Safe Standing Roadshow Hits Pittodrie

Last updated : 09 February 2012 By Stand Free Ed

The roadshow follows the SPL's announcement in December that it is happy to receive requests from member clubs to run trials of safe standing areas in their grounds.

The meeting at Pittodrie will be a mix of private briefings (including with Supporters Clubs representatives) and more open events, to which supporters are invited.

The doors will be open in the Lower RDS concourse between 1-2pm for anybody who wants to come along and have a look.

Jon Darch, the man behind the Safe Standing Roadshow, says the aim of the tour is to give club officials, politicians, the police and supporters' representatives an opportunity to see at first hand exactly what rail seats actually are.

"It's important to let people with an interest in the game see that the introduction of safe standing areas using rail seats will be a progressive move, providing fans who prefer to watch football standing up with the opportunity to do so in a dedicated, purpose-built environment that is much safer than the current practice - not allowed, but often tolerated - of standing behind low-backed plastic seats.

"For clubs that play in any UEFA competition, the seat integrated within the rail frame enables them to easily convert a safe standing area to a seated area for such games, thus complying with UEFA's all-seater rule."

The tour is being supported by the Scottish Football Supporters Network, a new network of Scottish football fans being launched this spring through Supporters Direct Scotland.

Alan Harris, Chairman of SDS, explains: "In an SDS Report for the Scottish Government in May last year, fans indicated that they would like to have the choice whether to sit or stand.

We have pressed this issue with the football authorities and are delighted that the SPL have listened and are prepared to trial safe standing schemes."