The debate over safe standing in stadiums has intensified in recent years, driven by changes in safety protocols and fan preferences. Traditionally, standing in the terraces was common in UK stadiums, fostering a vibrant atmosphere and passionate fan engagement during matches.
However, following safety concerns, especially after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, the Taylor Report recommended that top-tier clubs transition to all-seater stadiums. This significantly altered the experience inside stadiums, compelling football clubs to explore new ways of redesigning their venues to keep fans feeling close to the action.
Recently, the push for the reintroduction of safe standing areas in British football has gained momentum. Incorporating modern rail seating in these areas has become particularly important. Advocates point to successful implementations in stadiums like Signal Iduna Park as examples. In response, the UK government has sought to enforce stricter safety standards for such adjustments. Currently, trials for safe standing in UK stadiums have shown promising results, suggesting a new era for matchday experiences.
In this post, we delve into the rail seating debate, highlighting football clubs in the UK that have embraced this change. Read on for more details.
Has standing ever been allowed at football stadiums?
Depending on your age, you'll either be very familiar with standing in stadiums or find the concept completely alien.
To answer the question, though, back in the day, terraces would be chock-full of supporters bouncing up and down in a singsong to support their team. The closeness and the number of people packed together would generate a phenomenal atmosphere.
You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees with those statements. They're as good as facts. Unfortunately, some other facts couldn't, and still can't, be ignored.
Why was standing in football stadiums banned?
The obvious answer is the Hillsborough disaster, which saw 96 Liverpool fans lose their lives. Of course, there are far more examples of football stadium disasters that explain why something had to give concerning how match days were organised; crushes were becoming too much of a regular occurrence.
Going back to the Hillsborough disaster, it was the report findings issued ahead of the 1994/95 season that made all-seater stadiums mandatory for the two top tiers of English football. That was, however, nearly 30 years ago, so the big question remains whether or not safe standing should be allowed.
What would safe standing look like?
Throughout the safe standing debate, one aspect seems to be easily overlooked. What fans want now is safe standing. In the eighties, and before, what they had was an unsafe free-for-all. Any return to standing will look very different from the scenes you'd have seen 30 years ago.
UEFA regulations require that international matches be held in all-seater stadiums. However, several major stadiums in Europe have implemented safe standing areas. One of the most notable examples is Borussia Dortmund, a German team that uses rail seating to facilitate safe standing. This concept of safe standing is not limited to Europe, as it is being introduced in other regions as well.
In Britain, Celtic Park has rail seating in place for up to 2,600 people, which has been in place for five years. The key thing to note here is that Celtic aren't legally restricted under the same rules as English Premier League and Championship sides..
So, will safe standing be allowed then?
The honest answer to this question is who knows? At the moment, standing at football matches, safe or otherwise, is not permitted, hence we have stewards telling people to ‘sit down please' every two minutes.
West Brom, who have recently been relegated from the Premier League, are largely responsible for the fact that the matter is a hot topic. They applied for the introduction of safe standing at their home, the Hawthorns, back in 2018.
The authorities quickly shot this down. After that rejection, a formal petition was born and received enough signatures for it to land before Parliament. As yet, though, no law change has been passed. What was the government's stance, we hear you ask? In two words, largely inconclusive.
The main takeaway was that those in power believe that “all-seater stadia are the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans”, which we appreciate doesn't sound like a sitting-on-the-fence response. That's not where the government statement ended, though, with acknowledgement coming that “the time is now right” for safe standing to be discussed again.
Safe standing in the Premier League
While safe standing in stadiums remains a thorny issue in the UK, especially with the Hillsborough disaster still fresh in many minds, there are plans to reintroduce it fully in the Premier League.
At that time, all-seater stadiums did not exist, so standing in the terraces was a part of the experience of watching your favourite team compete against its rivals. To truly appreciate how safe standing has influenced British football, it's important to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. FIFA traces the origins of football to England around 1863.
However, ensuing disasters in the UK football stadiums, mostly occasioned by poor safe-standing protocols, forced the government to rethink the significance of such areas in football stadiums and ban them altogether.
Most recently, a decision in the summer of 2021 by the government in favour of safe standing completely changed the debate. The government allowed safe-standing trials in the English Premier League and EFL.
