The UK government has confirmed English Premier League and Championship clubs will be allowed to introduce safe standing areas at football stadiums from the start of the 2022/23 season, following in the footsteps of Celtic.
The necessary legislative amendments to the Football Spectators Act were tabled in Westminster on Monday. [BBC]
Celtic were the first club in the UK to install a safe standing system into an all-seater stadium back in 2016 after a long consultation and certification process with Scottish authorities.
Cardiff City, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur trialled similar systems in the second half of last season with other teams in the leagues now getting official sign-off to make permanent changes to stadia.
Brentford, QPR and Wolves will be the first English clubs to join that quartet with safe standing expected to be made available to sections of home and away supporters. [Sky Sports]
At Celtic Park, the safe standing area has largely been a success with a ‘North Curve’ of supporters carving out their own identity in the stadium and helping to provide fantastic atmospheres.
Celtic’s introduction of the seating became a case study for companies such as Ferco, who were looking to show the technology could be deployed successfully in the UK after widespread use in major leagues such as the German Bundesliga.
Fan groups from across England have also made the visit to Celtic Park to see the system in action, helping them lobby their own clubs for a similar solution down south.
There have been rumours Celtic could be looking to add a second standing section to the stadium in the opposite corner to the North Curve, but these have not yet been confirmed by the club.
That would be an exciting development if it happens.
For now, we’ll apparently see a wide rollout of safe standing in England and that could help normalise it even further.
In other news, Captain Callum McGregor eyeing even more Celtic transfer moves after early spend.
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