Clubs can now introduce safe standing areas at their grounds. Sheffield United should grasp this chance with both hands, says the founder of Blades supporter campaign group Stand United.
I think those concerns are completely justified. And - personal POV - is that a gradual easing-in of safe standing will allow clubs and fans to raise concerns and mitigate them over time. I don't think anyone is advocating for a radical overnight shift with all the disruption that would cause. But I think there's a win-win for clubs if done right.
Expect many clubs will take a 'wait and see' approach. They'll probably see which clubs implement safe standing and their success (or otherwise) and try to reproduce it.
It's also throws up different questions at different clubs. If, as is the case for United, you almost always feel 70%+ of your capacity, then it's a different prospect to a club that only ever sell 50% of their capacity.
I think Alan that would be my preferred starting option too. I think if carefully thought about by the club it can be brought in while taking into full consideration instances like these. Out of interest, say the club did go with that and you were in the back half of the Kop, would you be happy to move to the front half if given an option to choose? I’m picturing some sort of window where those in the front could move to the back and vice versa depending on their sit/stand preferences
That’s a difficult one. I’m in Row J which has suited me for the last umpteen years. Not sure I’d want to go too further back for a seat. Don’t forget the older you get the more difficult it would be to have to climb more steps
Thanks, Joseph – you’re obviously well on top of this and yes, I agree, “a vocal Kop, standing for 90 minutes, wouldn’t half make a din.”
I would be fully in favour of every ground having safe standing but with one important proviso – it must, must mean that all other areas of the ground would be – enforceably – seating areas.
I want to keep this comment light-hearted and it’s not a “rant”, but just my personal situation. I have arthritis and cannot stand up for 5 minutes, let alone 45 or 90. I’m not worried about this at Bramall Lane as I have a good seat in the South Stand, where everyone sits down (until the goal scoring moment anyway!) and I have a good view of all the games. So yes, safe standing in the Kop would be great for those that want its benefits.
However I have, reluctantly, had to give up going to “away” games (in my youth, when I was fitter, I rarely missed a game!) simply because nowadays everyone stands up to watch the games. Even if I book a seat on the front row, my sightline is still blocked by the people standing either side of me, and I also take the risk of being severely injured as supporters do indeed pile forward when “another injury-time Sharp shot hits the back of the net.” This became so dangerous at some grounds, that on occasion I’ve had to ask stewards if I could move into the wheelchair area for safety!
So, from my point-of-view, safe standing would be absolutely brilliant, as long as it was understood that in the remainder of the ground, seating actually meant sitting. Unfortunately, I don’t really hold out much faith in that, since anyone not able to purchase a ticket for the safe standing area, would buy tickets for the seating area and . . . stand up. Unless, of course, stewards and police take much firmer action.
I worked for a firm of Architects and after Lord Justice Taylor’s report on the Hillsborough disaster, Safety at Sportsgrounds became the paramount criteria for design and grounds became “all seater”. At first this was observed and enforced by stewards and police. However, in recent times, standing for “away” supporters seems to have become the ‘norm’ again (and not just Sheffield United supporters – see any of the other clubs’ supporters in the Bramall Lane stand last season); and despite notices to the contrary, stewards turn blind eyes and supporters are not ‘ejected from the ground for persistent standing’, which means those of us who can’t stand are ignored and even put at risk.
My apologies if all of this sounds like a gripe (!) That wasn’t my intention at all, but I wanted to put forward the viewpoint that safe standing would be marvellous, as long as the other side of the coin was provision for strictly seating areas. Then, hopefully, in the future (albeit it perhaps a distant future!) I will once again be able to visit “away” grounds, safe in the knowledge that wherever I book a seat (and let’s admit it, the view’s not great from the front row!) if it’s not in the safe standing area, I will actually be able to sit for the entire game.
In the meantime, though, still looking forward to this season’s “din” from the Kop!
Thanks for the really considered comments Sue! I think you make a really important point that – this should, if planned correctly, allow those in seated areas to be able to sit with less risk they’ll be forced to stand. I hope it would remove that conflict rather than add to it. While it’s got support, it’s not for everyone, and you sound like a really good example of a Unitedite that’s happy for this to come in to help those that want to stand to stand (even if they personally won’t use it). That’s for me the situation I hope we can get to – it’s could be a solution to allow everyone to enjoy the game they want to enjoy it.
