Safe standing trial offer

[Nelly]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."


I think ignorance is going to be a factor in this. Still, I'm very proud of villa for being open to this.

[not3bad]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."

Bloody hell!  Second name Whitehouse?!

[TheMalandro]

If there was a major incident in a football ground now, I think there is every chance the seating in some grounds could in fact be more dangerous.  At least we wouldn't be caged in now.
I'm all for it.

I've never been good at sitting down for anything.

[itbrvilla]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."


I think ignorance is going to be a factor in this. Still, I'm very proud of villa for being open to this.

What a dickhead

[newtonsballs]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."


I think ignorance is going to be a factor in this. Still, I'm very proud of villa for being open to this.

What the hell is OP?

[Dave Cooper please]

Opening Post.

[Mister E]

I think football should allow to reintroduce standing area as long they have 2,500   people limit in one stand, so it will be easier for crowd control rather than have say 15,000 people.  So this way fans will be happy and the club will be happy to have this option without massive headache.

I don't think the absolute number is really the point. There just has to be proportionately the 'right' amounts of:
- safe entry-exits
- enough crowd-management 'furniture' to avoid excessive crowd-movement and surging
- good circulation space behind the terracing
- good signage
- good stewarding.

I presume it would be sold as season-ticket only, to avoid away-fan incursion and to know who's in there if trouble were to happen.

With what is now known about crowd behaviour and management (lessons-learned from Hillsborough, Heysel, Bradford, Kings Cross Station, etc) and the number of experts out there, this should not be a high-risk venture at all. It just needs proper consideration and management.

It's not for me, however: at 5'7" watching footie from terracing for me was always a challenge (even if lots of fun).

[supertommykN'iba]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."


I think ignorance is going to be a factor in this. Still, I'm very proud of villa for being open to this.

This is what I don't understand... How can the 'rail seats' used in this safe standing idea be any more dangerous than say, a Saturday in a shopping centre? It's people standing up, in a designated space, which is proven to be safe.

And 'encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general'?! Please, if you're going to make an assumption like that, delve into a little more detail.

[Rioch is King]

I'm amazed at the utter nonsense that is written about standing at a football match and whether or not it's safe. Has anyone who is actually involved making these decisions regularly stood on the terraces at a match? I doubt it. If anything was dangerous about attending a match in the 70's and 80's it was getting to and from the ground. Standing and watching was generally the safe bit.

I only ever felt in danger once in the Holte and that was the last game of the season in 1975 when they let way too many people in. That kind of thing can easily be avoided

[MonsXI]

Someone posting as 'Mary' had this to say from the link in the OP:

"I have never cared about football but I am incensed with this suggestion. Aston Villa are clearly more interested in money than supporters lives. The government should take action to close down this football club as what they are going to do will endanger public safety. It is also encouraging hooliganism and loutish behaviour in general."


I think ignorance is going to be a factor in this. Still, I'm very proud of villa for being open to this.

Well Mary if that's the case why don't you fuck off and stick you nose into something you might know about!

The thing is if as fans we want this we have to do more than just signing the FSF petition, we need to mobilise like fans on the continent do, German fans are protesting at £17 tickets for a local derby we just hand over £35 for Norwich at home!

[Percy McCarthy]

Too many middle-class wankers into football now for us to mobilise about ticket prices I'm afraid. Plus, we've had our community spirit crushed by, yes, Thatcher.

Oh, and Mary is a fucking moron who will, hopefully, be ignored by everybody in the decision making process.

[newtonsballs]

Opening Post.

Many thanks

[dave.woodhall]

Villa have said they're interested but other clubs seem reluctant. I think we need to make this a wider supporter issue across all clubs, but how it becomes a general campaign is the big question.

[Louzie0]

I stand for a goal. (Goodness me, I do whenever I'm there, and.. )

What would you stand for?
(if you're a fan)

Suggest a campaign asking people what they stand for.

That might be a bit obvious but I think it could work.

[itbrvilla]

Villa have said they're interested but other clubs seem reluctant. I think we need to make this a wider supporter issue across all clubs, but how it becomes a general campaign is the big question.

i think it's more of clubs expecting a backlash from the ignorant and uneducated. For a club the size of us to speak in support of this campaign is massive for the FSF. We get the shit and get it into the public eye. Reason is all the SCG meetings where it was brought up ad nausium, declining crowds and declining interest got the Villa. It'll benefit us in the long term I'm sure.
I expect more clubs to follow now we've taken the lead. There have been 2 relatively big clubs in Wolves and Blues as well as Hull speak up anoit this issue and I'm sure  more will follow suit.