Liberal Democrats back safe standing at football grounds

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 26th Sep 2008

Cardiff councillors, Ed Bridges and Simon Pickard, are backing Lib Dem plans to allow safe standing areas at football grounds.

Liberal Democrats have backed proposals to change regulations which currently prevent football stadiums from providing 'safe-standing' areas which meet stringent safety requirements.

At their Autumn Conference earlier this month, the Lib Dems voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing regulations which currently only allow seated areas in grounds at Premiership and Championship level. Despite those regulations, large numbers of fans regularly stand in areas designed for sitting only, causing safety problems and creating animosity between fans and stewards.

Cardiff North's Welsh Assembly spokesman (and Newport County season ticket holder), Ed Bridges, said: "This is a sensitive issue. But we should not ignore the fact that large numbers of fans - like me - prefer to stand at games. The current regulations are hard to enforce and cause as many problems as they alleviate. Instead, the Liberal Democrats want to allow people the option of standing in regulated areas where safety can be ensured. If people can stand in their thousands at music gigs or even political rallies, it is only fair that they should be allowed to do so at football grounds, where this can be done safely."

Cathays councillor, Simon Pickard, added: "Football has taken enormous steps forward in recent years with more diverse sets of fans, improved stadia and better policing. These proposals would in no way seek to undermine any of that progress and would only allow future ground developments which met the most stringent safety requirements. But if some fans want to stand and clubs want to let them, then we should try to accommodate that. Safe standing areas exist in places like Germany and have been very successful; it is high time the UK used those same resources."

For more details about the proposals, visit here: http://www.libdems.org.uk/home/liberal-democrats-back-plans-to-change-safety-regulations-at-football-stadiums-554816