Safe Standing at the AMEX: Yes or No?

[teaboy]

And so it should in my view, football has moved on from those nostalgic days

Yes it has, and so have the venues. This is not a plan to return to terracing. It is a compromise that allows fans to stand safely in areas that can also be used for seats on other occasions. No crowd surges, no overcrowding - just being able to stand up while watching football.

 

[countryman]

Can someone please post the email address of the correct person at the club to email?

 

[sully]

And so it should in my view, football has moved on from those nostalgic days

Rather than such glib statements, I wish those who don't think it's a good idea would actually share their reasons with us.

Football has not "moved on". There are still a huge number who wish to stand up when they watch football.

As others have said, I'm willing to listen to reasoned arguments, but not statements that suggest that the author thinks were taking about returning to the stadiums of our youth. That's patently not the case and those of us who have experienced German football stadia simply cannot come up with a reason why the choice to stand cannot be offered.

For goodness sake, it also removes any excuse anyone has for persistent standing in the rest of the stadium, which should make those who wish to sit happier as well. Everyones a winner. Why is that not obvious?

 

[Beach Hut]

There is nothing glib about it at all just that it will never happen at the Amex

 

[sully]

There is nothing glib about it at all just that it will never happen at the Amex

Why not?

 

[teaboy]

There is nothing glib about it at all just that it will never happen at the Amex

Even though it may never happen at the Amex there's no reason to against the proposal in principle, which is the club's (and your) stated position.

 

[Beach Hut]

Even though it may never happen at the Amex there's no reason to against the proposal in principle, which is the club's (and your) stated position.

There is every reason if you are against it, this is hard work at times.

 

[Bozza]

There is every reason if you are against it, this is hard work at times.

You've not presented a single coherent argument against it. Any 'hard work' is your own doing.

Safe Standing, if implemented, would only come into play in selected areas of grounds - the only people it would affect are those that want to stand and elect to be in such an area. Everyone else, including me in my WSU perch, would be completely unaffected by it. It would make literally no difference to my matchday experience.

Thus, even though I can't see me opting to go into a Safe Standing area any time soon, I have voted 'Yes' as it's clear there are enough people who would like this opportunity, so I believe it should, at the very least, be explored if and when the time comes.

So, there you go, concise and coherent - please outline your reasons against in a similar fashion.

 

[Hamilton]

To be honest, I saw this coming - I used to have heated arguments with Richard Hebberd about it in the PA box at Withdean, before our new ground was even a twinkle in Derek 'I support safe standing' Chapman's eye. I am sure that the 'nice quiet identifiable supporter in a seat' argument is the one that is ruling the roost: as I pointed out above this denies football reality in every other country in Europe and is unbelivably, insultingly patronising. And the one aspect of 'inclusivity' which is being totally ignored here is the simple ability to pay. I have had many conversations with dedicated fans who simply can't afford to get a season ticket any more, even with the installments scheme. Where's the 'inclusivity' for them? Safe standing is a simple way to include more fans at lower prices while keeping the same income. Of course, in corporate world such people don't matter - football as a microcosm of society.
We need to think about how we go forward with this one. My view: first and foremost, support the campaign at national level while keeping the debate alive here. Now that the calumny against Liverpool fans has been proved to be such and the lynchpin of the all seater argument swept away, it's only going to be a matter of time before safe standing is allowed by the government and clubs start to implement it. Then would be the time to really take the issue up here big time. If we go too early, before it is legally possible, we'll have far less impact.

I think this is spot on.

It is certainly not BHAFC's responsibility to change the law at the moment. The movement for change has to stir elsewhere. That said, I think the club needs to review it's approach. It needs to be clear that it has a responsibility to uphold laws and regulations and that it will do so unequivocally. However, it fully supports any investigations into ways in which fans can watch football whilst adhering to the principle of safety for all.

 

[Commander]

There is every reason if you are against it, this is hard work at times.

So basically, you don't have a single valid argument against it, apart from 'football has moved on', by which you mean that you have got old and fat and don't want to stand anymore, so therefore nobody else should either.

 

[yxee]

And so it should in my view, football has moved on from those nostalgic days

No it hasn't, people still want to stand.