With that, several Premier League clubs that strongly advocated for it began installing safe-standing areas on their grounds.
Chelsea, Brentford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Wolves, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are some of the clubs that have reintroduced safe-standing sections, albeit systematically.
In total, there are at least 60,000 safe-standing areas in the Premier League, with Liverpool leading the pack with at least 13, 300 followed by Chelsea, who have 12,000 rail seats.
Most importantly, the government has put in place measures to ensure that only football clubs that have adhered to stringent safety criteria are allowed to install safe standing areas in their stadiums.
BREAKING: Premier League and Championship clubs will be allowed to introduce licensed safe standing areas from the start of the season. pic.twitter.com/AZDLmM5ig1
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 4, 2022
Premier League safe standing stats
Stand United, a website that advocates for safe standing at Bramall Lane, has been tracking the stats across various stadiums in England, and so far, at least 13 Premier League stadiums have installed or have provisions for safe standing zones.
- Wolves currently have a total of 8,253 licensed safe standing seats at Molineux. Of these, 2,115 are in the Stan Cullis Stand, 5,553 in Sir Jack Hayward Stand and 585 safe standing seats for away fans in the Steve Bull lower section.
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has a provision for 7,000 safe standing for home fans and 3,000 for visitors.
- Nottingham Forest introduced 2,300 safe standing areas at the City Ground ahead of the 2024/25 season. They are located in the upper and lower blocks of Bridford Stand.
- Southampton introduced 2,500 safe standing zones at St. Mary's in April 2024 when they hosted Stoke City in the final game of that season. The club announced their intention to introduce more safe standing seats in the 2024/25 season.
- Newcastle conducted safe standing trials in the 2023/24 season, starting with 1,800 spaces.
- In 2023, Manchester United announced their intention to increase safe standing capacity at Old Trafford by an additional 2,100 spaces, up from 4,000.
- After acquiring a safe standing license in the 2023/24 season, Liverpool now have the most rail seating zones in the Premier League, currently at least 13,300. The club announced on their website that more will be introduced in the Kop Stand.
- Leicester City plan to introduce safe standing ahead of the 2025/26 season. This follows extensive consultations with the relevant authorities and stakeholders. The club will provide 2,610 spaces, which will include 2,532 seats for visiting fans.
Other English Premier League teams that have fully embraced the reintroduction of safe standing are Chelsea, Ipswich, and Bournemouth. According to a post published on the Everton Stadium website, the Toffees are planning to introduce rail seating in some sections of their new stadium for both home and away fans.
Brighton Hove & Albion are said to be considering implementing rail seating in the 2025/26 season, while Arsenal are yet to arrive at a conclusive decision. Crystal Palace conducted some trials in the 2022/23 season, while Fulham have no provisions for such at Craven Cottage.
The final verdict on safe standing
So, with all that we've discussed to this point considered, what does the future of watching football look like? For the foreseeable future, it appears that the authorities are playing it safe by sticking with the all-seated approach. However, as more and more high-profile clubs build in ‘ready to go' safe standing, there will be growing pressure to at least trial standing spectators.
FAQs – Safe standing
When was standing made illegal in English football?
The rule that stadiums had to be 100% seated came into effect for the 1994/95 season.
Does the all-seated rule apply to all professional leagues in England?
No. The ruling only included the top two divisions, with other UK countries also excluded.
What triggered the standing sections to be taken away?
There was a combination of safety factors centred around stadium disasters. Hillsborough was the main instance, though.
Why is safe standing necessary in stadiums?
The argument is that safe standing in standings provides efficient use of the available spaces. Most stadiums cannot accommodate all their fans and supporters of opponents, so safe standing ensures as many people as possible get a chance to watch their teams play.
Why do football fans want the safe-standing ban lifted?
Most fans argue that safe standing in football stadiums comes with a great atmosphere. For example, Signal Iduna Park, a venue with safe standing areas, is regarded as one of the stadiums with the best atmospheres in Europe. It is all thanks to the vibrance and spirit of excitement that come with cheering a team while standing.
Are safe-standing tickets cheaper?
Yes, it is argued that tickets for safe standing are cheaper than all-seater stadiums. It means the traditional football fan base has been locked out of stadiums due to higher seating prices in modern stadiums.