Safe Standing

[Andy S]

In the light of reduced standing capacity at Craven Cottage should Fulham apply to the league for permission to install a safe standing area along the same grounds as Celtic?

[KJS]

No thanks

[Maidstone Lee]

Totally in favour of Safe Standing at the Cottage. Much prefer standing to sitting at games.

Am I correct in saying they have raised seats built in so you can still sit and see clearly if you need a break from standing?

[Steven Ageroad]

Totally in favour of Safe Standing at the Cottage. Much prefer standing to sitting at games.

Am I correct in saying they have raised seats built in so you can still sit and see clearly if you need a break from standing?

If our visit to the Hamburg Stadium is anything to go by, standing areas with fold down seats take up the same if not more than a normal seating area.

[grandad]

Not with my sciatica. Painful enough to stand & have a wee let alone a whole game. Pi$$es me off enough people standing up every time we get within 50 yards of the goal.

[Andy S]

I agree with grandad. I don't want to stand up myself but hey if people want to they deserve an option

[_Putney_]

Not with my sciatica. Painful enough to stand & have a wee let alone a whole game. Pi$$es me off enough people standing up every time we get within 50 yards of the goal.

Is that from your in Spain?

[Wingnut]

Totally in favour of Safe Standing at the Cottage. Much prefer standing to sitting at games.

Am I correct in saying they have raised seats built in so you can still sit and see clearly if you need a break from standing?

If our visit to the Hamburg Stadium is anything to go by, standing areas with fold down seats take up the same if not more than a normal seating area.

That's correct but you fit two people in the same space when standing is allowed.

[Penfold]

I think it is something that should be considered. Look at how many people stand in seated areas. Works well in Germany but virtually every time its mentioned here you will get some sports writer talking about going back to the bad days of overcrowded terraces or that having standing is 'giving in to the thugs'.

One of the things I enjoy about watching local non league football is standing. Obviously, at Southern League/Bostik League level you can move from one end to the other as well if you so wish which is obviously not possible with modern rail standing.

[Roberty]

That's correct but you fit two people in the same space when standing is allowed.

The main difference seems to be the high rail on the seat in front of you, so that there is separation between the row when people are standing and also to hold onto. The tilt up seat are numbered and it will be one person to one space to comply with the licensing.

Since seats are the minimum size possible, just as in busses and trains, you will be hip to hip wether seated or standing so there will not be room to two people in each space

[junior white]

much prefer seating my self, but one designated area for home fans would be OK i think, for away fans  as they stand anyway I would put it in their section

[Twig]

Whilst we prefer to sit, we both totally support safe standing. After safe standing is implemented the club should strictly enforce remaining seated in the seated areas.

[grandad]

Not with my sciatica. Painful enough to stand & have a wee let alone a whole game. Pi$$es me off enough people standing up every time we get within 50 yards of the goal.

Is that from your in Spain?

Had it for 30 years but easier to manage in the warm sun & swimming. Cold, damp weather does not like my back.

[Woolly Mammoth]

I think it is something that should be considered. Look at how many people stand in seated areas. Works well in Germany but virtually every time its mentioned here you will get some sports writer talking about going back to the bad days of overcrowded terraces or that having standing is 'giving in to the thugs'.

One of the things I enjoy about watching local non league football is standing. Obviously, at Southern League/Bostik League level you can move from one end to the other as well if you so wish which is obviously not possible with modern rail standing.

Agreed, I will not stand for it, and I shall not take the ban on standing areas sitting down either.

[Samjack]

Definitely it needs to be brought in at the cottage. It's Only a matter of time before it comes in nationally anyway, it'll add to the atmosphere and it's better for everyone - people who prefer to sit and stand. It's a complete no brainer.

[FulhamStu]

I have used the safe standing at Shrewsbury.   It's great and massively improves the atmosphere.   It does not increase capacity but puts people where they want to be.  People who want to stand and people who want to sit.

I would love to see an area at the Putney end for the younger singing fans but it will not happen because of away fans and potential trouble which is a shame.   Personally I would move away fans to the Riverside area at the back of the Hammersmith end and keep them in after games until home areas clear.  I would then have safe standing areas at the back of the Putney end for home singing fans.  This would mean we would hear Fulham fans and not away fans on televised games and generally make Craven Cottage a far more home friendly and intimidating for the opposition ground than it currently is.

[filham]

Yes, why not try it on a limited basis for a short period.

[EN1 FFC]

For me if they could stop fans running on the pitch then the two best places for safe-standing would be the full length of the old Enclosure in the JH Stand and the full front part of the new Riverside when built.

[WhiteJC]

Wolves planning to install 'safe standing' rail seats at Molineux

Wolves plan to install rail seats at Molineux this summer so that fans who refuse to sit can stay safe.

Standing at grounds in the top two tiers of English football is illegal but new guidance from safety chiefs allows clubs to install seats with barriers if strict conditions are met.

