Posted on 14th December 2012
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
Another Friday and another two clubs have backed the Football Supporters’ Federation’s Safe Standing Campaign – welcome aboard Aldershot Town and Exeter City. The Shots have been longtime supporters of safe standing and reaffirmed their commitment this week while The Grecians confirmed their support after we invited the club to Tuesday’s Parliamentary event.
Aldershot Town and Exeter City are the latest clubs to be added to an ever-growing list which includes Aston Villa, Brentford, Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Hull City, Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle, Watford, AFC Wimbledon, and the Scottish Premier League.
Richard Petty, Associate Director at Aldershot Town, said: “As a club with a high percentage of our capacity being standing accommodation we know first hand the pros and cons of standing over seating and because of this we strongly believe that standing still has a role to play in modern football.
“Things have very much changed over the years and safety guides such as The Green Guide, along with the excellent work that the Sports Grounds Safety Authority does, now ensures that standing areas are properly designed with safety in mind, not just control.
“The Safe Standing Campaign that the FSF is running is a very welcome initiative and the design options being put forward for Premier League and Championship clubs offer a really good alternative to the current all-seater stadiums. For those reasons, and many others, Aldershot Town FC supports the FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign.”
If you represent a club and would like to join the list, or talk informally about the FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you’re a supporter and your club’s name isn’t in the list above, why not contact them and ask if they’ll support the Safe Standing Campaign?
Grecians back Safe Standing Campaign
Roger Conway, Board Director, Company Secretary and a Trustee of the Supporters Trust at Exeter City, said: “As a club that is currently able to offer its supporters a choice of grandstand seats or standing accommodation we would never want to lose that freedom no matter how high up the football pyramid we may climb in the years to come. We also believe that it is a freedom that all football clubs should have, including those currently with all-seater grounds.
“Standing in properly designed, well-maintained, professionally managed areas is safe and popular. We know that from our own first-hand experience. We therefore fully support the Football Supporters’ Federation in its call on the Government to allow trials of safe standing areas to help determine how it may be possible in future for clubs currently in all-seater stadia to offer their supporters too the option of watching the game sat down or standing up.”
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The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) was contacted last night by the Sports Ground Safety Association (SGSA), who told us that the option for football clubs to offer licensed standing at all levels of the game in England and Wales has at last been passed into official Government policy.
Exeter City, the fan-owned club who were saved by their supporters when the club was in crisis in 2003, have repaid the long-term interest free loan provided by the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust (ECST).
Exeter City recently marked the 20th anniversary of becoming a supporter-owned club and the FSA was invited along to the League One side’s celebratory dinner, where we were represented by our community-owned club network manager Richard Irving and head of supporter engagement and governance Ashley Brown. Here chair of the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust Nick Hawker tells us more about the successes of the last 20 years…
Brentford, QPR and Wolves are the latest clubs to confirm they will have safe standing areas – and more clubs are expected to follow next season as the Government has confirmed that Premier League and Championship clubs can introduce standing during 2022/23.
