Since the Taylor report was produced in response to the Hillsborough disaster in the late 1980’s, the option to buy a standing ticket no longer exists. However, this does not guarantee that you can sit comfortably for 90minutes on an English match day if you expect a good view of the game. Over twenty years on from the recommendation of all seated stadiums, is there still a need not to allow standing on the terraces?
The Taylor report was produced in response to the occurrence of one of the largest football disasters in history; the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. On this day, supporters of Liverpool football club were packed onto the Lepping Lane terrace in such a way that 96 people ended up losing their lives. The disaster was mediated across the world and it was vital that this sort of tragedy never occurred again. Lord Taylors report ruled that stadiums in the top two flights must now be fully seated, which would inevitably prevent crushing.
However, fans have never really taken to seating. There is a continual battle between safety stewards asking fans to take their seats during a game, and the passionate fan wanting to stand and cheer on the team they adore. Usually fans will realise that the stewards are just doing their jobs, and one by one take their seat. Then comes the inevitable chant of ‘stand up if you hate…’ and the battle starts all over.
With atmospheres in grounds becoming more sombre and record high ticket prices in a struggling economic climate, the fans have given a call to change. It seems that clubs will be keen to listen to ideas of how to bring those fans staying at home back into the stadium. Standing terraces can still be found around the country without cause for concern in lower divisions, with Peterborough United of the Championship being the highest ranked English team still to offer this option. Is this a coincidence that last year ‘Peterborough United’s London Road was the most popular ground for npower Championship away fans to visit’?
The Hillsborough report doesn’t blame standing for the tragedy, but the control measures put in place, the pens that existed on Lepping lane, and overall, the fact that ‘the maximum capacity for the terrace was significantly exceeded ’. In a world where many clubs have automated turnstiles that prevent unofficial tickets gaining entry, it would seem that now exceeding capacity is impossible. Safety of the fans will always be the main focus, and ways to reintroduce standing in a safe way have been explored.
Many German clubs in the Bundesliga offer coach style standing, with safety barriers between rows, and pull down seats an option for European events. This seems to be a safer option than even the all seating approach, as those fans that want to stand in certain areas inevitably do. Without proper safety in place to accommodate for this, spectators can be more at risk. On top of this, theses tickets can be obtained for the coming match at Borussia Dortmund for as little as €17. When comparing to the £62 that Manchester City fans paid at the Emirates on Sunday, it seems that the pricing of tickets are worlds apart. This can never been attributed solely to the areas being seated or standing, and the difference in global interest between leagues needs to be considered. However, the Taylor reports statement that prices of seating areas ‘should not increase significantly’ has completely gone out of the window in the twenty years since its production.
It is reported that around 11 clubs in the top two divisions are backing the return of standing in some shape or form, and trials for the idea are currently being proposed by clubs such as Aston Villa and Derby County. It will be interesting to see whether the idea will prove successful and whether a standing option could ever be brought back into English football. It has to be said that with all the research that has gone into standing areas, the greatest risk perhaps of reintroducing these to English football is now to the reputation of the FA. If ever even the slightest problem were to occur, they will need to explain to the world why they overruled the advice of a report that was produced in response to one of the most mediated sporting disasters in the world.
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