Throughout the international break the Huddersfield Examiner we will be running a series of articles on the issue of Safe Standing with the intention of canvasing opinion and debate.A poll will be at the bottom of each online article with the simple question of whether you want Safe Standing at the John Smith’s Stadium or not.

Earlier this month, Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany took to Twitter to express support for safe standing.

And he’s in good company.

Since 2002, the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) has been campaigning for the government to amend the 1989 Football Spectators Act to allow for the introduction of safe standing areas in English stadia.

Based on the findings of a comprehensive and relatively lengthy consultation process, the FSF believes that rail seating offers the most suitable safe standing solution for clubs in England’s top two divisions.

Safe standing at football games - just one of the initiatives the HTSA are backing.
Safe standing at football games - just one of the initiatives the HTSA are backing.

For those of you who’ve never seen a rail seat, they “incorporate a safety barrier and flip down seat on every other row (or step).” These seats “can be locked in an upright position for domestic games, allowing two rows of supporters to stand in between barriers.”

This means that supporters can be allocated a designated ‘seat’ and still stand during a game.

At present, twenty-six clubs in the Premier League and Football League (EFL) back the FSF’s campaign, as do the Scottish Premier League, and over the past few months, officials at West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham Hotspur have all expressed an interest in safe standing.

In addition, the EFL recently voted to permit the installation of rail seats in the twenty-one grounds that are exempt from the all-seater requirement.

Shrewsbury Town became the first club to take advantage of this change, announcing plans to install 500 rail seats at New Meadow.

Of course, the obvious question to ask when presented with all this is why should the government, governing bodies, and clubs bother changing the status-quo? Well, I’d suggest that the answers that arise are equally as obvious.

Most Huddersfield Town fans in the Cowshed South Stand already stand for the majority of games.
Most Huddersfield Town fans in the Cowshed South Stand already stand for the majority of games.

For a start, safe standing has the potential to greatly improve match-day atmosphere - not just because it encourages fans to make a racket and bounce around, but because it allows for the accommodation of a higher density of fans.

Indeed, safe standing areas with rail seats can hold up to “80% more supporters than a seated area of similar size.” And that means that ticket prices are usually cheaper in standing areas.

Safety is naturally a key concern, especially in light of the Hillsborough disaster, but it’s important to stress that safe standing doesn’t herald a return to the terraces of old.

If anything, rail seating will make stadia safer than they are currently, since many fans are forced to stand in areas designed for sitting. As the FSF points out, with “only two rows of fans per barrier there is no danger [that rail seating will result in a] crush or progressive crowd collapse.”

Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find supporting evidence. Rail seating was introduced in the Lisbon Lions Stand at Celtic Park last season, with the Bhoys’ Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell, stating that the scheme “represents an investment in spectator safety.”

Crystal Palace fans hold banners in support of 'rail seating' during the Premier League match against West Ham United at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace fans hold banners in support of 'rail seating' during the Premier League match against West Ham United at Selhurst Park.

That’s an opinion shared by bureaucrats, owners, and fans alike in Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, and the United States, all of which are countries that permit safe standing.

Stand Up For Town, a joint initiative between the Cowshed Loyal and Huddersfield Town Supporters Association (HTSA), believe that England should be next, and 96% of the 1,083 Town fans who took part in our April 2017 survey share that opinion.

A small section of rail seating will provide greater value for money and choice for supporters, create a better match-day experience for those who wish to sit and those who wish to stand, and improve the general level of safety at the John Smith’s Stadium.

We want to hear your views on this issue not only in the poll below but also via our Huddersfield Town Examiner Facebook page , @ExaminerHTAFC , @StandUpForTown or via the Stand Up For Town website .

poll loading

Would you like to see a designated safe standing section at Huddersfield Town's John Smith's Stadium?

500+ VOTES SO FAR