas”.
The trials would need a change in the Football Spectators Act 1989 it was brought in after the Hillsborough disaster.
Peter Daykin, Safe Standing Coordinator at the FSF, said: “For two decades since the Taylor Report, the overwhelming majority of football supporters have favoured a choice of standing to sitting at football, and fans continue to stand throughout all levels of the game today, even in the Premier League and Championship where it is against ground regulations and facilities are designed for sitting.
“Standing was outlawed on grounds of safety, and yet successive governments have agreed that standing is safe – it’s hard not to when it is done perfectly safely every week at rugby grounds, lower league football grounds and in top football leagues all around the world.” ‘
Surely people realise that even in this day in age standing areas are not the answer – the tragic circumstances surrounding Hillsborough is proof of that, and we need to ensure that safety is maintained and paramount in all football stadiums; not taken backwards to the dark day’s pre-Taylor report, when 96 of our angels needlessly and horrendously lost their lives. I feel this initiative needs to be stopped before another tragedy arises.
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What a crap article. Why don’t you find out a bit more about the proposals before passing comment. Most fans want safe standing , but if LFC do not then that is understandably their business but not the opinion of others. It works safely in Germany and can work here.
We don’t have terraces for safety reasons, but also out of respect…..which other football supporters in the UK clearly lack. It’ all for profit anyway mate, so don’t kid yourself that it creates a better atmosphere.
yes rubbish article , fans like to stand , let them stand , and it does create better atmosphere
It could work if as in Germany fans are allocated a space, it is better than the current practice of standing in the seats!
It is not about respect. Hillsborough was not caused by standing but by poor policing and fencing people in like animals. We have moved on from then. It is,after all, a game for the public so what we want should prevail.
i agree