Shrewsbury Town plan to become first English club to implement 'safe standing'
The League One club have announced plans to build rail-seats, with a crowd-funding campaign set up to finance to the changes to New Meadow.
Shrewsbury Town, of League One, are planning to become the first club in England to implement safe standing facilities in their stadium.
Shrewsbury fans to raise £75,000
The Shropshire Star reported on Tuesday that the club's fan's parliament drove the initiative, and a crowd-funding campaign will begin to raise the necessary £75,000 to construct 500 safe-standing places in the New Meadow Stadium.
Existing seats would be replaced by 'rail-seating', identical to the current set-up in one corner of Celtic Park in Glasgow. Safe standing is also a prominent feature of German stadiums.
Shrewsbury Town chairman Brian Caldwell stated that “this is very much a supporter-led initiative and we are very keen to support it... hopefully it would improve the atmosphere at our home games too and really help the team on the pitch.”
"There's a clear demand"
Roger Groves, the joint-chairman of the fans' parliament, added that “there’s a clear demand from our fans for an area where they can stand safely. We see that at every game with several hundred choosing to stand at their seats, which is not altogether safe.
"Rail seats will ensure that nobody falls over no matter how wildly they celebrate a goal and, by having a dedicated standing area, we believe that the overall atmosphere in the stadium will also be enhanced."
The development in Shropshire, which would need to be ratified by Shropshire Council and the Sports Ground Safety Authority, could represent a watershed in English football.
Demand for safe standing in English football
The demand for safe standing has been growing amongst English fans, with a strong belief that the introduction of all-seater stadiums following the Taylor Report in 1990 has been detrimental to the atmosphere during matches. The Report, which was undertaken following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, states the clubs in the top two tiers of English football must play in all-seater stadiums. Yet, as Shrewsbury have not spent three years in the top two divisions since the legislation was introduced, they are able to offer fans a choice.
It is expected that supporters of other club will financially support the campaign, in the hope that it will precipitate the wider implementation of safe standing in English football. The rail seating, which allows fans to stand but also includes a fold-down seat, represents a safe, sensible compromise.