Safe Standing Is Coming to Pride Park

[Caerphilly Ram]

Work has begun to put barriers in place and should be completed within the next 2 weeks.
https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2023/12/work-starts-at-pride-park-stadium-to-introduce-safe-standing

Edited December 1, 2023 by Caerphilly Ram

[Ram@Lincoln]

Not the actual rail seats like Liverpool and co have. This seems like a half way house between the two, and a quick solution to avoid any disruption this season.

I assume the club will assess the feeling/performance on the practicals of safe standing at PPS,  in due course and look to introduce the full fat version in the rail seats. 

[Jram]

Saying “I just prefer standing at a football match” is a real red flag for me. Sit down, my knees hurt 

[DJAY]

24 minutes ago, Ram@Lincoln said:

Not the actual rail seats like Liverpool and co have. This seems like a half way house between the two, and a quick solution to avoid any disruption this season.

I assume the club will assess the feeling/performance on the practicals of safe standing at PPS,  in due course and look to introduce the full fat version in the rail seats. 

What is the benefit of rail seats over what is being installed here? I personally can't see any benefit of one over the other, but there must be otherwise other clubs introducing safe standing would have done the same? Is there some UEFA guidelines that the rail seats pass that clubs in European competition must adhere to or something?

[Turk Thrust]

11 minutes ago, Jram said:

Saying “I just prefer standing at a football match” is a real red flag for me. Sit down, my knees hurt 

I’m 77 and have had three knee replacements (no I haven’t got three knees) so there’s no way I could stand for a whole match

[Foreveram]

I presume they have been installed so that over exuberant fans can stand on them while holding on to their mates shoulder when we score.

[MadAmster]

31 minutes ago, Jram said:

Saying “I just prefer standing at a football match” is a real red flag for me. Sit down, my knees hurt 

For me it's sitting for more than 30 minutes with my shins at 90 degrees to my thighs that brings my arthritis to the boil and it's pretty damned excruciating

[Jram]

37 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

For me it's sitting for more than 30 minutes with my shins at 90 degrees to my thighs that brings my arthritis to the boil and it's pretty damned excruciating

Horses for concourses, I suppose 

[Mucker1884]

Quote

Once the independent barriers are in place, the club will be able to apply for and be granted a Safe Standing Licence and club officials have been in close dialogue with the Sports Ground Safety Authority for some time to ensure the necessary steps have been taken meet the required criteria...

Safe standing areas are licensed by the Sports Ground Safety Authority and fans must be able to sit or stand, while the seats cannot be locked in the 'up' or 'down' position. There must also be one seat/space per person and licensed safe standing areas must not impact the viewing standards of other fans, including disabled supporters.

 

I'm intrigued as to how Mr A, sat in row N, will not have his view of the game impacted by Messrs B, C, & D stood in front of him, in row M.

 

Left as is above, for clarity... but edited to add:

I think I may have misunderstood that.  Reading again, it seems it's the whole safe standing area that must not impact the view from any other (non safe standing) area?

So to hell with anyone in there that wishes to sit and watch! 

🤷‍♂️

[Foreveram]

18 minutes ago, Jram said:

Horses for concourses, I suppose 

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a choice, standing areas for people that want to stand and seating  areas for people that want to sit.

A fanciful idea obviously.

[angieram]

@Ram@Lincoln My recollection is that at Liverpool last season the safe-standing in the away end was exactly the same as this - traditional seats with rails installed behind. 

@Mucker1884 it has long been made clear to people purchasing seats in the South Stand that the intention is to install safe standing. I would imagine the option to move/swap will be offered to anyone who doesn't wish to stand.

As a regular away supporter I've always supported safe-standing for purely selfish reasons! Once we get designated standing areas we can also have seating areas (which we don't currently get, because technically all away supporters  should be seated.) Haha!

[Mucker1884]

9 minutes ago, angieram said:

@Ram@Lincoln My recollection is that at Liverpool last season the safe-standing in the away end was exactly the same as this - traditional seats with rails installed behind. 

@Mucker1884 it has long been made clear to people purchasing seats in the South Stand that the intention is to install safe standing. I would imagine the option to move/swap will be offered to anyone who doesn't wish to stand.

As a regular away supporter I've always supported safe-standing for purely selfish reasons! Once we get designated standing areas we can also have seating areas (which we don't currently get, because technically all away supporters  should be seated.) Haha!

Yes of course, @angieram.
I appreciate your comments, and I know, I know... you are right (as usual). 👍
My "To hell with..." comment was totally OTT and unfair.  

I suspect a few may have been expecting this to take an eternity ("Never happen"), but now it's real, I can see a few moving out, as is their want of course... but I'm sure there'll be a longer list waiting to move in.  

🍻🐏

[Foreveram]

9 minutes ago, angieram said:

@Ram@Lincoln My recollection is that at Liverpool last season the safe-standing in the away end was exactly the same as this - traditional seats with rails installed behind. 

@Mucker1884 it has long been made clear to people purchasing seats in the South Stand that the intention is to install safe standing. I would imagine the option to move/swap will be offered to anyone who doesn't wish to stand.

As a regular away supporter I've always supported safe-standing for purely selfish reasons! Once we get designated standing areas we can also have seating areas (which we don't currently get, because technically all away supporters  should be seated.) Haha!

You know this won’t work though unless there is a change in attitude, how many away grounds have we been to in the last two seasons where there has been a choice of terraces or seats and people still stand in the seated areas including the front row.

