PUBLIC PETITION NO. PE1248 Should You Wish to Submit a Public
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(For official use only) PUBLIC PETITION NO. PE1248 Should you wish to submit a public petition for consideration by the Public Petitions Committee please refer to the guidance leaflet How to submit a public petition and the Guidance Notes at the back of this form. 1. NAME OF PRINCIPAL PETITIONER (If applicable, please specify the name of the organisation on whose behalf the petition is raised) Stephen A Taylor on behalf of Pars Supporters Trust (Dunfermline Athletic Supporters Society Ltd) 2. PETITION TITLE Safe standing areas at football stadia 3. PETITION TEXT Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to re- introduce safe standing areas at Scottish Premier League football stadia to give professional clubs the option to have seated or standing areas at their football grounds. 4. ACTION TAKEN TO RESOLVE ISSUES OF CONCERN BEFORE SUBMITTING THE PETITION There has been no concerted campaign by football supporters throughout Scotland, as yet, to lobby politicians to bring back standing as this has been seen as a “football” matter under the control of the football authorities. In England the football supporters organisation, Federation of Football Supporters, does have a campaign not yet replicated in Scotland but there is no doubt tremendous sympathy with the English campaign evidenced through supporters websites and plainly their actions on occasions at football grounds. Our own national organisation, Supporters Direct, has left this matter to their colleagues in the FFS to promote. Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mr John Park is supporting us in lodging the petition and has also provided very helpful background legislative concerns on this subject 5. PETITION BACKGROUND INFORMATION At East End Park we have young supporters who have protested by standing in areas designated for seating. They have been confronted by stewards, police and other home supporters who are seated and having their view impaired. This simply creates an atmosphere of hostility and, essentially, these are paying customers who are being poorly treated by the football industry. DAFC tell us they cannot afford to carry out any reconstruction work to re-introduce standing areas and, in any case, on their successful promotion to the SPL they are “required” to have an all seated stadium for that league. We all understand why the move towards all seated stadia came about following on from the disasters at Ibrox, Valley Parade and Hillsborough, However, in none of these disasters was the root cause the fact that people were standing. The major problem at these grounds was the control of the crowd entering and exiting the ground. The fans killed in the fire at Valley Parade were all in seated areas in the main stand. Taylor Report, led to the introduction of the Football Licensing Authority in England & Wales. The licences issued ensure that all grounds in the English Premiership and Coca-Cola Championship must be all seated. Where supporters choose to stand in a seated area the law is not clear. There are ground regulations that all clubs in England adopt where standing is forbidden and will result in ejection from the ground. When you buy a ticket or pay to enter the ground you are accepting these regulations. “Most supporters probably believe that persistent standing is against the law but also believe that the practise is not unsafe and the law is unnecessary. History has shown that laws that are generally viewed as unreasonable have proved difficult to enforce……” (FSF Report) What is the first thing supporters do at half time? Stand up. Why is that not considered a problem yet standing up during the game is? Celebrating a goal is usually done standing up and dancing around, is that unsafe? Why can supporters stand in large crowds at rugby grounds, the Open golf championship, horse racing tracks, music festivals/concerts or underground railway stations? Why is football made an exception? Despite the regulations in England at some grounds many supporters still choose to stand. By doing so in large numbers it becomes impossible for stewards and Police to take any effective action other than threatening to abandon the match which in all likelihood would lead to more crowd problems. It is evident that Scottish football is going through a lean period with finances becoming difficult, which makes it all the more important that spectators are provided with the facilities they require. The lack of atmosphere is often cited as a major concern and many supporters will point to the fact it is easier to make a noise and shout for their team when standing up. The football authorities in Scotland are not renowned for listening to their paying public and similarly the Police authorities will have concerns about crowd trouble which has thankfully all but disappeared from our grounds (perhaps in no small measure to the alcohol ban, a subject for another day!). The Football Supporters Federation has produced an excellent report on this topic which perfectly details all aspects at http://www.fsf.org.uk/media/uploaded/safe-standing-report-web.pdf 6. DO YOU WISH YOUR PETITION TO BE HOSTED ON THE PARLIAMENT’S WEBSITE AS AN E-PETITION? YES X NO 7. CLOSING DATE FOR E-PETITION 30 April 2009 8. COMMENTS TO STIMULATE ON-LINE DISCUSSION We would welcome views of supporters from all clubs throughout Scotland. .