Safe standing section at LNER Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, April 14^th, 2023

Image: Sincil Bank (LNER Stadium), Flippo, CC BY-SA 3.0

Following further consultation with the safety authorities, the English Football League (EFL) League One club Lincoln City F.C. can now confirm plans for the introduction of a safe standing section at the LNER Stadium in Lincoln, England (UK).

‘Lincoln City Football Club’ stated that Phase One will be to install independent barriers in the whole of block Upper 7 of the GBM Stand. Whereas a rail seat is a manufactured product which incorporates a seat and a barrier together, independent barriers are a separate installation from the seat itself, and the club has worked closely with a number of other clubs where barriers have already been successfully installed.

The English Football League is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world.

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The English Football League (EFL) One, known as the Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes or simply League One in England, is the second-highest division of the English Football League and the third tier overall in the English football league system.

The Lincoln City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England (UK). The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

The 10,780-capacity Sincil Bank Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the LNER Stadium, is a football stadium in Lincoln, England (UK) which has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O’Gaunts ground since the club’s 1884 inception.

‘Lincoln City Football Club’ further stated that the club are currently working through the technical specifications and safety management plans with the intention of installing barriers for the start of the 2023-2024 seasons. Tickets in this block will be sold as ‘seats in an area where standing is permitted’ and seat swaps will be made available for supporters who would like to move out of, or into, this block during the seat swap window in July, after the conclusion of the current renewal period.

The work the club has done to reach this stage has been highly commended by the authorities and the governing bodies, and this commitment to both safety and fan experience at the LNER Stadium has been made possible by further capital investment by the club board and investors.

‘Standing in Seated Areas’

‘Standing in seated areas’ means that safety systems are in place in designated seated areas which permits supporters to stand if they would like to.

High-risk Area

The authorities have identified that the highest risk area is in GBM Upper 7. The club is also proposing a standing section in the Stacey West Stand. Only fans that currently have a seat in GBM Upper 7 are likely to be affected by the above exercise. It is unlikely that any other areas of the LNER Stadium will be affected. If one currently sits in GBM Upper 7 and do not wish to stand, he or she is, of course, permitted to remain seated, but he or she will have to purchase a seat knowing that your are located in a designated standing area. Alternatively he or she may choose to relocate his or her seat. The ticket office will provide all the details.

‘Independent Barrier-Rail Seat’

The Independent barriers are a separate installation from the seat itself, whereas a rail seat is a manufactured product which incorporates a seat and a barrier together.

GBM Upper 7

Due to the configuration of the GBM Stand, the Lincoln City F.C. plan to install independent barriers in this section (similar to, for example, the EFL Championship club Cardiff City F.C.).

Sightlines

As far as the rail seat/independent barrier is concerned, the height of the barrier will not impact fans’ view.

Stacey West Stand

It is being planned to install rail seats in the Stacey West Stand. While the current legislation states that standing must only replace seating on a ratio of 1:1 (meaning no increase in capacity), if legislation were to change in the future, rail seats would facilitate this more readily in this stand.

GBM Stand Blocks

Following the results of the survey and in consultation with the authorities, at the moment there are no plans to introduce ‘standing’ in other GBM Stand blocks at the moment.

There are also presently no plans to introduce ‘standing’ in other areas of the stadium although the Lincoln City F.C. are always exploring new opportunities to provide the appropriate fan experience for its wide demographic of supporters. The ‘standing’ in other areas of the facility is likely to happen in Summer 2023.

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