Posted on 16th February 2015
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
According to a new survey published at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea today, the overwhelming majority of football fans – 96 per cent – support safe standing.
The report, published today by the Welsh Conservatives , found that football fans surveyed back the introduction of designated standing areas at football grounds. Andrew RT Davies, author of the report, is now calling for a safe standing pilot in Wales.
Davies said: “This campaign boils down to two issues: the right for football fans to be treated the same as other sports fans, and the opportunity to trial an advance in safety methods which is well established on the continent.
“Legislation governing standing was drafted in a different era, to address a different set of problems and it’s time for politicians to move on and give the people what they want.”
The FSF attended the launch of the survey, along with Swansea City Chairman Huw Jenkins and the chairs of Swansea, Cardiff and Newport County Supporters Trust.
Some highlights from the 2,364 people surveyed include:
The National Assembly in Wales is the first UK legislature to adopt a pro-standing position, recently passing a motion backing a pilot, and Davies is calling on the UK Government to legislate for a limited pilot early in the next Parliament.
Tim Hartley, Chair of Cardiff City Supporters Trust, added: “We believe that clubs ought to have the freedom to offer fans the choice to stand safely in appropriately designed areas and we look forward to seeing the next Government carry this forward.”
Thanks to Alexander Ridler for the image used in this article, reproduced here under CC license.
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.
The FSA are gathering the views of fans of women’s football across the country on how they believe football can safely return from its COVID-19 suspension with spectators in the stands.
An overwhelming majority of fans of non-league clubs are in favour of reforming the voting structure of the National League, according to the results of a Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) survey.
The FSA exists to represent the interests of football supporters across England and Wales, and we’ll continue to do that during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the lack of football.
