Safe Standing: Stand Up If You Love Your Football Team? You Might Be Able To Soon...

"Passionate Paula" Isn't Safe Standing There!

Somerset Independents puts residents first. We stand up for residents. That includes football fans in Somerset.

So we are delighted to literally stand up for football fans in supporting the campaign for "safe standing" at Somerset's football stadia in the top two divisions of English football.

But wait...you say... Somerset does not have any teams in the top two divisions of English football.

That's right, not at the moment.

Many fans in Somerset will travel to grounds in and around Somerset. But they will not find football in the Premier League or The Championship in Somerset.

Yeovil FC are the highest Somerset club. They are in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.

But in the counties around Somerset, there are teams in the top two tiers, so Somerset football fans will travel to the following grounds:

• Bristol City
• Cardiff City (in Wales but they play in the English leagues)
• Swansea City (as per Cardiff)
• Bournemouth
• Southampton
• Reading
  

Plus there are other teams who have been in the top two tiers, such as Swindon Town and Portsmouth.

We say: "Stand up if you love your club". So if you travel to these grounds, soon you may be able to stand at the match.

[Of course, outside the top two tiers, the rules on all seater stadia do not apply. So fans may be free to stand in some areas.]

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope says:

Andrew Pope at St. Mary's Stadium in 2018

 

"I've been campaigning for Safe Standing for years. Jon Darch, who runs the Safe Standing Roadshow, kindly brought it to Southampton when I started the campaign there. That campaign is continuing, because the Saints owners do not give fans what they want, which is to stand up and be safe. They didn't bother applying for the pilot and are now delaying further. I invited them to Jon's demonstration of rail seats. They did not turn up.

Meanwhile, similar campaigns are going ahead across England and Wales. Jon has led the campaign at his beloved Bristol City and other fans groups have been successful, including those involved in the recent pilot. Others like Wolves have led the way.

I think it was ten years ago that I first saw rail seats, when I went to a fans conference in London in 2012. It is wrong that it has taken so long to give fans what they deserve and what they want. But sadly, that is how football fans are treated by the football businesses - they are not clubs anymore, really. 

These owners take their money, use their support to build their assets to sell on, but do not listen to them.

It's wrong in my eyes, as I learned from being an Enfield FC supporter when my boyhood club was destroyed by a dodgy property developer and dodgy councillors on Enfield Borough Council.

That process seems to be repeating itself at Enfield's old non-league rivals Yeovil FC, despite my warnings and those of the Glovers Trust. Councils and councillors cannot be trusted to protect football clubs.

I have provided my advice and support to the Glovers Trust because I care about all football supporters (yes, even Pompey supporters!), who are the true custodians of proper football clubs.

Fans are the custodians, not the owners of the football businesses that now seem to be the targets of those who want to sportswash their image, such as Saudi Arabia (Newcastle), Abu Dhabi (Man City) and Russia (Chelsea)."

Who Are Somerset Independents?

We stand up for Somerset residents. We listen and act on the issues that matter to Somerset - not London.

Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.

We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.