LONDON: Starting with the 2022–23 season, Premier League clubs may apply to use safe standing areas.
In the second half of last season, top-flight clubs Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham participated in a safe standing pilot, along with second-tier Cardiff.
The programme was a success, and the British government has given permission to all Premier League and Championship clubs to apply for a safe standing licence if they so choose.
“We are now ready to allow standing once again in our grounds,” UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said on Monday. “Thanks to a robust trial, thorough evidence, and modern engineering.”
We won’t be bringing back the terraces, and we’ll only let clubs in that adhere to strict safety standards.
In the upcoming season, Brentford, Wolves, and lower-division QPR will provide designated standing areas for home and away fans; other clubs are anticipated to apply.
Wembley will provide a small amount of safe standing for spectators at domestic matches later in the season, the government confirmed.
In England’s September Nations League match against Germany at Wembley, the English Football Association will test out safety rails, but at that point, spectators must remain seated.
On the basis of preliminary findings from independent research on the pilot, sports minister Nigel Huddleston had stated in May that he was “minded” to offer the option to all Premier League and Championship clubs.
The pilot signalled the end of a general ban on standing that had been in place in the top two divisions of English football for more than 25 years.
Since August 1994, clubs had been required to offer all-seated seating in response to the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, which saw 97 Liverpool supporters crushed to death on crammed terraces before an FA Cup semifinal match against Nottingham Forest.
According to reports, Liverpool will not be introducing safe standing for the upcoming season, but they may increase or extend their current rail seating after completing a separate club pilot last year.
“Safe standing is set to deliver an electric atmosphere at our football stadiums, based on what I have experienced and what we have learned through the pilot programme,”
