Safe standing to be introduced at Celtic

[Copps is Magic]

http://www.celticfc.net/news/8420

Worked with Glasgow city council and emergency services for this outcome. A major UK City/club.

[Askern_reds]

if this allowed at a club of that size then there's nothing wrong with it been introduced all through div 1

[Al4475]

If it works at celtic and safety advisory groups are happy it'll not take long to filter to everywhere else!

[IDM]

It works in the Bundesliga and has done for years...

[Al4475]

Yep, so if the bundesliga and celtic can make it work - watch it take off (rightly so imo) over here!

[silent majority]

If only it had been that easy!!

It's not law in Scotland though, it exists under a gentlemans agreement, but even that didn't stop the authorities doing their level best to stop it and this is the result of a very long campaign.

[Chris Black come back]

Biggest underlying issue will be the Premier League and Murdoch wanting to keep football as their nice sanitised "product" and having some folk standing rather than sat down compliant like and stuffing their faces with Skyburgers or whatever corporate crap is being rammed down their necks, is not going to cut the mustard.

Viva standing.

[Sammy Chung was King]

You can't call it 'Safe' standing when it's Scots doing it, Longshanks had it right in the braveheart film.
''The trouble with Scotland is it's full of Scots''!!

[RedJ]

Biggest underlying issue will be the Premier League and Murdoch wanting to keep football as their nice sanitised "product" and having some folk standing rather than sat down compliant like and stuffing their faces with Skyburgers or whatever corporate crap is being rammed down their necks, is not going to cut the mustard.

Viva standing.

Does it come with Sun sauce?

[silent majority]

Biggest underlying issue will be the Premier League and Murdoch wanting to keep football as their nice sanitised "product" and having some folk standing rather than sat down compliant like and stuffing their faces with Skyburgers or whatever corporate crap is being rammed down their necks, is not going to cut the mustard.

Viva standing.

You couldn't be more wrong. The big problem is the government, simple as that, and then that infiltrates to their departments such as the SGSA who are the people who implement these issues. Solve that and the problem goes away.

[Askern_reds]

It works in the Bundesliga and has done for years...

I bet it's in most country's not just Germany it's just here health n safety gone mad, sometimes think coman sence chucked its self out the window, but there we go

[BobG]

No Askern. See SM's post right on top of yours. If you read it, it might help your thinking. The opposition to safe seating is political. Not health and safety. It's been a political problem for really quite a long time now. There's been enough articles and stories about it over the years you know.

BobG

[Chris Black come back]

Biggest underlying issue will be the Premier League and Murdoch wanting to keep football as their nice sanitised "product" and having some folk standing rather than sat down compliant like and stuffing their faces with Skyburgers or whatever corporate crap is being rammed down their necks, is not going to cut the mustard.

Viva standing.

You couldn't be more wrong. The big problem is the government, simple as that, and then that infiltrates to their departments such as the SGSA who are the people who implement these issues. Solve that and the problem goes away.

What is driving this though?

1. Genuine concern over crowd safety. (Evidence says safe standing is zero risk).

2. Voice of Hilsbrough families etc (needs to be heard but not dictate debate vs evidence).

3. Premier League types in ear of Ministers trying to keep out 'normal' folk wanting to enjoy football in peace but while standing (most likely).

[silent majority]

CBcb,

Its a subject we could debate at extreme length, as we have been doing for a number of years now! But progress is being made and each step is a positive one and the Celtic thing has been a major one. That's why we celebrated it like we did, because we knew it was significant, as did the authorities. They fought tooth and nail to maintain the status quo and dragged their heels at every occasion. In the end it was inevitable.

But to answer your questions;

1) No its not genuine concern. Every study that we have ever done, every case history we have produced and all the safety figures that the SGSA publicise all prove that safety is not the issue. Its quite simply Government ministers using a catalogue of excuses to not address the issue, after all which minister wants to take the gamble that changing the law will not produce another fatality? Nobody does, hence the head in the sand attitude.

2) The Hillsborough families do deserve to have their voice heard, and a lot of government ministers will put their position above anybody else's. We've met with the two Hillsborough groups on numerous occasions and explained our position, some see our argument and agree with us, but some have made it their life commitment and will never change. For them its more difficult. I would never say their wrong, just misinformed. In that respect the new inquests will help.

3) The PL and FL have various positions on this. Over the years we have persuaded enough FL clubs to support our position, and now its FL policy to promote 'safe satnding' to the authorities, including government. The PL havn't taken a public vote on this yet, but we know that if they did they would come out in favour of supporting trials. Timing is key. If we ask for the vote and lose out it will put us back several years, so we need to be 100% confident when we do it. Whilst the inquests are taking place is not the right time.

As a further point, the government department that deals with this is the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA). In recent months they've moved their position, hopefully under the new CEO and Chair of that organisation we can move them further.