Join the Campaign for Safe Standing

Clubs are given three years to comply, although in special circumstances that can be extended, and Burnley fans benefited from such an extension only last week when we played at Cardiff City. Most of our supporters there that day chose to stand even though there was no difference in the price – I think that speaks volumes.

At a forum in 2004, Burnley's Chief Executive Dave Edmundson said that Burnley Football Club would never bring terracing back to Turf Moor even if legislation allowed, but meanwhile the FSF have continued to campaign for a return to standing and have even offered the sort of alternatives used on the continent, particularly in Germany, where people can sit and stand together.

The Government have appeared to unwilling to listen to any reasoned argument, and that means a return for safe terraced areas within our grounds have been unlikely to return. This leads to people standing, blocking the views of those who wish to sit, and caused all sorts of problems at some grounds through over zealous policing by clubs, ours without doubt being one of them.

We at Clarets Mad are therefore grateful to one Member of Parliament, Mike Hancock the Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, who has put forward the following Early Day Motion EDM101:

“That this House urges the Government to re-examine the case for introducing small, limited sections of safe standing areas at football grounds; further urges the Government to recognise that there is widespread support for such areas, and that improvements in stadium design and technology mean that with rigorous safety specifications standing areas could be safely re-introduced; and calls on the Minister concerned to convene a meeting of representatives of the police, supporters, Premier League clubs and the Football Licensing Authority to find a way forward.”

The motion has, at the time of writing, been signed by three other MPs, Bob Russell (Lib Dem for Colchester), Nigel Evans (Conservative for Ribble Valley) and John Hemming (Lib Dem for Birmingham Yardley). Click HERE to see the Early Day Motion and list of MP's who have signed.

This is another opportunity to raise this and Clarets Mad would ask, if you support a return to safe standing inside our grounds, to firstly contact your own Member of Parliament to ask them to support the Early Day Motion EDM101. Click HERE to find details of your MP and how to contact him/her.

Could you then please send any replies you receive to the FSF's Phil Gatenby. You can EMAIL it to Phil or alternatively post it to him at the following address:

Phil Gatenby
Football Supporters Federation
Fans' Stadium – Kingsmeadow
Jack Goodchild Way
422a Kingston Road
Kingston
KT1 2PB