Support Safe Standing!

Speech by Sharon Bowles MEP delivered to Liberal Democrat Autumn Federal Conference, Bournemouth 2008 on Sun 14th Sep 2008

As an MEP I've been involved with football rather more than I expected. Usually its been dealing with competition and copyright law for media rights. These have been big issues because everyone wants to watch their favourite sport.

This resolution is a big issue too, but about how fans want to participate in watching their sport, in person, not on screens.

Last year I was invited to watch Wycombe play Brentford as part of a Safe Standing Day organised by Wycombe and the Football Supporters Federation.

I hadn't appreciated how much some fans prefer to stand up. Many ordinary fans really, passionately, want to stand to watch the game; it is not a matter of cost. I know it is true, I stood among them. And exciting it was.

Many fans still choose the standing terraces that exist at football grounds in all but the top two divisions. In any sport except football, and in top football in most other European Leagues, standing areas also exist. And I do understand why - its cultural, its atmospheric, its participatory.

So this resolution is about allowing fans to stand up to watch top-level football matches - but with the imperative proviso that it is safe.

It also aims to eliminate the tensions that arise because we do not have grounds organised to allow standing.

1. When fans stand in areas intended for seating it is irritating to those who want to sit.

2. Stewards then tell the fans to sit down, and this can cause aggravation between stewards and fans

3. And sometimes home and away fans in the same stadium get treated differently.

All this can be solved by the introduction of Safe Standing areas. But be very clear on this - this is not old fashioned terraces.

What we suggest is, for clubs that wish it, for there to be areas allocated for people who prefer to stand in front of their seats while the game is going on. The areas would be separated from sitting areas and, importantly, the standing fans still have allocated places, so there isn't crowding.

Safe Standing seats can be zoned so that those wanting calmer surroundings are sufficiently apart. And for the Safe Standing seats themselves there are already specially designed flip up seats with hand bars tested in other countries.

Now already the press have said to me - what about Hillsborough. We have disturbing memories of that and other tragedies. But standing of itself did not cause them; it was inadequate management of standing, with too many fans crushing into the same space.

"Safe standing" pays serious attention to that problem - everyone is still allocated a specific place by ticket - in a seated area or in a special Safe Standing seat area. So it is an evolution onwards from the solution of 'fully seated', not a reversion.

And I also believe there should be room in our football grounds for those wanting atmosphere as well as those wanting to watch more sedately,

Conference, like me, maybe you didn't expect politics and football to come in the same package. And maybe the desire to stand at a match might seem strange.

But I respect and understand their choice. And I believe it can be done safely, considerately and optionally, just by those clubs that wish to.

Please support the motion.