From the Sports Ground Safety Authority The safe management of standing at football: Emerging findings Please note this research will continue until the conclusion of the current football season. Any conclusions at this stage should therefore be considered as emerging and not definitive; however, these findings are consistent with those from the SGSA’s regulatory work at football grounds. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the safe management of standing. Strategies to assure the safety of supporters are nuanced to take account of the physical features of the stadium, the behaviour and culture of supporters who occupy those areas, and the match context. Research so far suggests that, overall, installing barriers (or safety bars) has had a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of crowd collapse. Celebrations are more orderly with limited opportunity for forward or backwards movement compared to observations in seated areas. Further, safety staff feel that the introduction of barriers has not encouraged standing where supporters previously sat. Other positive impacts include orderly egress, a reduction in the number of supporters leaning on/over perimeter fencing and a decline in conflict that is triggered by persistent standing. However, the risk of injury caused by climbing on infrastructure remains as supporters can climb on unlocked seats, seat backs and barriers. These areas should be monitored closely to identify and manage this behaviour. Areas with barriers can also be popular with supporters and require specific management strategies to control access and migration. Incorporating wheelchair platforms into areas with barriers allows disabled ticket holders to be part of this experience. This is important for the development of progressive and inclusive approaches that encourage and enable a diverse range of supporters to engage with football. Away areas remain a challenge to manage for some matches. Persistent standing in away areas is extensive and migration within stands is more prevalent than in home areas. The installation of barriers as a strategy to enhance the safety of fans should not therefore focus solely on home areas, and management strategies specifically for away supporters are required. Enforcing the all seater policy has been a source of conflict between fans who persistently stand and fans who wish to sit, as well as between fans and stewards, resulting in safety risks. The introduction of barriers appears to have reduced the potential for conflict, and the associated risks. Fans who buy tickets in these areas generally understand and accept that those around them will stand. Ticketing strategies to ensure that supporters are in the right area of the stadium for their standing preferences are crucial and require considerable thought and ongoing management. https://sgsa.org.uk/wp-content/uplo...of-standing-at-football-emerging-findings.pdf https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/51413557
Be great to see City be a part of this. It could be one small thing to win people over, change the narrative from constant negativity by giving us something exciting instead. But realistically I'm sure they'll just find a load of excuses of why it's too much work, and the cycle will continue.
There'll be a lot of hoops to jump through to get these in at the KC - it's Council owned and they have no money to pay the (assumed?) considerable cost of installing them into one of the stands, is it likely the Allams/new owners would bear this cost in a ground they don't own? Safe standing is a great idea but - it's gotta be paid for and maintained. Don't get your hopes up, ladies - it's not for the likes of us.
The council would have nothing to do with paying for it, the leaseholder is responsible for any changes to the ground. Though the outcome is the same, there's no way the SMC will pay for it, at least not under the current ownership.
There may be hoops to jump through. I'm sure some clubs will do it, while we will say the ground isn't right, the access and egress wouldn't work, it'd be too expensive and so on. And it's exactly this 'can't do' attitude that has got the club to its current position. AP would've made it happen.
Standing is great, but this jumping through hoops idea too is rubbish. Miles too much like ‘it’s a knockout’ I mean we already have the ‘bringing the liquid across an area filled with things that will knock you and make you spill it’ game at half time as it is #HoopJumpingOut
On the one hand - thank goodness treating people like adults. On the other - I sit on the end of a row and it means I'll spend every match getting up and down every 5 minutes as everyone on the row goes for their pints and pees at different times. Bringing in safe standing would sort that issue.