My head says standing is fine...my heart says it needs the blessing of Hillsborough families
FOR more than 28 years I’ve backed away from writing or speaking about reintroducing standing at English football grounds.
It’s to do with being at Hillsborough, campaigning for the truth to come out, and in doing so, getting to know many of the people who lost loved ones on that Sheffield terrace, some of whom still feel a dagger to their heart whenever they hear calls to let fans stand again.
They have questioned the insensitivity of the timing as calls often came when they were facing a critical juncture in the justice process.
They have questioned the motives, especially when the calls came from politicians. They could not understand, when the Establishment kept peddling the lie that Hillsborough was caused by “1980s terrace culture”, how anyone in football would want to revert to that culture before destroying the lie.
A feeling grew among some outsiders, who looked enviously at the atmospheric stadiums in Germany enhanced by rail seating, that families who opposed any talk of standing were being bloodyminded and needed to “move on”.
But they missed something crucial. Until last year, when inquest verdicts of unlawful killing were returned, the British state had refused to recognise the 96 deaths meant anything. Except this. That the post-Hillsborough introduction of all-seater stadiums had finally made going to a football game a safe experience.
That, they told the families, was the entirety of their loved ones’ legacy. And some clung to it, feeling if it was taken away from them, then everything was. Which is why the decision by Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly to hold a mass vote on safe standing is a very brave one. And having attended an open meeting on Saturday where the pros and cons of such a controversial move were debated, they deserve huge credit for that bravery. And also for the serious, balanced and informed nature of the event.
We heard from a Sports Ground Safety Authority inspector, a Football Supporters’ Federation official on why they are campaigning for rail seating and from Celtic’s Supporter Liaison Officer on how it works.
But mostly we heard from fans. Significantly from those affected by Hillsborough as attendees, survivors or bereaved, many giving moving speeches but each one respectful of the opposing view. And although there was a groundswell of support for safe standing the dilemma peculiar to many in the room was best summed up by survivor Damian Kavanagh, who said: “For us this issue is uniquely complicated. We need to be the ultimate Doubting Thomases.” Which is an understatement. In theory I’m in favour of safe standing, not just because it might make tickets cheaper and atmospheres better, but because the kind of rail seating Celtic use might actually improve ground safety. At most Premier League grounds, including Anfield, you’ll see fans standing in areas designed only for sitting.
Attempts at getting them to sit just don’t work. So you either accept unsafe standing and the consequences that go with it or you look at ways to make standing safe. I would go with the latter. As will, I sense, the vast majority of fans when the Spirit of Shankly vote is announced on Monday.
But it is vital to remember that although such backing would give a huge boost to fans of other clubs who want to bring back safe standing, for Liverpool supporters it will remain merely a stance. A position which lets the world know they’re not copping out of a debate that is forcing itself to the top of football’s agenda.
For now, at Liverpool at least, a position is all it should be. There can be no rush to bring back standing at Anfield while a majority in the Hillsborough Family Support Group (which represents 77 of the victims’ families) oppose it. The other family group, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, is “neutral” on the issue. What must follow is a process of discussion, education and easing of fears. Currently some relatives of the 96 back safe standing but others still shudder at the thought. It pours salt on wounds that are far from healed when the accused are yet to stand trial for their alleged role in the deaths.
Which is why I’ll stand up for the introduction of rail seating. But only when a majority of the Hillsborough families no longer oppose it.
This kind of rail seating may improve ground safety