No Standing At Withdean

[London Calling]

This doesn't just apply to us, it seems to be a crackdown by the Football authorities across the whole league. Take a look at some West Ham messageboards and you'll see that this arguement has been raging for days now. West Ham have had their away allocation for the game against Nottingham Forest cut because large sections of their support won't sit down. I think a certain amount of lee-way was given in regards to standing in all-seater grounds over the past few years but that time seems to be at an end. It may have something to do with fear of litigation, somebody could be injured or have their view obstructed by people standing in a seated area, then sue the club for not making sure people were following the rules and regulations. It's also a lot easier to identify and locate "trouble-makers" in all-seater grounds. Of course we all know that it's up to the people in charge what constitues a "trouble-maker". I'm sure Archer and Bellotti would have loved it if the Goldstone had been all-seater during the "war years".

Terracing at Football League grounds has nearly disappeared and it's not coming back anytime soon. Why? Money, that's why. Clubs and chairmen can make a lot more money charging for seats than they could for terracing. This is despite the Taylor report quite clearly stating that admission prices should not rise by a large amount. The Labour party made a lot of noise about bringing in German style terracing when it was in opposition but as soon as it go into power it performed a complete about-turn (what a surprise) and said that terracing was not on the agenda.

German football fans fought very hard to preserve cheap standing areas in stadiums and they were succesful. Plus clubs aren't run in the same way as ours are, profit is not the prime motivation of most Chairmen in Germany. Football clubs are part of sporting societies in Germany, providing a range of activites for the communities they represent. As a result they tend to treat supporters more like customers, unlike the way we are treated in this country as a captive audience. When supporters over there spoke, the clubs listened. Football clubs have never been run in this way in this country, they have always been vehicles that make the people that run them a lot of money and power.

It seems that quite a few people are becoming disillusioned with football, mainly men in their late twenties to early forties who enjoyed standing on the terraces. Football nowadays seems very rigid, constraints have been placed on nearly everything we can do or say in a football ground. For many the football ground was a place where we could be free from social constraints, where we could shout and swear and sing. The terrace allowed a kind of freedom, a place where we could join with others and form a a kind of collective. On a terrace there was a freedom of movement that allowed us to feel much more like a group, allowed us to feell much more like supporters. In all-seated stadia we are split into rows and individual seats. There is much less freedom and as a result it is harder to form that collective. As a result the atmosphere suffers.

I know that all-seater grounds are much better for families. There are far more kids attending football than the eighties. There are lots more women attending. I know that Football has opened up to a lot of people since the days of Hillsborough and all-seater grounds have played a part in this. It just seems to us men in our twenties/thirties and forties that football doesn't really want our custom, that we aren't especially welcome. Yet we are the ones who make up the majority of football supporters. The clubs seem to think that they can just rely on our eve-lasting support and they shouldn't be so complacent. This all-seater crackdown may be the final straw for a few people.

A great note.

LC

 

[Dave the OAP]

pepperoni - always pepperoni!!!

Just gone on your Marbella site mate...

Got any 1 bed appts out of town ie not so close to the hurly burly of the brits abroad set so to speak.....maybe 200k euros?

 

[Brighton till i die]

It seems that quite a few people are becoming disillusioned with football, mainly men in their late twenties to early forties who enjoyed standing on the terraces. Football nowadays seems very rigid, constraints have been placed on nearly everything we can do or say in a football ground. For many the football ground was a place where we could be free from social constraints, where we could shout and swear and sing. The terrace allowed a kind of freedom, a place where we could join with others and form a a kind of collective. On a terrace there was a freedom of movement that allowed us to feel much more like a group, allowed us to feell much more like supporters. In all-seated stadia we are split into rows and individual seats. There is much less freedom and as a result it is harder to form that collective. As a result the atmosphere suffers.

brilliant mate - my thoughts exactly - such a shame it is not on the agenda - it would certianly create a better future for the game - i can see it fixzzling out for the "lads" at football grounds, who normally generate most of the atmosphere(not all, most! )

The Germans have made it work, rugby league can make it work - why cant we.

the fans are not crammed into cages anymore like it was when the tradgedy of hillsboro happened - that would NEVER happemn again.

 

[Brighton till i die]

Just gone on your Marbella site mate...

Got any 1 bed appts out of town ie not so close to the hurly burly of the brits abroad set so to speak.....maybe 200k euros?

have sent you a pm buddy

 

[m20gull]

I'm in my early 40s and I have become totally fed up with the sit-down, shut up, boring approach to football spectating. I was a Northstander and have always stood on the terrace wherever possible. Last few times I have been to Withdean (not this season) I have been in the singing section and stood up most of the time. You have to stand up to sing!

