Posted by Chris on December 23, 2000 at 01:04:19:
In Reply to: Re: Kate Hoey may reintroduce terracing posted by Gary Hewitt on December 22, 2000 at 23:33:07:
Agreed. It is a disgrace that both football and government officials have come out with these comments and refused to listen to new ideas. I can understand the Hillsborough Support Group's concern about tampering with safety. However I'm sure that the German stadia technology is safe and I don't think they would risk their supporters safety if it wasn't.
This idea will improve atmospheres at football grounds, reduce ticket prices, allow supporters who want to sit down to sit and allow supporters who wish to stand up to do so in a safe, controlled enviroment whilst increasing stadium capacity. The current situation is getting rediculous with more and more supporters standing up in seating areas and sometimes being ejected for doing so. This is the right move for ALL football fans and the way forward.
: Well done,Kate!!
: It's absolutely scandalous that the Sports Minister could be so savagely attacked by other senior politicians (and by lots of misguided fans) simply for saying that the authorities should listen to the genuine fans and consider the advantages of creating safe standing areas...I could be wrong,but I was sure that a politician's job was to listen to the views of everyone concerned,look at all the facts and decide on the best way forward to resolve any problem. I sincerely hope Kate's bravery does not get her into trouble...if it does,it proves that the Government's claim to be listening to the people is rubbish... : Sports minister Kate Hoey is reported to have said said: "I think what we're not prepared to have a re-think on is going back to what it used to be, in terms of huge terraces, very badly controlled and in very bad condition.
: : "What this is about really is whether it is possible - if the clubs want it and certain supporters want it - to have pilots, perhaps, of safe designed standing areas, very small and very well controlled.
: : "Because then you would help, I think, the supporters who want to sit all the time and at the moment are fed up with people standing up all the time.
: : "I was at a match the other week where most people stood for most of the time, even though it was sitting, and that's not very safe.
: : "I've got quite an open mind on how we would move forward on this. What I want to do is get everyone to look at this.
: : "Talk to the clubs, talk to supporters and see if the new technology and the new changes might mean that at some stage in the future it might be possible, in a very carefully designed pilot, to see if this was possible."
: : Despite this, others such as the Premier League spokesman and other Government officials have refused to even consider this so far. I say good on you Kate Hoey, I have a lot of respect for what you have done. Lets hope it happens.