It’s been a debate that has been rumbling on for the last couple of years; should football reintroduce safe standing areas?
Image Via Tom Brogan
It looks like the Scottish Premier League will be the first in the UK to trial such areas as they have given clubs the go-ahead.
Safety Concerns
It was the Taylor report back in 1994 which saw football stadiums get rid of standing areas and replace them with all-seated stands. While this was not compulsory, Scottish football followed the report’s recommendations.
The Taylor report was created after the Hillsborough tragedy in 1994, resulting in the death of 96 people due to overcrowding.
There are still concerns about the safety of standing areas but football in Germany has embraced these areas and have had no trouble. Is it time football in the UK looked at the German model?
Discount Tickets
Scottish football has been counting the pennies for a while now. Fans are doing the same whilst the country remains in a recession. Dwindling crowd attendances are hitting clubs hard and safe standing areas could relieve some of this pressure.
There have been discussions about discounted tickets for standing compared to seating, similar to the example set by German football. As yet we don’t know what discount might be applied, but any reduction in price might entice fans to watch their clubs live again. Also, with fewer seats clubs can get more people into a space and this in turn leads to higher sales. The lower prices could also attract a younger crowd. This is important for the future of football.
Ticket prices for standing should be discounted. Standing tickets are priced at a reasonable £10.50-£12.20.
Introducing another tier in football ticket pricing on the surface appears to be the kick Scottish football needs to remain competitive and the news fans wanted to hear.
Do you welcome the introduction of safe standing areas at football matches? Tell us in the comments section below.
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December 20, 2011
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