Chelsea are to host Liverpool in the first top flight game to host a standing area for fans as part of a pilot study, a BBC report revealed today.
In 1994, the Taylor report recommended that all professional football stadiums of clubs in the top two divisions must be all seater by design. The report was commissioned after to the traumatic 1989 FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, Sheffield, where 97 people tragically, and unlawfully, lost their lives.
26 years have passed since that ruling was introduced and according to a BBC report, Stamford Bridge will soon host the first top flight league game with safe standing allowed and that game will be between Chelsea and Liverpool.
As part of their manifesto commitment of 2019, the Conservative party promised to ‘work toward the introduction of safe standing areas’ and the upcoming trials will, no doubt, affect future legislation if the trials are deemed successful.
According to the BBC: “The pilot will be monitored by the independent firm CFE Research, and its findings will be provided to the government for a decision on a possible wider roll-out of safe standing for next season.”
Chelsea are one of five professional clubs to have their standing applications approved. Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Cardiff City are the other four clubs who form that group.
This news will likely be welcomed by many supporters and although there may, understandably, be a few uneasy feelings for some fans, hopefully this can be seen as a safe step forward.
The allowance of standing areas, should this pilot study go well, is likely to encourage more stadiums to follow suit as it would allow fans to stand without disrupting those around them, and dance and sing to their hearts content.
As clubs up and down the country reintroduce standing areas, who knows how many of the all seated arenas will remain in a few years time?
For now though, this seems like a safe step in the right direction.
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