Safe Standing Petition Needs One Final Push

I’m sure most Aston Villa fans are aware of the current state of play in the battle for safe standing in football.

West Bromwich Albion saw their application rejected by the Government the other week and Tracey Crouch MP blathered her way through some excuses as to why there was neither the evidence to support such a move (Celtic anyone?) nor the desire amongst fans to actually stand.

The latter claim seemed to come from a very small respondent survey carried out by the Premier League itself, and their statement as covered by ESPN is interesting given everything we know about the campaign.

“The results so far suggest a majority of fans like the idea of standing areas in principle but only 5 percent want to stand for an entire match. Additionally, the majority want the option of being able to stand and sit during a match. This subject is complex and nuanced and clearly requires more research looking at how standing areas might impact Premier League stadiums, overall fan experience at matches and safety standards. Taking this into account we understand and appreciate why the minister for sport would require far more evidence before considering a change to the current all-seater policy.”

I say interesting, I actually mean nonsensical guff. Allowing rail seating in areas of a ground is not complex or nuanced for fans who want to both sit, stand or sit and stand – are they going to be referencing those fans who like to dance at points during a game next? You don’t need to be an engineering genius to find a solution for that. The current rail seats are locked in position – don’t lock them into position and give the fan the freedom to both sit and stand should they wish. Job done.

But no doubt it was a leading question and helps sidestep why has evidence not been taken from Celtic’s trial? Safe standing happens every week in the Bundesliga, why doesn’t that evidence count?

There was a further claim from Crouch originally – clubs’ themselves have no desire to introduce safe standing.

She made that claim in the very week Manchester United’s Richard Arnold was quoted saying the club supported safe standing and would implement it if legislation allowed. She made that claim on the back of West Brom physically making an application. A number of other top-flight and Championship level clubs are on record as being open to safe standing, Aston Villa are simply one of them. Tottenham Hotspur’s new ground is future proofed for rail seating as another example.

On Monday evening Crystal Palace became the latest to throw their weight behind it.

🏟 We know that many of our supporters want safe standing. We believe it should be debated in Parliament.

If you agree, please sign this petition now:https://t.co/44gkLEPOdK pic.twitter.com/lafvbxj2vG

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 23, 2018

The Government and Premier League response gets a little bit more bizarre when you listen to the reaction of the Football Safety Officers Association. You would presume they’d know a little bit more about the topic wouldn’t you and they were on board with West Brom’s application and saw their own advice ignored.

“The issue of supporters persistently standing in seating areas is one that affects all-seater football stadia up and down the country and threatens to compromise the safety of thousands of fans every match day. Something must be done to tackle this issue, and the introduction of an alternative such as ‘rail seating’ or other systems currently being developed to enhance safety should not be ignored. Safety Officers and Club Directors across the country are subject to legislative requirements but this is one legislation that should be given careful consideration. The safety of spectators must always remain paramount but it seems that as we strive to improve standards of safety already achieved at our grounds, the Government is then choosing to ignore what may prove to be a safer alternative to standing in seated areas.”

As the evidence mounts up it appears the Government stick their fingers in their ears and start chanting ‘la, la, la’ or visualising their next expenses claims.

There’s another key commentator here. EFL Chief Shaun Harvey wasn’t impressed with Crouch’s response either and he was quoted by the BBC.

“I can assure you that we do not consider the comments made this week to be the last word on the matter. We will continue to engage robustly with government and other relevant stakeholders in order to achieve the changes to the all-seater policy that our clubs seek. The government should not underestimate how popular a change in approach would be with the football-supporting element of the electorate.”

Football fans ceasing to be marginalised and given a choice at least on the standing front is certainly nearing. Spirit of Shankly’s vote on safe standing has gone a long way here, and personally, I find the following article a great read on the subject given the emotions the debate can often stir up.

Excellent article by Hillsborough survivor @AdrianTempany on why he supports safe standing @The_FSF @BrianReade @david_conn @spiritofshankly https://t.co/CFIJZXRZCP

— TheFarm/PeterHooton (@TheFarm_Peter) April 22, 2018