Now Wolves hope to take advantage of the new guidelines in their bid to tackle persistent standing.

"This is not about safe standing," said managing director Laurie Dalrymple.

He told BBC Sport he was not expecting a change in legislation "any time in the near future" but added: "This is a very strong middle ground.

"I don't believe the evidence supports a view that standing in football grounds is something that is inherently dangerous.

"But I am pleased this revision to the guidelines allows us to do something that permits the fans to be in the stadium and, should they wish to stand, are doing so in a safe environment."

Standing in the top two tiers was outlawed following recommendations made in the Taylor Report into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives.

In recent seasons, campaigners have called for standing to be allowed in grounds once again. Rail seating has been developed to provide seats which can also be converted to standing areas.

Last year, new guidance from the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), the body in charge of ground safety, opened the door to the use of rail seats.

Its Green Guide document, used by all stadium managers, referred to 'seats incorporating barriers', which the SGSA later confirmed meant that they could be installed and still meet the government's all-seater policy, provided certain strict conditions were met.

And Dalrymple believes such arrangements make a safer alternative to traditional seats in areas of the ground where fans still insist on standing up.

Wolves have a particular problem in their South Bank section - officially known as the Sir Jack Hayward stand.

In a recent survey of season-ticket holders in that part of the ground, 97% of respondents said they were in favour of the introduction of seats with barriers.

And as the existing seats in that area of the ground needed replacing, the club will take advantage of the change in official safety advice to install rail seats.

"This is the perfect opportunity for us to meet all of the expectations of the safety guidelines and give our fans what they want," Dalrymple said.

"We have had persistent problems in that area of the ground from fans who wish to stand and we have made it clear on occasions in the past that if there was an opportunity to pilot a scheme we would want to be at the forefront.

"But this is not about safe standing and I have no doubt other football clubs will follow behind us."

Both Wolves and the SGSA are stressing that the move is not a back-door way to introduce standing into the Premier League.

An SGSA spokesman told BBC Sport: "The focus of the SGSA is the safety and enjoyment of fans.

"Wolverhampton Wanderers are using the opportunity provided by their ongoing stadium improvements to tackle the safety risks associated with persistent standing by introducing seats incorporating barriers.

"We will be working with the club to ensure that the proposed seating arrangements meet the technical specifications within our guidance.

"The club will remain subject to the government's all-seater policy and we will continue to closely monitor the ground and particularly any new seats incorporating barriers to assess compliance with the licence condition."

In June 2018, then Sports Minister Tracey Crouch commissioned an official review into safe standing at football grounds after a petition calling for its introduction was signed by 112,000 people.

In January, Crouch's successor Mims Davies said she thought all-seater stadiums was still the safest option but is waiting for further information before reaching a definitive conclusion.

Major plans for Molineux

The introduction of rail seats marks the start of what, over the next few years, will be a major redevelopment of Molineux.

Unlike Tottenham did, Wolves cannot move out of the current home while work is taking place, so Dalrymple says redevelopment, which he hopes will begin in 'one to two years', will have to be done in over "a very staggered, strategic period of time".

Wolves finished 13th in the Premier League attendance chart in 2018-19, with an average of 31,030, up from 28,298 from their title-winning campaign in the Championship.

Dalrymple says the club have plans to raise their capacity to between 37,000 and 38,000 "in the short term".

But with more than 6,000 on their waiting list for season tickets, Wolves have not ruled out going beyond 40,000.

Dalrymple said: "I am comfortable we could build a stadium to around the mid-40,000s, potentially a bit higher than that.

"Assuming we continue with our on-field aspirations and how we are delivering in that aspect, we would have a football club that could deliver those capacities."

This season has been an undoubted success for Wolves.

Their squad was bolstered by the arrival of two Portuguese European Championship winners in Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio.

During the campaign they also signed two of their most popular loan players on a permanent basis, paying Atletico Madrid £15m for full-back Jonny Castro and a club record £30m to Benfica for top scorer Raul Jimenez.

Jimenez was also responsible for bringing fellow Mexican and WWE star Sin Cara to Molineux for the final home game of the season against Fulham, opening the club up to another new audience.

The disappointment at losing a two-goal lead and the FA Cup semi-final to Watford was tempered by a seventh-place finish, the club's highest since 1980, and the knowledge if Manchester City become the first club to complete a domestic Treble at Wembley on 18 May, Wolves will have a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.

Dalrymple said: "Our objective is to take this football club and immerse it into the top six of the Premier League. It is definitely achievable, otherwise, why try?

"We have had such a stellar year, it does potentially place another level of expectation on us to grow. To a degree we are comfortable with that.

"Penetrating that top six is not going to be easy. There is still a big divide between those elite clubs and the rest in terms of commerciality and ability but we believe we have the strategy, investment potential, know-how and desire to bridge that gap and to get into that group as quickly as we can."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48273750