Something of an opinionated rant in this post and it’s the age old subject of football terracing, compulsory seating, atmosphere (or the lack of it) and the various arguments that surround this thorny subject.

The 15th April 1989 was when everything changed in English football.  96 Liverpool fans died on the terraces at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday’s home ground, when a number of factors led to a deadly crush behind one of the goals.  The Taylor Report concluded in the aftermath that “the failure of police control” was the main reason for the disaster, although the design of the aging terraces contributed.

The outcome was the elimination of all terracing at top division stadia (with a couple of temporary exceptions) and the requirement that all new stadia built in the top two divisions should be all-seater.  Clubs in lower leagues can retain terracing as long as it conforms to the requirements of the Taylor Report recommendations.

(Very) old terracing

The long-recognised problem with all-seater stadia is the absence of any atmosphere in most venues.  Standing up in a seated area is also frowned upon by most local authorities (who govern the licensing requirements), meaning that the football watching experience is reduced to paying your money, watching a match and going home.  For those of us used to the intense atmosphere of packed terraces, something is clearly missing from the experience.

For me, it’s no fun anymore.  Back at Layer Road (look it up), the experience was one to enjoy even if you lost – a visit t0 the pub beforehand, shouting and singing at the ground for 2 hours and then going home hoarse.  The experience at the new, identikit breeze block development is not fun.  There’s very little atmosphere, the fans have lost their connection to the club and we’re reduced to paying our money, watching in silence and leaving.  If we lose it just seems like a monumental waste of time and money.  For the foreseeable future I’m not going anymore and I’m not the only one.  There’s plenty of other local clubs in the area where I can stand and watch the match for half the price – Heybridge Swifts, Wivenhoe, Harwich & Parkeston & Braintree Town to name a few.

German style terracing

So is there any hope for fans of terracing?  Probably not for the English but the Scottish football authorities seem to be letting common sense at least have a say.  The Scottish Premier League (SPL) has decided to let clubs make their own decisions as to whether to introduce standing areas inside their grounds.  Local authorities and the police will still have the final say as to whether the changes can go ahead but at least it’s a start.

It’s worth remembering that the type of terracing, or more accurately ‘safe standing areas’, would bear very little relation to what existed pre-1989.  There is plenty of evidence to show that these safe standing areas, which exist in stadia in other countries around the world, are just as safe as seating areas.  Germany is often held up as an example of modern, standing stadia.

In the end, my club probably won’t miss me but they need to be careful – I’m not the only one who is finding more attractive things to do on a Saturday afternoon.