Safe standing at Wembley Stadium could soon be a big thing, as FA officials are discussing adapting all 39,165 seats in the top tier in a bid to increase the atmosphere.
The FA have said that plans for safe standing are not currently in place, but the Daily Mail insist that officials are exploring the possible introduction of rail seating.
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Wembley could be set for more safe standing as officials weigh up transforming almost 40,000 seats on the top tier – close to HALF the iconic stadium – in a bid to boost the atmosphere under the arch https://t.co/M4LTLQC0Bg
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) March 6, 2024
Rail seating in top tier to boost Wembley atmosphere
Allowing fans to safely stand on level five of Wembley Stadium is a possible move by the FA aimed at creating a better atmosphere inside the 90,000-capacity ground.
Level five seats are often the last to sell out for England Men’s and Women’s matches, but a change to safe standing in the top tier might make the seats more desirable for fans.
There are small, safe standing areas in the ‘home’ and ‘away’ sections of Wembley Stadium, which are both located behind the goals. In both sections, there are 867 tickets for safe standing. This was officially introduced at the stadium for the Carabao Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle United on February 26, 2023.
Safe standing at Wembley
Keegan also disclosed that “insiders have disclosed that such a move, would be complicated given the stadium also operates as a music venue.”
To carry through with rail seating in the entire level five of Wembley Stadium would require approval from various authorities.
Safe standing in the Premier League
Safe standing in English ground was approved by the Government in July 2022, in time for the beginning of the 2022/23 season.
Eleven Premier League clubs have already implemented rail seating at their home grounds.
These clubs include:
- Manchester United
- Liverpool
- Chelsea
- Manchester City
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Newcastle United
- Luton Town
- Brentford
- Bournemouth
- Aston Villa
The benefit of safe standing areas
The most obvious benefit is of course that such areas allow supporters to passionately follow their side for the entire match – something which is a lot harder to do when seated. While safe standing is undeniably a step forward, it achieves this by returning to the status quo of a bygone era, albeit in a much less dangerous manner.
Fans have been calling for the introduction of safe standing for many years now, and slowly but surely, it appears as though it will become a key aspect of top-level football once more.
News of such developments at Wembley Stadium, then, was met fairly positively on social media, with one fan taking to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “That's great news! Safe standing has been proven to enhance the atmosphere at football matches and I'm glad Wembley is considering implementing it. This could make for an even better experience for fans at the iconic stadium.”