{"id":425625,"date":"2019-04-30T15:14:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T19:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=425625"},"modified":"2019-04-30T15:14:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T19:14:50","slug":"parliament-backs-safe-standing-at-football-in-latest-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2019\/04\/30\/parliament-backs-safe-standing-at-football-in-latest-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Parliament Backs Safe-Standing at Football in Latest Poll"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly two-thirds of Parliament back safe-standing at football according to a poll by YouGov<\/a>. The majority of Parliament believe that the existing all-seater rule should be scrapped.<\/p>\n

Parliament Backs Shift in Football Stadium Rules<\/h1>\n

Ever since the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, stadiums in the Premier League and Championship have had to be all-seater. The shocking occurrence saw 96 Liverpool<\/a> supporters lose their lives at the start of the FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield Wednesday.<\/p>\n

A survey of 100 MPs proved that 66 were in favour of safe-standing, 22 opposed and 15 were undecided. Among those who are deemed to be football fans, three-quarters supported safe-standing.<\/p>\n

YouGov also asked more than 2,000 adults how they felt about the current state of play with all-seater stadiums. Nearly half supported the integration of safe-standing, one in six opposed a rule change.<\/p>\n

But, again, seven out of ten among those who have an interest in football were in favour of introducing safe-standing.<\/p>\n

Richard Elliot, associate director at YouGov, said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“Close to two-thirds of the 100 MPs surveyed support safe-standing areas and that support is even higher among the general public with a strong interest in football.<\/p>\n

“The main reason given for opposition among MPs and the public was a belief that standing at stadiums can never be safe. So although there’s strong support out there, there’s still important work to do to address safety concerns.”<\/p>\n

Reasons Against Safe-Standing Have Begun Evaporating<\/h2>\n

Opposition to safe-standing has been declining over recent months for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n

Firstly, standing is considered safe in the lower leagues, Scotland and rugby grounds. Even Premier League stadiums can use safe-standing, as long as they are not used for football.<\/p>\n

Secondly, it has since been proven that poor policing and stadium management was the factor that resulted in the Hillsborough disaster.<\/p>\n

The idea that safe-standing will never be safe has been undermined by supporter experiences in Germany, Scandinavia and Scotland where thousands of supporters stand in designated areas that have been properly designed.<\/p>\n

Even former sports minister Tracey Crouch dropped her opposition of safe-standing.<\/p>\n

Many safe-standing campaigners hoped this would lead to safe-standing being integrated from next season. However, Brexit and ongoing criminal cases related to Hillsborough make a change unlikely.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>