The debate about Safe Standing has been reignited again thanks largely to West Ham Chairman David Gold and the pilot running at Celtic.
In an interview with ClaretandHugh yesterday reprinted in the Sun this morning, David Gold confirmed he has started talks with manufacturers of safe seating systems which he wants to see introduced at the London Stadium.“I have been speaking with the people who put in the rail seating at Celtic Park. I have been an advocate of this for many years and it is something I am working on.
“It was absolutely right after the Hillsborough tragedy that the Taylor Report suggested all-seater stadiums but that was 30 years ago and technology has moved on so now – as was the case at Celtic – we need to look at these possibilities and hold talks. That’s what I am doing. We are working on it. I believe in it – we are in touch and we will do everything we can to resolve the issue."
David Gold has talked about Safe Standing in a personal capacity for some time now but that is not quite the same as the club publicly backing a call for Safe Standing at the London Stadium.
In July, Hammers Vice Chairman Karren Brady said “A safe standing area was ruled out early. ‘I spent enough time standing as a kid when I couldn’t see to believe comfortable seating is the way forward.”
In reality the first hurdle for any club wanting safe seating is for at least fourteen Premier League clubs to vote for change in the ground regulations. Fourteen votes is the minimum requirement to push through any change in the rules in the monthly meeting of Premier League representatives.
To move this forward one club would need to table a motion along the lines of “Should the Premier League executive engage with The Department for Culture, Media & Sport with a view to seeking clearance for clubs, if they so wish, to install rail seating to enhance spectator safety in certain areas of their stadia?”
MP Karen Bradley is the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and this would most likely come across her desk for review should it passed by the Premier League. The Premier League Executive would ask the DCMS to confirm that the Football Spectators Act 1988 which came from the Taylor report merely requires clubs to “provide seated accommodation only” and does not prescribe the nature or design of the seats to be installed.
Assuming that is clarified by the department, then the club’s would have a green light to discuss with their Safety Advisory Group’s (SAG’s).
The clubs and SAG’s would then agree a change to the wording of the ground regulations to the effect that persistent standing is not allowed in any area of the ground other than the rail seating section ( which is precisely what Celtic have done with theirs)
This course of action avoids the need for any Westminster MP to change the law or amend the current law to “bring back standing”, which they might be reluctant to do.
By confirming, however, that the law does not prescribe the design of seats to be fitted in all-seater stadia, it leaves the path clear for clubs to devise with their SAGs operational plans that all agree are very safe.
The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) can then still grant each ground its licence that confirms that the ground conforms to the requirements of the Football Spectators Act 1988 and Ground Safety Act of 1975 and the SAG can grant its safety certificate that confirms that the ground infrastructure and operational plan is safe.
It could really be that simple, all it needs is one brave Premier League chairman or CEO to table the motion.The dimensions of the London Stadium seating would allow the equivalent of 1.8 standing supporters for each existing seat. Should London Stadium owners decide to replace 6,000 seats behind the goals in the lower tiers this would in theory allow 10,800 supporters to be stood behind locked rail seats in the same area. This could potentially increase the London Stadium from a future promised 66,000 to a 70,800 capacity stadium.