It’s been announced this week that Wembley will be granted permission to have ‘safe standing areas’.
This only applies to domestic fixtures and will start with a small scale, expected to be 1,000 seats behind each goal.
Given it’s England’s National stadium, this is the first step in eventually all grounds introducing the concept.
After taking part in trials, the Manchester Clubs, Chelsea, Spurs, Wolves and Brentford will be the first batch of topflight sides to be approved licences.
Any long-term readers will know I have always been against the idea of changing legislation which was introduced in 1989 to improve the control of admission of spectators at grounds.
After serious problems led to deaths, making Football venues safer to attend became one of the most improved aspects of the sport.
My attitude is if it’s not broke why try to fix it?
Just so a billionaire can increase their revenue by having a larger capacity.
By the way, don’t think that will mean cheaper tickets which is the PR spin the government are trying to put on this development.
This is the same parliament that step back and let fans be priced out of Cup Finals, half of which go to corporate and sponsors.
The added money goes to owners, 6 of whom in the Prem didn’t think of their customers when they agreed to the Super League.
So no, none of this is for a supporter’s best interest.
Lots of surveys will show that I’m in the minority.
A latest poll with the Arsenal Supporters Trust showed that over 90 percent were open to the idea of safe standing being implemented at the Emirates.
Safe standing now fully approved by Government for implementation. AST’s main focus this year is working with Arsenal to get this implemented at the Emirates as soon as possible. 96% of Arsenal fans support https://t.co/n53Bjshq9L
— AST (@AST_arsenal) July 4, 2022
Yet can you trust in 2022 that going to a match day is safe?
Because evidence suggests we have a growing issue in the UK of grown men and women thinking that in the confines of their Football bubble, they can act how they want.
That’s why there has been an increase in arrests at games.
Our national team just had to play a fixture behind closed doors because of spectators’ behaviour at the Euros, essentially a home tournament.
In the Final, people kicked down walls without tickets and got away with sitting where they wanted.
Security and police were accused of being too soft, because essentially to not escalate the situation many ticketless fans ended up finding seats in boxes, etc and remained there for the duration of the night.
Now imagine that scenario but a section where thousands are standing, where you can’t register one person to one seat.
Essentially those same idiots that day in July would charge towards an area harder to police, causing congestion.
Make zero mistake, one injury, one fall is one too many when it’s avoidable.
I have seen nothing from the conduct of fans in Britain to suggest that now is the right time to alter something which has been working.
If there honest, neither have those in power.
Making more money and improving an atmosphere are not good enough reasons to make stadia more dangerous.
Really interested Gooners in where your point of view lies?
Be Kind In The Comments
Dan
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Absolutely!!! I hate the lower tier half way line seat. People just sit and clap. Go to the top if you wanna sit. You get a WAY better atmosphere when people standing. Scientifically your voice projects better (louder stadium) and create hostile atmosphere for rival player and you look like you on top of them by standing.
I am a season ticket holder in the North Bank and virtually every game most the NB stand anyway. So if we bring the safe seats that have been shown that would be installed I think it will be safer than standing at present.
Visiting fans don’t sit down either, which has always caused issues with stewards asking Arsenal fans to sit down where the away fans do want they like. So it has nothing to do with money, it makes standing safer than falling over the present seating systems.
My goodness Dan, you certainly look at the negatives in life!!
As far as I can remember, there was neve the kind of trouble you are referring to at Highbury, even when crowds of 72,000 were reported.
The only time scenes like those you describe occurring at the Emirates was when FC Koln supporters massed OUTSIDE the ground and were dealt with by officials.
If you’ve ever SAT in the North Bank at the Emirates, you will know it’s in name only – one has to stand for the whole game…. but with no trouble whatsoever.
I cannot think of anywhere at the Emirates, where hooligans could actually storm the ground and I have been to all four stands.
The proposed standing areas, wherever they may be, will create the kind of atmosphere that our ground often lacks.
The security bods will be well aware of the situation and I am all for this proposal as it will allow more Gooners (I assume?) to support the club.
Your red herring regarding kronkie getting more money is neither here nor there, as a waiting list of thousands are just waiting for the opportunity to spend their money following The Arsenal anyway.
A great big YES from me, though at my age, I will still sit in my lovely comfortable seat!!
Curiously while standing was banned in England it never was in Germany and there has been a grand total of zero fatalities in that country as a result. The whole reaction in this country was based on a lie, that the problem was standing and not old antiquated stadia that were downright dangerous. Another lie is that the rules will allow more people in the stadium, that is true in Germany but won’t be in England. The Spurs stadium was built with standing in certain zones as part of the design. That may make things easier than retro fitting standing. The demand for standing is definitely there and if it allows those who want to sit to do so in peace it will be a win/win.
But the Emirates was NOT designed for safe standing as far as I am aware.
Apart from that, I agree with you regarding the German model.
Yikes!!! Dismal Dan, wet blanket?! I wonder if your comment falls within the confines of the new rules…why not comment on the subject matter rather than the author?
I think I understand the contention of the author but I am more inclined to agree with the comments of ken1945…if indeed standing is already a common occurrence at stadiums (and improves the ambience, experience etc) without causing undue harm and fatalities then it’s probably a good idea to create purpose built areas to improve the safety aspect
Scary! A woke alert!
It’s a yes from me, conversion of the seating to safe rail seating will be needed but it’s what will happen eventually at all grounds, I’m sure.
I’m a season ticket holder in NB lower tier. I stand throughout the game as does everyone else. If I happen to be a bit late and turn up 15 mins before KO where will I have to stand? I would want my space where I always stand. Times have changed from the 70’s and 80’s I get that, and yes standing now days is much safer. Keep the seats and your seat allocation but allow you to stand in certain areas. Or bring in safe standing with allocation standing.
Thee is no way in hell one would be able to stand in one allocated space if it was standing only.
Back in the “good old days” one could arrive hours before the kick off to stand in his /her favourite spot – within five minutes you would be nowhere near said spot, especially if we scored!!!
Maybe am a fanatic, but even in my livingroom at home I find myself standing at times watching Arsenal when playing a very important game.
How could you sit in a game against the Spuds when the officiating was poor and Henry received the ball from Emmanuel and decided to take things in his own hands and score.
Enough experiment bring it on, the writer may have lost touch a little here but I do respect his opinion.
☺️👍
My early years at Highbury were mostly standing on the south west corner of the stadium and I made some quite good friends among the regular crowd. When most of the Clock End was given over to away supporters I tried seating in the west stand and although I was able to have a perfect view of the whole pitch area it never felt right to be vocal in the same way as I was as a standing supporter. It was the same when I got my Emirates season ticket in the family section where people had the annoying habit of standing in front of me so I had to conform and join them.
Standing areas have great appeal and as long as I had something to actually rest on during the game I could happily return to that as long as there is protection against the seriously dangerous “Surge” that used to scare the life out of me at Highbury.
But wasn’t the “surge” also exhilarating at the same time?!?!
I made some instant friends who I never saw again!!
Great Highbury days ☺️☺️☺️
The worst decision in the club’s history was moving to the Emirates.
Not only did it catch the eye of the likes of Kroenke, we absolutely killed the 12th man – the atmosphere.
Anything to bring some “life” into the Emirates would be welcome.