 

[Mayfair Seagull]

And so it should in my view, football has moved on from those nostalgic days

Again, someone who knows nothing about football. In EVERY country outside of the UK, fans sit and fans stand. It will change here soon, it has to.

 

[El Presidente]

I am fully in favour of safe standing, advances in architecture and the removal of fences have resolved safety issues, and we are only talking about the North Stand, so it would not be a major financial issue either.

There is however NO desire for safe standing coming from the PL. They want to control the fans, are not bothered about creating an atmosphere (I went to Old Trafford a few weeks ago and it was tragic). Every time fans work up some media interest in this story the powers that be wheel out a couple of Hillsborough family victims and their opposition, whilst emotional, is misguided, yet wins the argument in the media. We are patted on the head and told standing will never return.

There is the further issue of pricing. Clubs have managed to get away with price rises FAR in excess of inflation by claiming that the cost of installing seats, and the associated reduction in stadium capacity, has resulted in significant price increases for fans to attend games. In 1978/79, when the Albion were last promoted to the top tier, it cost 80 PENCE to watch a match in the North stand. Since then inflation has been 450%, which would result in a price of £3.60 today to watch the Albion. Instead it costs you £28 to sit in the South. in 1983 the highest paid player in the country earned £70,000 in a year, today it is over £12 million.

The average age of someone attending a match these days is 44, because younger people have been priced out of the game. It is all part of the sanitisation of football, and it is heading in one direction only.

 

[Beach Hut]

Not fat or old just my opinion which is what is asked for not justification

My opinion is I don't want it and do not think it will ever happen.

There are some grumpy people today on NSC

 

[Ian Bairds Fist]

Not fat or old just my opinion which is what is asked for not justification

My opinion is I don't want it and do not think it will ever happen.

There are some grumpy people today on NSC

That's a poor response Beach Hut - at least back up your opinion with a fact. Why don't you want it?

 

[Mayfair Seagull]

Not fat or old just my opinion which is what is asked for not justification

My opinion is I don't want it and do not think it will ever happen.

There are some grumpy people today on NSC

Perhaps you are Hebbard in disguise?

 

[Beach Hut]

I am of not actually caring however in the sanitised world of the Amex you will not get it so just live with it.

The club has changed and will continue to change even more and I am quite sure when the Amex was built there was never any view on safe standing and given the current owner and chief Executive it simply will not happen.

as for Richard Hebbard, thanks I do not wear a syrup so no I am not.

 

[Beach Hut]

That's a poor response Beach Hut - at least back up your opinion with a fact. Why don't you want it?

This is a thread for opinions says nothing about facts anywhere

 

[ngood77]

Brighton To Safe Standing | Twohundredpercent

 

[cologne fan]

As you can see from my name I'm a Cologne supporter, but I do have a soft spot for Brighton as it's the club most of my family supports. Living in Germany and going to matches means that I have stood in various safe standing and also terraced ends. The option that is being discused in Britain in the option of safe standing like in Hannover (http://www.stadionwelt.de/sw_stadien/fotos/stadionguides/deutschland/awd_arena/blick/blick_10.jpg) or Bremen (http://www.stadionwelt.de/sw_stadien/fotos/stadionguides/deutschland/weserstadion/innen/innen_17.jpeg). The idea is that the seats can be folded down for international games and are folded up otherwise allowing for two people to stand in the place of one seat. That way it's also very easy to state how many people can be inside to standing area of the ground. In most grounds there are still terraced areas (like in Cologne: http://www.stadionwelt.de/sw_stadien/fotos/stadionguides/deutschland/rheinenergiestadion/sued/sued_02.jpg) which are also very safe. Unlike in the old days there are walkways through the stands so that in the case of an emergency people can still quickly get to the exit. That also means that there's no crushing. The safety argument just doesn't make sense if you've got an up to date ground. Also (and this is my main point) the age of match going fans in Britain has increased due to high ticket prices and clubs are in danger of loosing a generation of fans. Safe standing would a) lead to a better atmosphere, b) more socially sustainable ticket prices and c) higher income for clubs as more people would be in the ground to spend money on food, drinks and merchandise while one could easily take half the price of a seat in a standing area of the ground.