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I'd suspect that there has been pressure from SGSA at a meeting of the Safety Advisory Group. SAG meetings typically only happen twice a year, so apparent changes of policy like this tend to happen shortly after them. Is there supporter representation on the SAG who could report back? Or...

Exactly - no stands have yet been closed, this has never got past the "threat" stage at a number of clubs. The typical tactic is to reduce the allowed away allocation (even though this financially affects the clubs they are visiting, when it's not their supporters who are the problem.)

See the above posts. It's impossible to force large numbers to sit down if they don't want to. Even more so if they are away fans where you don't have the weapons of clubs bans, etc. Clubs would love to stop away fans standing - but can't. Forest is a case in point, where to acheive what...

Not sure home stands have been closed (although it's been threatened many times) - the main targets have been redcuing away allocations, and that has happened many times and still happens. But safe-standing areas allow 1.8 times the number of supporters standing rather than sitting (according...

Therein lies the paradox - it is unenforceable and everyone knows it. Small groups of people can be made to sit, but a large group (especially of away fans) who are determined to stand cannot be made to do so. But safety officers have to be seen to try to do so .... and it leaves them in an...

It's against Ground Regulations, yes, which you agree to abide by with the purchase of a ticket. So an individual will not be prosecuted as you say. But they could be banned - for any period of time which the club decides is appropriate. Or the club could be forced to close the stanbd in...

Often it's a case of "be seen doing what you can" in order to satisfy the SAG & SGSA - without any real expectation that it'll work.

Trying to make someone sit when the person in front is standing is ludicrous! Good (and accepted) practice amongst stewards is to steward from the front, so that you work upwards requesting each row to sit, as then no-one can say that they can't see because the row in front is still standing...

It's the same at every ground - people complaining "one rule for us, another for them." And it's not that away fans are allowed to stand - it's that the stewards are unable to stop them standing. So there the emphasis is on keeping aisles and gangways clear. Because the simple fact is...

True, but I'm not sure DCMS care that much themselves. They're just happy with the status quo on this and so they take all their advice on policy from the subject matter experts, SGSA. And SGSA know that if policy on persistent standing is changed then there's no major role for SGSA in...

See post 5 above yours - nothing to do with The FA.

It certainly wouldn't be The FA doing this. Safety in sports grounds is the jurisdiction of the Safety at Sports Grounds Authority (SGSA), which is the new name for the FLA (Football Licensing Authority). They sit on the Club's Safety Advisory Group, chaired by the local licensing authority -...

The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985 only proscribes Association Football Matches (and only certain ones at that 0 tiers 105 and cup competitions after certain rounds) for prohibition of alcohol within sight of the pitch.