 

[Tamworthram]

44 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

 

I'm intrigued as to how Mr A, sat in row N, will not have his view of the game impacted by Messrs B, C, & D stood in front of him, in row M.

 

Left as is above, for clarity... but edited to add:

I think I may have misunderstood that.  Reading again, it seems it's the whole safe standing area that must not impact the view from any other (non safe standing) area?

So to hell with anyone in there that wishes to sit and watch! 

🤷‍♂️

It’s the whole upper tier that will be safe standing isn’t it? Therefore, they will not impact the view of anyone in non safe standing areas.

The only issue is anyone currently sitting in an area that will become safe standing.

Unfortunately, the club is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. There seems to be plenty of demand for a safe standing area which the club needs to place somewhere. I must confess I’m a NIMBY and glad it isn’t happening where I’m sitting but, if it did, I guess I’d just relocate which is what I assume the club will offer to any impacted season ticket holders.

[Foreveram]

3 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

Yes of course, @angieram.
I appreciate your comments, and I know, I know... you are right (as usual). 👍
My "To hell with..." comment was totally OTT and unfair.  

I suspect a few may have been expecting this to take an eternity ("Never happen"), but now it's real, I can see a few moving out, as is their want of course... but I'm sure there'll be a longer list waiting to move in.  

🍻🐏

I don’t think anyone goes in the South stand expecting to sit down, surely it would be better to just make the whole stand safe standing.

[angieram]

22 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

You know this won’t work though unless there is a change in attitude, how many away grounds have we been to in the last two seasons where there has been a choice of terraces or seats and people still stand in the seated areas including the front row.

 

I know, I know! Because I am still on crutches I struggled to see anything from Row 7 on Tuesday, so a steward kindly said we could SIT in the spare seats right on the very front row, at which point I was berated by a woman sitting on the row behind me, as she said she was disabled and had paid to sit on the front row and didn't want anyone SITTING in front of her.

So I asked two other women nearby and they said fine, no problem, and we had a nice chat during the game and I was careful not to get in their way. I was just relieved to sit down. 

The other woman was still pretty angry and CLIMBED over the back of the seat to sit on the row beside me. Made me chuckle because I couldn't have climbed over the seat, so who had the greatest need? 

The stewards came to talk to her because she had just reported finding a bloke in the disabled portaloo, who wasn't disabled. Bearing in mind we had 3 men's portaloos in our section for about 600 supporters I thought that was a bit cruel. Ironically, we women had 4 proper toilets,  we were all laughing as it was the first time ever the queue for the ladies was shorter than the gents! 

The moral of this story is some people just like to moan.

[Mucker1884]

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

It’s the whole upper tier that will be safe standing isn’t it? Therefore, they will not impact the view of anyone in non safe standing areas.

The only issue is anyone currently sitting in an area that will become safe standing.

Unfortunately, the club is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. There seems to be plenty of demand for a safe standing area which the club needs to place somewhere. I must confess I’m a NIMBY and glad it isn’t happening where I’m sitting but, if it did, I guess I’d just relocate which is what I assume the club will offer to any impacted season ticket holders.

Yes.  At first I thought anyone standing (in this area) couldn't impede the view of anyone preferring to sit (in this area), but then corrected myself, as I'd initially misunderstood.  Hence my edit.

Yes again... it appears it's the whole upper tear, so no other areas can have their view impeded.

And thrice yes... The club are between a rock and a hard plaice, and there will be moaners... which I hasten to add doesn't include me, as it doesn't affect me.  But @angieram is right... we've all known this for a good while now, so anyone sat in the SS has very little right to moan, imo.
 

 

NIMBY, yer say?

[Mucker1884]

1 hour ago, Foreveram said:

I don’t think anyone goes in the South stand expecting to sit down, surely it would be better to just make the whole stand safe standing.

Not sure the "anyone" will prove to be 100% correct.
I hear what you are saying, and I suspect the number is c. 99.9%, but if nobody moans, and/or nobody moves out, because of this, I will be absolutely amazed! 

Moaner's gotta moan!  🤣

 

🍻🐏

[Mucker1884]

58 minutes ago, angieram said:

I know, I know! Because I am still on crutches I struggled to see anything from Row 7 on Tuesday, so a steward kindly said we could SIT in the spare seats right on the very front row, at which point I was berated by a woman sitting on the row behind me, as she said she was disabled and had paid to sit on the front row and didn't want anyone SITTING in front of her.

So I asked two other women nearby and they said fine, no problem, and we had a nice chat during the game and I was careful not to get in their way. I was just relieved to sit down. 

The other woman was still pretty angry and CLIMBED over the back of the seat to sit on the row beside me. Made me chuckle because I couldn't have climbed over the seat, so who had the greatest need? 

The stewards came to talk to her because she had just reported finding a bloke in the disabled portaloo, who wasn't disabled. Bearing in mind we had 3 men's portaloos in our section for about 600 supporters I thought that was a bit cruel. Ironically, we women had 4 proper toilets,  we were all laughing as it was the first time ever the queue for the ladies was shorter than the gents! 

The moral of this story is some people just like to moan.

I do find it quite astonishing that some moaners are qualified to determine who is disabled, and who isn't!  👀

[Rev]

22 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

I do find it quite astonishing that some moaners are qualified to determine who is disabled, and who isn't!  👀

Not all disabilities are visible.