Stand Up! If you want to stand up!
With the campaign for "safe standing" growing apace, it pleases me greatly that the Swans are looking to be involved in any subsequent scheme. So often of late it seems I've spoken about how the "Premier League experience" leaves a lot to be desired from a fan's point of view, so when something is being done solely with the intention of improving the atmosphere for fans it should be (rightly) heralded.
Today new research on safe standing is set to be released at the Liberty Stadium, with a remarkable 96% of fans backing the move to bring in safe-standing areas, such as those which feature in Germany. There is a growing pool of support from clubs too. Manchester City, Aston Villa, Hull City, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Swansea are all keen to see it introduced, and with 84% of fans of the belief that safe standing would ease conflicts with visivested (and often over-zealous) stewards it's hard to see any negatives to this policy.
Unsurprisingly, despite a groundswell of support the Premier League and FA are opposed to the idea. Presumably on the grounds that it's harder to sell hospitality tickets if a proportion of the stadium is standing, and that it's harder to eat a prawn sandwich standing up. It really is predictable that the powers-that-be in the UK are against the introduction of something which fans almost unanimously want. They've proven themselves unwilling to protect the interests of fans for so long now it's simply par for the course. But with so many clubs at the top level keen to see this introduced it's hard to see how either governing body can resist.
Huw Jenkins & the excellently named Andrew RT Davies - leader of the Welsh Conservatives and reportedly the first man nicknamed Retweet - will be at the Liberty today when the report is made public. Mr Davies said:
“This is an issue of fairness and football fans deserve to be treated in the same way as supporters of other sports.
“While safety has to be the top priority, a pilot would be a sensible way to assess the evidence for reviewing the current all-seater policy and the political will exists in Wales to lead the way on this. It’s time to let us get on with it.
“The clubs back it and our report is further evidence of the demand for standing areas among supporters themselves. Given the cross-party support here in Wales we now have a clear mandate to bring forward a pilot scheme.
“With the vast sums being pumped into football, and the growing sense that ordinary fans are being priced out of the sport they love, this is an opportunity to give something back. It would be a huge shame to waste it.”
Sadly, on top of the FA & PL being against it it seems the government are too. Safe standing is currently opposed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Government in "not-doing-what-is-in-the-public's-best-interest shocker"? Again, unsurprising.
One small victory could be that Tory MP Ken Clarke, quoted in the report, said he could see no reason not to stage trials.
“I am quite sure that the coalition government would do nothing to obstruct any sensible innovations and I do realise that there are many football supporters who would prefer to get back to some kind of standing crowd.”
If trials can be carried out which (will) show that there is no logical reason to reject the notion, other than perhaps reduced revenue as people would hope to pay less to stand, it will be even harder for the powers-that-be to reject it.
In such a crooked, twisted, money-driven sport you have to take the small victories. That would most definitely be one, but as fans we can't let the joy and so much more which has made football the experience that it is seep from the game. Football is in danger of being bled dry by mercenaries, but projects such as the safe standing campaign show that the spirit which once was found on every terrace up and down the country is not dead. It's just been horrifically oppressed for going on twenty years - at Premier League level at least.
I can't emphasise how strongly I back the safe standing campaign. Information is available here (link), and if there's any other way I can use this site to promote the campaign I will. This isn't just about safe standing. It's high time the Premier League and the FA realised they can't just keep pushing fans, charging them more money, whilst removing aspects of the game we all love for financial gain. There comes a time when fans' collective feet need to come down. That time is now, otherwise it might be too late.