Championship clubs put pressure on League

May 2013. After Championship clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of trials of safe standing, the Football League is coming under growing pressure to lobby government for trials to be allowed.

In a front-page exclusive The Independent has revealed that 21 out of 22 Championship clubs present at a Football League meeting in February 2013 voted in favour of the League supporting trials of safe standing.

The Independent went on: "Some clubs believed the League would then begin lobbying the Government over a change in legislation to allow standing in the second tier ... but the issue was instead dropped as the League remained to be convinced it was a battle worth fighting, despite what one chief executive labelled as an "overwhelming mandate from the Championship".

In a letter sent to Championship clubs in April the League's chief operating officer, Andy Williamson, wrote "it was agreed that the League should not advocate rail seating/safe standing. The matter will not be progressed by the League but if a club wishes to pursue this initiative then that is a matter for them".It is a response described as a "complete cop-out" by a Championship chief executive who was at the meeting."

Despite this temporary knock-back, the 21-1 vote is clearly a major step forward for the campaign and it is to be hoped that the Football League board will adopt a more democratic approach if the motion is debated and passed at a meeting of all 72 League clubs this summer.

To read the full story click the image above right or this link here.

A supplemental piece run alongside the main story can be read here: Why clubs are keen to take a stand.