Early indications have shown that safe standing measures introduced in Premier League stadiums are having a positive impact on crowd safety. That is according to the interim findings from the pilot scheme which began at the start of the year.
Four top-flight clubs have taken part in the scheme since January as Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have all had rail seating installed in areas of their stadiums. Leeds United have been long-term backers of the re-introduction of safe standing in English football with Angus Kinnear regularly outlining the club’s intentions to bring it back to Elland Road.
While the Whites were not part of the list of clubs involved in the initial trial, rail seating is already in place at the back of the Don Revie Stand. A few rows in the Kop where barriers had been installed were spotted in March and the success could lead to more of the stand receiving the same installation.
Read more: Rail seating returns to Elland Road for Leeds United's clash with Aston Villa
Supporters already opt to stand throughout matches in plenty of areas of the stadium so the introduction of safe standing measures would make sense in some sections of Elland Road. The encouraging early signs this season show that it might not be long before a wider roll-out of rail seating is brought in up and down the country.
An independent evaluation conducted on the safe standing trials by CFE Research found that: “The installation of barriers or rails in seated areas where persistent standing had been occurring has led to more orderly goal celebrations, made fans' exit from the area easier to manage, and made areas of overcrowding easier to spot,” as published by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston addressed the potential roll-out of safe standing on a larger scale. He said: "These are very encouraging findings for fans, clubs and safety groups.
"Whilst we're only at the halfway point of our early adopters programme and will reserve final judgement on a wider rollout until the process is completed, the signs are positive that fan safety is not only being maintained, but improved."
A final report will be provided to ministers at the conclusion of the pilot programme and inform their decisions over the potential wider introduction of licensed standing for Premier League and Championship clubs. Kinnear and his colleagues will be hoping that the positive signs continue as they look to increase the amount of rail seats at Elland Road.
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