Celtic Football Club have been given permission to install a ‘safe standing’ section at Celtic Park. That could mean that an area  accommodating 2’600 standing Celtic fans could be in place come the start of the 2016-17 season.

I believe this news is great for Scottish football and a real step forward.

It shows that clubs like Celtic are listening to their fans, many of which have been calling for the introduction of safe standing areas for a few years now.

No doubt all of Scotland’s top professional sides will now look at Celtic as the test case and will watch on and see if the initiative takes off within Celtic’s fanbase.

Back in 2011, I was over in Holland and took in a game between NAC Breda and Feyenoord at Breda’s Rat Verlegh Stadion. Because of a mix-up I had over the kick-off time, I arrived inside the stadium an hour and a half early. I walked into a pretty empty stadium, basically it was me in the neutral zone and the Feyenoord fans crammed in behind me with only a perspex sheet separating us.

I then noticed the two areas behind both goals. They were the safe standing areas. Those two sections were the areas that filled up first and the areas that created the loudest noise throughout the game!

I also visited Kortrijk in 2013 and spent the full game on me feet as I watched a top flight Belgian game. Those standing areas were more in the old school way, basically terraces. But it was great to stand with your pals and watch a game of football with a beer in your hand.

Recently a friend of mine had said how he had went to a Hamburg game during a stag weekend. They all wanted to go and see a Bundesliga match and were all desperate to witness it in the standing area but were told that it was the only part of the ground that had totally sold out.

See that’s the thing, football fans are drawn to the standing zones. They crave to show their support by standing up and it really does seem to create a better atmosphere!

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has said as much:

“Celtic has worked tirelessly on this issue and we are delighted that this permission has finally been granted”

“Rail seating has been in place in European football for some time and there has been considerable demand for some form of “safe standing” within the UK and particularly from our supporters.”

“We are sure the rail seating section will prove very popular with supporters and we look forward to its introduction.”

Thankfully Glasgow City Council have finally given Celtic the go ahead to trial such an idea. Hopefully others will follow suit. Although I am sure some will be asking ‘why has it taken so long?’.

The fact is Scottish football needs change or it will forever remain in a rut.

Hearts showed that it had a social conscience when they introduced the living wage to all their staff last season. Now Celtic have listened to its fans and are going to give them safe standing.

We really are making progress.

What next?

Alcohol sold in stadia? More fans represented on club boards? Cheaper tickets?

Well those objectives no longer seem like ‘pie in the sky’ ideas!

Posted on June 9th, 2015 by scott
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