Posted on 21st September 2016
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
As the safe standing section at Celtic continues to impress people across the football industry, Manchester City’s 1894 Group are urging fans to take the case directly to their own clubs, here they tell us more…
If there is one lesson from history we as fans can remember, it’s nothing changes unless we get off our backsides and challenge authority.
From fighting ID cards. to perimeter fencing or more recently ticket prices for away fans and the justice campaign for Hillsborough victims.
All of these meant fans came together with the same voice. All with a consistent message to all levels of authority that we would not be going away on these issues until they were addressed.
This is an area now that we need to make progress on and that is to have safe standing areas introduced into our grounds.
There is overwhelming support for this and the bottom line is that safe standing makes it safer for people who wish to stand (and many of us have stood continuously throughout the era of all seater-stadiums).
It’s also about offering a choice. Those people who wish to sit down can do so without having their view or their enjoyment of the game affected by people who rightly still wish to stand.
A day of joined-up, nationwide action similar to the Twenty’s Plenty day last season would be a good thing. We know it would be successful – the media and the authorities would recognise that the fans are speaking with one voice.
Many of us who speak regularly with our clubs get the feeling that things are changing, that there is a will amongst Premier League clubs to look at it.
If we all press our own clubs, privately and publicly, then in the next year or two we will have safe standing sections. We need to take the argument to all the supporters at our own individual clubs.
We are winning this argument now. There was a time when people shouting for safe standing were regarded as nutters. Not the case now. People have seen it is highly successful all over Europe.
Clubs have their AGMs and if you are able to get a question asked at your club’s AGM, make sure it is about safe standing. Bring it up on radio phone-ins, display banners in the grounds and engage with the media on Twitter to ensure it’s an issue which doesn’t go away.
Let’s make the case for safe standing this season.
The FSF blog is the space to challenge perceived wisdom, entertain readers and inform our members. The views expressed are those of the author and they don’t necessarily represent FSF policy and (pay attention journalists) shouldn’t be attributed to the FSF.
In recent seasons, the supporters’ movement in the women’s game has flourished and Manchester City Women’s Official Supporters Club are just one of the many fan groups riding that wave. In a special long read, which is packed full of ideas for other developing groups, Board member Dave Sheel tells us about the group’s journey over the past five years…
Last month the FA announced that the Community Shield would be taking place on a Sunday at 5.30pm, a difficult time for Manchester City fans hoping to get down to the game and back in time for work the next day. After a backlash that was revised to 4pm but Manchester City fans are calling for it to be moved to 3pm.
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.
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.
