Wolves first PL club with rail seats

Wolverhampton Wanderers have created Premier League history by becoming the first club to fit rail seats in their ground. Albeit a very small installation for evaluation purposes only, the pioneering move is further evidence that top-flight clubs are looking seriously at utilising the freedom given to them by the new Green Guide to use such seating as a means of enhancing spectator safety in areas where fans persistently stand.

In a small corner of Molineux not used for paying fans the club has installed around a dozen of ‘seats incorporating barriers’ of differing designs in order that they can discuss with their fans and local safety authorities which might be the most appropriate version for a subsequent larger installation.

As clarified in my document on the subject, the use of such seating in all-seater stadia is now allowed. Indeed, for areas of a ground where fans stand persistently the official advice is that clubs consider installing seats of this kind to mitigate the safety risks regarded as inherent in standing behind conventional seats.

The first Premier League club set to have ‘seats incorporating barriers’ actually in use for this purpose is Spurs, whose new stadium, when it opens, will feature around 7,500 such seats.