I grew up watching sport on terraces ( Hillsborough and Fartown)and even now i still prefer standing up to watch games rather than sitting down, saying that i wouldn't be bothered either way. The atmosphere where there is standing available will always be better than seating its just how it has always been.

I don't agree the atmosphere is better standing. I suppose it depends what you class as atmosphere though.

In 20 years I have yet to come across one solitary person who said "I'd go watch Town/Fartown but the lack of anywhere to stand for the duration of the match is really putting me off". Unless there is an untapped resource of pile sufferers that are itching to come to matches but can't sit on hard plastic seats then the need to install a standing area seems to me to be equally non-existant.

I also agree with Jools, standing or sitting has no bearing whatsoever on atmosphere. There is often a very good atmosphere in the Riverside stand on a match day but this seems to be largely dependant on opposition, weather, team performance etc than whether the people are sitting or standing.

[url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/chairman-dean-hoyle-backs-huddersfield-6595563Dean Hoyle backs safe standing[/url

Or is he just making the right noises to keep the fans on side?

If safe standing does go ahead i will start a campaign for a little snack bar selling soup out of polystyrene cups for 30p .......lets bring back the good(bad) old days

And seabrooks. Beefy or Cheese And Onion. And a supporters club.

I gave my season ticket away the season before last because I was told I had to sit down at a Wigan game. Although the majority of Wigan fans were stood, and we stood all game the week before against London at the back of the stand, as did all the Town fans all over the ground for the play off game a week earlier. I only returned to watching the Giants for the CC game against Leeds, stood at the back all game and bought the mini season ticket on the back of it.

I too was brought up watching at Fartown and I hate sitting down. I'm not invalided and I'd probably go to the Odeon next door if I wasn't capable of standing for an hour or so. The atmosphere is much better standing IMO. Probably why just about everyone in the ground stands up when there is an exciting passage of play or a try scored. Well, in our stand anyway.
I'm not against people sitting if they wish. I feel we don't have a choice because of Hillsborough. A knee jerk reaction to not controlling entry to a ground. I wonder how long it would take in an emergency (bomb scare or fire for example) to empty the seating area, compared to a standing area?

Just my 0.02c

Suprised at the reaction to this on here from rugby fans, a game traditionally (and still widely) watched from the terraces.

Seems most are against it just to spite the football club.

What diffrence is a very small standing section behind the goal going to make to your choice to sit down. It's not as if seats are in short supply at Fartown games



Saying the atmosphere is just as good in an all seater stadium is a blatant lie. You wouldn't ge this reaction from Hull / Wigan fans.

I wonder why.....

Go on then?

I personally prefer to stand, I think if you look at grounds such as at HKR and Warrington you find the most healthy season ticket sales are for the standing areas. Granted these areas are along the sides of the pitch and a much better view (tall person dependant!).

As someone rightly said, it does depend what you class as an atmosphere. To me a lot of singing and cheering is what an atmosphere is all about and much less is heard at all seated stadia.

Take Hull FC for example. Their Boulevard days were a players worst nightmare due to the crowd being so vocal and close to the pitch. Now because families buy season passes together, groups of friends don't get to sit near each other and various reasons other than these the singing and general atmosphere is often much less.

In saying this, at the cost of conversion it is not really worth their while. People will still go to games regardless, the ones who say they won't will eventually realise they've been beaten by the masses and just go anyway.

For new stadia being built I'd incorporate a standing section or two (home and away if segregated) but to convert an all seated stadium is just an expensive waste.

There is clear logic to your conclusions, but i would suggest that the points you make point to the key to atmosphere being unreserved sections rather than seats v standing. In my experience, watching football as well as RL the noise made by away supporters is not influenced whether they stand or are seated, with the valid points you make that does suggest to me that it is having areas where like minded noisy types can congregate that helps atmosphere. You get that just as well with unreserved seating.