attila
1997 Club
Standing at matches was made 'illegal' as a result of an anti football political agenda backed by lies and calumnies about Liverpool fans after the Hillsborough tragedy. The measure was always unjust and stupid, and, now the truth about Hillsborough has finally surfaced, the tide is turning. At a football league meeting on the 14th February all Championship clubs, bar one, voted in favour of a motion to allow safe standing trials with a view to clubs being allowed to build these areas if the trials were a success.
At the moment it is still 'illegal' to stand, but the reality is that most clubs don't enforce that rule in singing areas. The inconsistency of the situation is the best argument for formally scrapping the 'no standing' rule in selected seated areas as a precursor to introducing safe standing, and (sensible) pressure from fans will play a part in bringing that about sooner rather than later. As with all our other campaigns it's a question of tactics. Non violent, non aggressive standing in the North Stand in the current situation is for me in the long tradition of the kind of controlled and sensible direct action by Albion fans which played such a huge role in saving our club.
At the moment it is still 'illegal' to stand, but the reality is that most clubs don't enforce that rule in singing areas. The inconsistency of the situation is the best argument for formally scrapping the 'no standing' rule in selected seated areas as a precursor to introducing safe standing, and (sensible) pressure from fans will play a part in bringing that about sooner rather than later. As with all our other campaigns it's a question of tactics. Non violent, non aggressive standing in the North Stand in the current situation is for me in the long tradition of the kind of controlled and sensible direct action by Albion fans which played such a huge role in saving our club.