League seeks clubs' views on safe standing

December 2013. The safe standing campaign took a major step forward as the Football League sent out a safe standing consultation document to all 72 clubs, seeking their responses to four key questions.

The document was the results of many months of researching the safe standing issue by the Football League executive team in response to the vote by 55 of the 72 clubs at their AGM in May that charged the executive with exploring what steps would be necessary to implement safe standing trials.Having explored this thoroughly, including by making a fact-finding visit to Germany, the executive team were now asking the clubs four questions:

- Should the Football League approach the minister for sport to request that the 'all-seater' stadia requirement for Championship clubs be reviewed with a view to the re-introduction of standing accommodation?

- Should the Football League approach the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to request that rail seating products be licensed in Football League grounds?

- Should clubs be permitted to accommodate supporters in rail seating in the Championship?

- Should clubs be permitted to revert from seating to standing accommodation in League One and League Two following relegation from the Championship?

Clubs have been asked to respond by Friday 24th January.

Among the clubs already to have responded positively are: Portsmouth, Derby County, Bristol City, Peterborough United, Burnley, Exeter City and Yeovil Town.

Others have indicated confidentially that they are answering 'Yes' to all four questions, but have not yet made this public. Still others are consulting their fans.

Act now! Contact your club today!

Supporters of Football League clubs that have not yet indicated how they intend to respond are being urged by the Football Supporters Federation to contact their club urgently via their Supporter Liaison Officer to urge them to reply 'Yes' on all four counts. A list of SLOs' e-mail addresses can be found here.