Safe Standing

Aged 42, and a season ticket holder at Manchester City since 1980, Phil became a contributor to City’s first fanzine, 'Blue Print,' in 1988 and then in 1992 launched his own fanzine This Charming Fan.

In 1998 he became Secretary of his local supporters’ branch of the MCFC Centenary Supporters Association (CSA) and then in 2002 became Secretary for the whole of the CSA.

In 2000 Phil became the founder and spokesperson for SAFE – the safe standing campaign. This has taken him on several fact-finding trips to Germany and various meetings with Government ministers.

My Role...

The Safe Standing campaign has - as ever - been busy!

The number of fans facing sanctions and heavy handed stewarding is increasing. Fans from Spurs, Manchester City, Coventry City, Leeds United, West Ham United, Manchester United are amongst those affected.
Manchester City have had rows of seats put out of action during games and fans relocated. Whilst their neighbours United have bowed to pressure from the Football Licensing Authority (FLA) and suspended the loyalty points system for away games on the basis that if the 'loyal fans' are persistantly standing at away games they are being rewarded for doing so!

Please let us know if your club has taken any action against fans who wish to stand up in seated areas because there is no alternative.

Fans have been pro-active since the last tfs. Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Trust helped to organise a Safe Standing Day over the Christmas Period during their home game with Leyton Orient. With the full support of the club itself, the protest included an on pitch display of the FSF's Safe Standing banner (Peter, insert the picture here, maybe highlighting Malcolm?). On the pitch with the banner was members of the supporters trust, the FSF and the Stand Up Sit Down campaign. The game was screened live on Sky.

At recent home games, fans of both West Ham and Manchester City have demonstrated prior to kick off by displaying yellow cards to the FLA in support of safe standing areas.

Manchester City Council have finally (after six months) responded to the 'Oasis Report' (see tfs 2 & 3) with a reply quckly returned. The council are happy with fans at concerts standing on the pitch as it is 'permitted and safe' (yet failed to respond to the fact that the barrier broke at one of the Oasis gigs!) and declared that there is no rivalry between fans at concerts. In fact, safety was hardly mentioned at all, with the emphasis on football fans being about 'control' and 'identification'. Once more the term 'statistics show' is used stating that injuries and arrests decrease in stadiums that are all seated than those with terraces. One of the many questions returned to the council was one asking where the evidence of these statistics are and can we see a copy! Watch this space...

The FSF is in the process of gathering as much information as possible such as how many fans from different clubs are being affected by draconian measures in dealing with this issue and also how many clubs would welcome the introduction of safe standing areas if the regulation prohibiting standing was removed. The aim is to hold a national weekend of demonstrations against this regulation sometime early next season. Please email any views you have on the subject and offers of support are most welcome no matter what league your team play in.
United We Stand...