Bringing back standing areas ?

apparently 13 English clubs are backing re-introducing standing at games.

What do you folks think abart it?

We are not one of the 13 by the way.

 

13 Clubs are:

Aston Villa
Brentford
Bristol City
Burnley
Cardiff City
Crystal Palace
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Hull City
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Watford
AFC Wimbledon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20679867

 

8 teams from our league. Obviously one of them is Peterborough who already have standing, and will have to switch to an all seater stadium if they stay up this year. Just think of the cost.

 

Introduce laying down/sleeping areas at Oakwell.

 

Yet the one away end that is filled week in week out is Peterboroughs..

It's the best away day in the league and just as safe as hilsboro...

 

i personally think its a good idea, as long as it is stewarded properly etc, also then should bring in severe penalty's for the **** heads that think its a good idea to stand up in front of elderly people and small kids in seated areas.

 

Ive been advocating this for years

the lack of atmosphere is one of the legacies of seated stadia and at Oakwell where we have the West Lower like the Gobi desert, right next to the tunnel, all the players can hear is the away fans, makes complete sense to rip the seats out and designate it as a standing area with tickets priced accordingly.

 

Re: Ive been advocating this for years

tbf though had some cracking atmospheres with or wthout all seaters. prem season being one, derbies, etc

 

I wonder if would be as popular for away fans if every team offered it though

 

Re: Ive been advocating this for years

True, but I remember when I first started going in the late 80s and anything above 7000 was considered to be a good crowd. And the noise made by 9,000+ was absolutely immense. Oakwell used to be an intimidating place for visiting teams to come, I very rarely remember seeing us lose at home as a kid, even if we did have some pretty poor sides (and some pretty decent ones along the way).

 

And what about the cost involved for clubs reverting to standing?...for example, most of Oakwell would net be suitable for standing, it's not just a case of removing seats, the height of terracing steps is greater.

 

Re: Ive been advocating this for years

yes your right, but i personally have been to't well when weve had a good crowds and atmosphere's been ****, one game in particular was stockport(les brad hat trick ?) also been in sixties/seventies/eighties and nineties whilst mostly standing and had some really poor atmosphere's so to look at these periods in a romantic vane and think that standing areas was all good atmosphere's is not true imo.just as all seaters have killed off the atmo as have been in when some crackin games and atmo as i said prem. chelsea,mufc lge cup etc. think the teams we produce go a long way to creating atmos tbh

 

Not sure how much it would cost, but surely there is a chance it would pay for itself through higher attendances? On the flip side of course we might end up losing money, as 2,000 supporters who were previously sitting decide to stand, and presumably pay much less for the privilege.

 

I can understand why people want it back, but Christ, we were forced to close all standing whilst other clubs weren't, we have spent loads bringing the ground up to 'standard' (granted some of it were from grants but still we've spent and spent) and now some clubs who have not really made the step up may be able to just have standing. How's about we put a claim in for reimbursement. Only me a bit cheesed with it?

 

It wouldn't result in higher attendances because it's terracing again - as someone said on here crowds between late 80's until virtually a few games before promotion to the prem were not great. It would cost too much - money we haven't got and would be better spent on the team. Why not have unreserved seats - at least people could sit nearer to each other

 

It might result in higher attendances because it would make it affordable again for those who have been priced out. Assuming it would be significantly cheaper to stand as it used to be. Not sure to be honest, I am just speculating and there are a lot of unknown variables involved.

 

I've got mixed views, I don't mind the novelty factor of going to places like Peterborough and a few of the away days we had in League One and standing up but I'm not sure I'd want that all the time and not at Oakwell. I'm not sure what the height difference is in the concrete steps when you build a seated stand compared to a standing, err, stand but I suppose the West Lower used to be all-standing so that might be suitable - trouble is if the club were ever going to do anything with the West Stand I wouldn't settle for anything other than flattening it, not trying to extend it's life by making it a standing area.

 

Re: Ive been advocating this for years

Tickets priced appropriately? £35? In fact I think £40 would be needed.

How many people would pay that much to stand up?

 

Why would it make it more affordable. Somebody will have to explain to my why the most expensive part of the ground to build and then the most expensive to police would and should be the cheapest part of the ground to use? If people want the club to spend a fortune demolishing stands and replacing them with standing areas and then want the club to spend money policing these inherently more dangerous areas then should these people not pay for the privilege rather than expecting cut prices with those using the existing facilities having to foot the bill?

 

Do you get a standing zone number or stand where you want under the new safe standing?