Standing up at the match not really an easy option for me or my wife and I suspect many of us oldies. Alternative for us would be to move to South Stand which would then incur extra costs and maybe having to cut down on other things. Perhaps an aleternative
Continued. Alternative could be top half of Kop safe standing and bottom half seating
I think those concerns are completely justified. And - personal POV - is that a gradual easing-in of safe standing will allow clubs and fans to raise concerns and mitigate them over time. I don't think anyone is advocating for a radical overnight shift with all the disruption that would cause. But I think there's a win-win for clubs if done right.
Expect many clubs will take a 'wait and see' approach. They'll probably see which clubs implement safe standing and their success (or otherwise) and try to reproduce it.
It's also throws up different questions at different clubs. If, as is the case for United, you almost always feel 70%+ of your capacity, then it's a different prospect to a club that only ever sell 50% of their capacity.
I think Alan that would be my preferred starting option too. I think if carefully thought about by the club it can be brought in while taking into full consideration instances like these. Out of interest, say the club did go with that and you were in the back half of the Kop, would you be happy to move to the front half if given an option to choose? I’m picturing some sort of window where those in the front could move to the back and vice versa depending on their sit/stand preferences
That’s a difficult one. I’m in Row J which has suited me for the last umpteen years. Not sure I’d want to go too further back for a seat. Don’t forget the older you get the more difficult it would be to have to climb more steps
Thanks, Joseph – you’re obviously well on top of this and yes, I agree, “a vocal Kop, standing for 90 minutes, wouldn’t half make a din.”
I would be fully in favour of every ground having safe standing but with one important proviso – it must, must mean that all other areas of the ground would be – enforceably – seating areas.
I want to keep this comment light-hearted and it’s not a “rant”, but just my personal situation. I have arthritis and cannot stand up for 5 minutes, let alone 45 or 90. I’m not worried about this at Bramall Lane as I have a good seat in the South Stand, where everyone sits down (until the goal scoring moment anyway!) and I have a good view of all the games. So yes, safe standing in the Kop would be great for those that want its benefits.
However I have, reluctantly, had to give up going to “away” games (in my youth, when I was fitter, I rarely missed a game!) simply because nowadays everyone stands up to watch the games. Even if I book a seat on the front row, my sightline is still blocked by the people standing either side of me, and I also take the risk of being severely injured as supporters do indeed pile forward when “another injury-time Sharp shot hits the back of the net.” This became so dangerous at some grounds, that on occasion I’ve had to ask stewards if I could move into the wheelchair area for safety!
So, from my point-of-view, safe standing would be absolutely brilliant, as long as it was understood that in the remainder of the ground, seating actually meant sitting. Unfortunately, I don’t really hold out much faith in that, since anyone not able to purchase a ticket for the safe standing area, would buy tickets for the seating area and . . . stand up. Unless, of course, stewards and police take much firmer action.
I worked for a firm of Architects and after Lord Justice Taylor’s report on the Hillsborough disaster, Safety at Sportsgrounds became the paramount criteria for design and grounds became “all seater”. At first this was observed and enforced by stewards and police. However, in recent times, standing for “away” supporters seems to have become the ‘norm’ again (and not just Sheffield United supporters – see any of the other clubs’ supporters in the Bramall Lane stand last season); and despite notices to the contrary, stewards turn blind eyes and supporters are not ‘ejected from the ground for persistent standing’, which means those of us who can’t stand are ignored and even put at risk.
My apologies if all of this sounds like a gripe (!) That wasn’t my intention at all, but I wanted to put forward the viewpoint that safe standing would be marvellous, as long as the other side of the coin was provision for strictly seating areas. Then, hopefully, in the future (albeit it perhaps a distant future!) I will once again be able to visit “away” grounds, safe in the knowledge that wherever I book a seat (and let’s admit it, the view’s not great from the front row!) if it’s not in the safe standing area, I will actually be able to sit for the entire game.
In the meantime, though, still looking forward to this season’s “din” from the Kop!
Thanks for the really considered comments Sue! I think you make a really important point that – this should, if planned correctly, allow those in seated areas to be able to sit with less risk they’ll be forced to stand. I hope it would remove that conflict rather than add to it. While it’s got support, it’s not for everyone, and you sound like a really good example of a Unitedite that’s happy for this to come in to help those that want to stand to stand (even if they personally won’t use it). That’s for me the situation I hope we can get to – it’s could be a solution to allow everyone to enjoy the game they want to enjoy it.
Standing up at the match not really an easy option for me or my wife and I suspect many of us oldies. Alternative for us would be to move to South Stand which would then incur extra costs and maybe having to cut down on other things. Perhaps an aleternative