Plan is to roll it out to all clubs
Q Why is safe standing a hot topic in the Premier League now?
A Because, from January 1, four Premier League clubs — Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham — and Cardiff from the Championship will legally be allowed to accommodate standing in their grounds for the first time since 1994.
Q Why haven’t they been allowed to do so since then?
A Since 1994-95, it has been a legal requirement for Premier League clubs, and most Championship clubs, to have all-seater stadiums. This was a recommendation of the Taylor Report (1990) following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which cost 97 Liverpool fans their lives.
Q So what has changed to allow this to happen?
A Until about a decade ago, the majority of clubs in the top two divisions, as well as the Premier League, the EFL, the government, the police, local authorities and safety advisory groups were implacably opposed to changing the all-seat law.
But a series of events in the past decade have changed minds. By the 2019 general election, the Conservatives and Labour both had manifesto pledges saying they would work to explore safe standing.
And on September 22 this year, sports minister Nigel Huddleston announced an ‘Early Adopters Programme’ to allow the five clubs mentioned to permit standing legally.
Q And ‘legally’ is the operative word in that last answer, isn’t it?
A Absolutely. Just because stadiums have been all-seater has not meant all fans have remained seated at games. In every stadium since all-seaters were mandatory, there have been groups of fans who have continued standing, huge groups in some cases. This in itself can be dangerous.
Q Isn’t it expensive and difficult to reconfigure stadiums?
A No. With ‘rail seating’ the only change needed is an extra step for depth and a protective rail for each person. There is a one-off cost of £100 per place. So a standing area for 2,000 would cost around £200,000 — a week’s wages for a top striker.
Q Has the law been changed to allow the upcoming safe standing trials?
A Sort of but not exactly. Huddleston is using a ‘statutory instrument’ (in laymen’s terms, a placeholder law) for the time being. The success or otherwise of the venture will be monitored over time and expanded to other clubs. And at a later date, if all goes well, the law will be changed permanently.
It is also worth noting, technically, during pilots in 2019-20, at six clubs including Liverpool, some fans stood in rail seat areas but this was curtailed when the pandemic hit. So again, technically, the new standing areas are not trials, rather they signify the formal adoption of safe standing.
Q Are there examples of safe standing in other major leagues?
A Yes. notably in Germany, where Bundesliga season tickets as cheap as £120 for standing places are available at big clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Dortmund’s standing grandstand, known as the ‘Yellow Wall’, holds almost 25,000 supporters.