Shrews making a stand

® LEAGUE ONE Shrewsbury have applied to have safe standing at their Greenhous Meadow home.

The Shrews are the first club in England to request permission to install rail seats at their ground.

They want to have a standing area for 400 fans in their 10,000-capacity stadium by the end of the 2017-18 season.

Scottish champions Celtic opened a standing section which holds almost 3,000 at their ground last season after gaining permission from Glasgow city council.

Shrewsbury’s chief executive Brian Caldwell said: “More people are encouraged to sing and get behind the team but also it’s a safer environment as well.

“Our safety officer has been up to Celtic and was very, very pleased with how safe and secure it was.”

Banned

Standing has been banned in England’s top two divisions since 1994 following the Taylor Report into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans died.

The law change allowed grounds outside the top two tiers to have terraces if they existed before 1994.

But Shrewsbury’s ground is only 10 years old so they need permission to install the much-debated rail seating.

Liverpool and the Hillsborough Family Support Group still retain the stance that grounds should remain all-seated.

Last month the Premier League wrote to all 20 of its clubs to get their views on introducing safe standing.

West Brom are believed to be willing to allow The Hawthorns to be part of any pilot scheme but would need a change in the law.

Shrewsbury have applied to the Sports Ground Safety Authority and expect a decision within weeks.