MP backs ‘safe standing’ at football grounds bid
MP Liz McInnes has backed a campaign to introduce ‘safe standing’ at Premier League and Championship football stadiums in England.
The Heywood and Middleton MP, whose constituency includes Norden, Bamford and Castleton, was speaking after Labour offered its support to a fans’ campaign
Because Rochdale play in League One the club are permitted standing area at Spotland.
But Ms McInnes said she was keen to hear the views of football fans in her constituency.
She said: “Today (Friday) my colleague the Shadow Sports Minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan will announce Labour’s support for introducing safe standing at Premier League and Championship football stadiums in England.
“This week I had the pleasure of attending a meeting organised by Dr Rosena with representatives from many football supporters’ clubs across the country, and it was good to see fans there from north west clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Burnley. I know many people in Heywood and Middleton are football supporters and regularly attend matches, and from speaking to them and after hearing the supporters’ clubs this week I think it’s clear that there is a huge amount of support for safe standing amongst those who regularly attend matches.
“Several weeks ago I wrote to the Sports Minister Tracey Crouch to ask for her position on it, but her response which I received this week showed that the government still needs a lot of persuasion.
“My colleague Dr Rosena has led a great deal of work on this and has done a lot of consultation with fans - it’s that research and engagement which has led to her announcement today. Dr Rosena will be leading Labour’s response in a parliamentary debate on the subject on June 25.
“I will be attending that debate and I’d like to hear from constituents about this. Please let me know your views by emailing me at liz.mcinnes.mp@parliament.uk.”
The ban on standing areas at football was brought in following recommendations made by Lord Justice Taylor in his inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster which saw 96 Liverpool supporters unlawfully killed in 1989 .
Rail seating has been used in Germany’s Bundesliga for over a decade and Celtic became the first British club to install it in 2016, having gained a “safe standing” certificate 13 months earlier after years of negotiations with supporters, football authorities and Glasgow Council.
League One side Shrewsbury Town recently gained permission to have 500 of the rail seats installed at their New City Meadow stadium from the start of next season.
Each metal seat is incorporated within a robust metal frame which forms a waist-high rail for supporters in the row behind, with the same spacing as standard seats. The frames interlock to form a continuous high-strength rail along the full length of each row, with rail heights varying between 90 and 115 cm.