Clubs call for trials
Their support brings the total number of English league clubs formally backing the campaign to 20. The Scottish Premier League also supports the FSF’s call for safe standing trials.
Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town are the latest clubs to back the Football Supporters’ Federation’s Safe Standing Campaign.
·www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/safestandingTake a few minutes of your time, make a difference, and back the FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign – please visit:
Jenny Warburton, Commercial Manager at Oldham Athletic, said: “While under current regulations we are not able to offer the choice, we note with interest the growing support from fellow clubs for the FSF in its call on the Government to permit a limited number of trials of safe standing areas fitted with ‘rail seats’.
“We believe that the rail seat concept has merit and could provide football clubs that currently have all-seater stadia with a safe and well-managed means of enabling fans to watch football standing up. We would therefore encourage the relevant authorities to permit trials of the rail seat system with a view thereafter to defining appropriate criteria under which it could be introduced in future at grounds such as ours.”
MPs, journalists and other football industry figures. The event was organised by the FSF with support from Roger Godsiff MP. Representatives from Aston Villa and Peterborough United said they would be happy for their clubs to trial safe standing areas. Stadium and Operations Manager Mark Isaacs attended along with Parliamentary showcase The Case for Safe Standing in Football which December’sSwindon Town’s support follows
The Robins said:“Swindon Town is a club that prides itself on listening to its fans and when surveys such as the recent one run byTheWashbag.comfan website indicate that 87% of Town supporters would welcome the introduction of a safe standing area as part of redevelopment of the County Ground, we are naturally only too happy to have that debate and explore whether that is something that may be possible in the years ahead.”
“We believe that such [safe standing] trials would be useful for the football community as a whole in order to enable all concerned to take fully informed, evidence-based decisions on the possible wider introduction of such areas in the future, Swindon Town Football Club fully supports Villa and Peterborough in their request to be allowed to run such trials."
argued that it would be in the club’s interest to back the FSF’s campaign and - to the Robins’ credit - they have done just that.TheWashbag.com at the County Ground. 87% said that they would like provision for safe standing in any redevelopment if it was permitted. TheWashbag.com surveyed Swindon Town supporters for their views on safe standingIn August and September 2012
, said: “With such a strong display of public support we were pleased with Swindon Town's response and held a constructive meeting with Mark Isaacs. Clearly the club have listened to their supporters in making this statement in support of Aston Villa and Peterborough United being allowed to undertake the safe standing trials.TheWashbag.comRon Smith, Editor of
welcomes the opportunity of working with the club and supporters' groups to see safe standing become a reality at the County Ground.”TheWashbag.com“These will provide a vital tool to further test the already strong case for safe standing areas in the Premier League and Football League.