An in-depth look into safe standing in Saturday’s Albion News
Amongst plenty of reading in an action-packed Albion News on Saturday, including an interview with Chris Brunt, we take an in-depth look at the future of football grounds and, in particular, the possibilities around safe standing.
Albion’s Director of Operations, Mark Miles, brings us up to date with the direction in which the safe standing idea is moving presently, a very different beast to when the concept was first discussed several years ago.
It’s a complicated issue that cannot properly be dealt with in a sound-bite culture, so we are presenting chapter and verse on where the debate stands now, and just what that might mean for the Albion and the possible future configuration of The Hawthorns.
At the heart of the matter is always public safety, but as Mark Miles says, the way in which we protect that is something which is constantly evolving.
“What we have now is a climate where supporters are clearly standing in seated areas and the onus is on us to mange that space. We have tried - and will continue to try - lots of approaches to try to deal with that and to get people to sit down but the plain truth is that it is hard work and people continue to stand.
“That is, quite simply, the reality of the situation, and so now, we are beginning to ask if there are any other ways in which we can safely manage that reality”.
If you want to know how safe standing could impact on us and what The Hawthorns of the future might look like, pick up your copy of Albion News on Saturday.