HH reader Vince works on the National Assembly For Wales, who are pushing the UK Government to hold the first pilot of safe standing in Wales (at Cardiff and Swansea).
This could pave the way for its introduction across the Premier League.
It’s a cross party campaign and Vince is organising with the Football Supporters Federation. Now that Spurs as a club are on the record as being in favour this is a pretty big development.
The stadium is still long grass territory as we know, but it would be a huge coup if we are well positioned to have standing areas.
Executive Director of Lowball & Chargeback t/a Tottingham Hotspurs’ Donna-Marie Cullen said:
We have noted the findings of the survey which clearly show that fans would like the choice of safe standing. The new stadium is designed such that, should current legislation be amended to allow for safe standing, we would be able to accommodate this in the appropriate areas, subject to rigorous safety regulations.
We are keeping a watching brief on any developments around the issue and will look to discuss the matter with other Premier League Clubs.”
Here’s a great piece on the situation from the Huffington Post.
If THFC are genuine in wanting to build a brave new world in N17, then they need to embrace safe standing. The German model is the one to follow.
What’s the point?
Well, it would create a dedicated area for those that want to get a proper trajectory when throwing coins stand up, Posnan, do the funky gibbon etc, without the all the inevitable nonsense that has scuppered the 1882 mob.
Yes, it was essentially a nice idea, but Levy & Co were always going to hide behind the skirts of Health & Safety at the first opportunity.
The very existence of a group dedicated to bringing back some atmosphere has created a petty and unhelpful “them and us” divide among fans.
A significant commitment to a dedicated standing zone by Spurs is what is needed. This way, you simply buy your ticket and make your own way to the terrace, without having to be part of some subset of fans, marshalled by an online gang. This way, the fans are all there in unison.
By significant, I refer readers to the crowd surfing flag fiasco.
THFC under ENIC cannot be trusted to run a bath. The area needs to be an entire end of the stadium. Yes, Levy & Co may well have to undertake a testicular self examination and decide if they are truly cut out for this ‘running a Premier League football club in 2014’ lark.
Converting what would have been a block of seats with limited appeal isn’t the answer. Participating in their usual perfunctory way won’t be enough.
Is it safe? Yes, it is. But the real question is, is it safe in their hands?