At Reading I went straight for the back row and stood up throughout. It is fast getting to the point where I shall only go to away games, because the atmosphere is so much better. If there is a crackdown away then I may stop going completely.

 

[The Orange Seagull]

You don't need to stand up to sing and create an atmosphere,you just need more people to join in as demonstrated by the away fans at the last two matches!I watched a match at Elland Road a couple of years ago,that is an all seater but it never stopped the Leeds fans from creating a deafening noise throughout the game(although having a roof helps!).Also what about the Millenium Stadium back in May?Nothing wrong with the atmosphere there either!
It seems to boil down to the fact that the better your team is playing the more noise your fans will make!
I personally prefer standing andused to like the terraces at the Goldstone because you had more choice of where you watched the match,you could gather with your mates and I found that standing was warmer than sitting in the winter months.
It would be nice if some terracing could be introduced again so people could have the choice,it seems that making stadiums all seater just gave clubs the excuse to jack the ticket prices up.

By the way can anyone answer the question why it is deemed safe for non league clubs e.g. Crawley and Eastbourne to have standing capacities of around 4,000 but it would be considered dangerous for league clubs to have terracing?

 

[Brighton till i die]

By the way can anyone answer the question why it is deemed safe for non league clubs e.g. Crawley and Eastbourne to have standing capacities of around 4,000 but it would be considered dangerous for league clubs to have terracing?

exactly!

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Why not make the bit of ground behind the goal to the West of the pitch into a Terrace ?
It can be policed as an individual stands to the rest and it would be quality to go and stand there even if you are a bit further away from the pitch,also make the ground seem more complete and will definetly add to the atmosphere

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Good point, though I do feel it's actually physically harder to create a noise when you're sitting down, it's not as easy to get as much air into them there lungs.

But, using Pompey as a case in point, when they were thumped at home by Arsenal last year, they never stopped singing. The atmosphere was amazing. Not sure how many were seated / standing, but it's technically an all-seater stadium and they blew the roof off.

Why, at Withdean, is the south stand singing section at the bloody far end of the ground? Why not in the middle? Or down the other end, to encourage a bit of banter and atmosphere with away fans? The placing of the 'singing section' is ludicrous.

Give us a roof (never gonna happen) and we'd get better atmospheres at home - in the meantime, we just have to work on all the vocal NIMBYs who moan when you do start singing.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Sorry, that was in reply to Orange Seagull's:

You don't need to stand up to sing and create an atmosphere,you just need more people to join in as demonstrated by the away fans at the last two matches!

I can't get this bloody 'quote' business to work when replying.

 

[London Calling]

Agree east london seagull,

the singing section down near A would be best for fans and the atmosphere, but I even bet the CLUB associates singing with hollies and therefore stuck the singing section as far as way as possible.

This initiative along could change the atmoshere of Withdean.

LC

 

[Brighton till i die]

yeah definately - there is no point is singing sometimes in J block cos you no full well that the away fans cant hear a bloody thing - shove us in A and B blocks and it would be quality.

 

[Rangdo]

What gets me is that there is no reason that terracing can't be safe. Why not create a terrace that is broken up into rows like seats but with a barrier every metre or so?
I agree with making people sit down in the seats because each one person standing probably causes 5-10 people behind them to stand. However, I think that terracing should be an option for those who want to stand. Personally I used to love the terracing at the Goldstone although it could get a little bit scary in the North Stand when we scored.

 

[Brighton till i die]

yeah definately mate - i am not saying i enjoy breaking the rules by standing up in the seated area - and it is more dangerous to be doing that than it would on "safe terracing" - when your up high in a stand and there is an attack and you jump out your seat you can go flying - look at the problem Man utd had!

 

[The Orange Seagull]

By the way can anyone answer the question why it is deemed safe for non league clubs e.g. Crawley and Eastbourne to have standing capacities of around 4,000 but it would be considered dangerous for league clubs to have terracing? [/B][/QUOTE]

Still waiting for an answer to this!

Does anyone know?

 

[Bozza]

Not been to either of the home games this season yet. Are the stewards also making sure that visiting fans remain seated, or are they still 'allowed' to stand if they want to?

 

[Dave the OAP]

most of the cov fans stood, as did Plymouth fans.

Last season one of the stewards go a thick ear from a Swindon fan who was asked to sit down

It is much easier to have a go at us poor Brighton fans than take on an away fan seemly

 

[Brighton till i die]

it really is all bollox - im sure if they really empasise this to us at away games too, we cold see a real drop in attendances - and it will be the "singers" who say"f*** it with this" and then the brighton following will be f***ing quiet as anything!!


this has to be addressed and sorted out!

 

[Lammy]

I don't want to move from H block to A block! You get a shit view from there! I actually like to watch the game aswell as sing. The equivilent of H block at the other end in C block. A block is further over than J block. Have a look at the back of your ticket.