Safe standing receives national press backing

October 2011. The Daily Star Sunday has become the first national newspaper to come out formally in favour of safe standing. In an editorial in its October 16th edition the paper states: "the law banning standing is an ass" and calls on MPs to scrap it.

This call from the newspaper, one of the main beneficiaries of the closure of the News of the World and now the country's third-best-selling Sunday red top, comes in response to a survey commissioned by the paper into fans' views on standing. Conducted among 1,002 fans from over 90 clubs, the survey showed that 66% supported the introduction of modern, purpose-built standing-only areas in Premier League and Championship grounds and that 73.5% would stand or consider standing in such areas.

In the paper's editorial, under the heading 'We want choice', the Star wrote:

"Football fans today demand a return to standing at top-flight matches.The grounds of the 1980s were death traps. All-seater stadiums were the right move at the time.But standing is no longer, by definition, unsafe.No fan should be forced to stand, no ground forced to tear out seats. But the law banning standing is an ass.This week, MPs can take huge strides towards scrapping it...MPs, it's over to you."

(The Star had wrongly believed that Don Foster's bill was due for its second reading 5 days later)