The stadium security authority (SGSA) in England has just announced that clubs in the English first and second divisions (Premier League and Championship) will be able to set up stands from January where supporters remain standing.
This was banned in 1989, after the Hillsborough disaster which left 97 people dead after a crowd movement at the very start of a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
This will be a testing program for which clubs must apply by October 6.
If authorized, a portion of the stand will be able to accommodate standing supporters for the remainder of the season.
An independent commission will then have to draw the conclusions of this experiment.
A specification to be respected
The reintroduction of stands where supporters can stand was part of the Conservatives' program for the 2019 legislative elections and had received the support of figures from all political stripes.
"We made it clear that we would work with supporters and clubs to introduce safe standing places in football stadiums," Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said.
"Now that the preliminary studies have been carried out and that the stadiums can again operate at full capacity in the country (after a season behind closed doors due to the Covid), the time has come to move forward" on this subject, a- he added.
Interested clubs must, however, fulfill a number of criteria.
The standing stands should nevertheless allow supporters to sit down if they wish, they should not obstruct the view of other supporters, in particular people with disabilities, and a code of conduct for supporters should be in place. .
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