The Premier League club Liverpool F.C. is expanding its rail seating trial on the Kop stand following the installation of the seating last season.
‘Liverpool FC’ stated that rail seating has been installed in two areas of their residence – Anfield – following a safety review by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA). The review highlighted that during matches persistent standing in the Kop and Anfield Road lower tier is an issue that needs to be addressed to ensure supporters’ safety.
The Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England, UK. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has played its home games at Anfield since its formation.
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England (UK), which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892.
The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Until 2011 it was known as the Football Licensing Authority, having been set up under the Football Spectators Act 1989. The SGSA was established through the Sports Grounds Safety Authority Act 2011, which received royal assent in July 2011 and commenced on November 1st, 2011.
‘Liverpool FC’ further stated that the initial trial saw 7,800 seats with rail seating installed on the Kop and across the lower tier of the Anfield Road Stand.
The club will now extend the trial of railed seating on the Kop and will use the Winter break of the Premier League season to install an additional 2,500 rail seats. The expansion will be across blocks 202-306, rows 61-49 on the Kop. This will take the total rail seats in the Kop to 4,300. Work will commence imminently and will take approximately five weeks to install.
Season ticket holders whose seats are impacted by these changes will be contacted in due course to explain the changes and how this will impact them.
The SGSA’s regulatory focus is on reducing persistent standing risks in stadiums and avoiding potential crowd collapses. The report has evidenced that safety rails increase safety within all-seater stadiums. The SGSA considers it important to maintain momentum on managing the identified persistent standing risks at stadiums.
The seating installed at Anfield includes normal stadium seats with an integrated safety rail behind them to avoid a crowd collapse. The design is to enable fans to stand safely at key moments in the game, like goal celebrations, but must revert to a seat at other times. Fans are advised this is not a ‘safe standing’ area – Anfield remains an all-seater stadium. The safety of supporters when they come to Anfield is the top priority.
The club has consulted the Supporters Board, in line with its agreed fan-engagement framework, about the extension of railed seating and it provided positive feedback on the initial phase of the pilot. The expansion of railed seating will be reviewed again at the end of the season.
Remarked Andy Hughes, Managing Director at Liverpool F.C., “Following a review of the initial rail seating trial last season, we will now expand the trial and introduce rail seating in additional areas of the Kop to further address crowd safety and persistent standing in line with the SGSA guidance. The health and safety of our supporters when attending matches at Anfield is paramount. As we have said before, it is essential that we listen to the experts and deliver their recommendations to address this important safety issue.”
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