The introduction of safe-standing at Melbourne’s AAMI Park is a convenient, cheap and safe way to expand the ground’s capacity that would enable the stadium to achieve its full potential by accommodating the individual choices of fans.
No one who was at last month’s A-League grand final will ever forget it.
It is not an exaggeration to say that while the standard of football in Australia’s national league places it firmly in the second tier of competitions globally, the atmosphere generated at the grand final would rival anywhere in the world.
The only negative was that only 29,843 fans were able to attend. The ground’s intimacy provides an incomparable atmosphere, but a limited capacity. As a result, a grand final may never be staged at AAMI again – a fear expressed repeatedly on Melbourne Victory’s internet fan forums since the match.
Safe standing offers a solution to this problem. Developed in Germany, safe standing consists of new technology involving additional railings and monitoring systems that enables football supporters to stand while watching the game, without the safety risks of the open, crumbling football terraces of yesteryear.
It is a classic example of a simple technological innovation enabling us to undertake activities previously thought unsafe. Indeed, moves to install safe standing are already underway at Western Sydney’s Pirtek Stadium.
A safe standing area almost doubles the capacity of a previously seated area. If the sections behind each goal at AAMI Park were converted to safe standing an extra 10,000 could conceivably be added to the venue’s 30,050 capacity.
This is primarily a matter of individual fan choice. The fact is, many fans prefer standing. Melbourne Victory has reached the bizarre situation where the memberships they sell to these parts of the ground have instructions printed on the tickets informing fans they are standing only areas, despite seats being present.
Thousands of fans standing in areas designed for seating is also a minor safety hazard. The row of seats in front of fans standing act as a dicey 30cm high trip wire, particularly during goal celebrations at the more raucous end of the spectrum. If these were converted to areas purpose-built for standing they would clearly be safer.
By recognising the individual choice of many fans to stand, AAMI Park would also be assisting those fans who wish to sit. Currently, many of this group are forced to stand as patrons in front of them stand up and block their view if they remain seated. This wouldn’t be a problem if there were designated standing areas.
Safe standing is also the cheapest way to expand the capacity of AAMI Park. Australia spends an immoral amount of taxpayer money building and expanding sporting stadia. Converting seating areas to safe-standing comes at a fraction of the cost of fully-fledged redevelopment.
Indeed, safe standing is really the only option to increase the capacity of AAMI Park. Unfortunately, the uniquely designed roof of the stadium means that it is cheaper to demolish the whole stadium and start again rather than expand on what is already there. Victorian taxpayers will at some stage in the coming decades be faced with an exorbitant bill as the popularity of football and rugby grows steadily, unless something like safe standing is introduced.
And safe standing areas can be built to incorporate rail seats, meaning they can be turned back into seating areas at the turn of a key for events where fans prefer to sit.
A debate is currently underway in the UK about the merits of safe standing. Standing at top-flight football in England has been banned since the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death on an overcrowded terrace. Opponents of safe standing believe it could cause another tragedy in the future.
This is an emotional argument. Safe standing in no way resembles the 10-foot high fencing, tinder-box wooden stands, crumbling walls, death-trap staircases, not to mention wild west policing and hooliganism, that caused so many deaths at British and European football matches in the past.
And, like in Australia, many British football fans simply stand in front of their seats anyway.
There is no reason why safe standing couldn’t be utilised in other grounds in the A-League which are fan favourites but possibly too small to hold the very largest of games. Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium and Sydney’s Allianz Stadium come to mind.
The A-League doesn’t have to choose between small, atmospheric venues and deathly silent multi-purpose stadiums that are inappropriate for football, such as Etihad Stadium. They can have their cake and eat it too by honouring fan choice and technological innovation.
AAMI Park is the perfect venue to introduce safe standing so that the extraordinary atmosphere of last month’s grand final isn’t a once-off.
Peter Gregory is a research fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs
This article is perfect in so many ways. Safe standing is undoubtedly the way to go. It enhances crowd vibe & capacity. Perfect! Having stood in the Kop at Anfield (not safe standing but a large portion still stands), to standing in the away end with Racing fans at a Boca Juniors game (probably what I'd consider to be very unsafe standing, but nevertheless), it is clear that standing is good for fans, in terms of capacity and atmosphere. Love it. Make it safe? Even better (and necessary). Just look to the Bundesliga to see how beneficial safe standing can be...
clipper
Guest
They're even doing 2 for 1 tickets this round, so I think Football should have the most say, especially with the above figures.
Ian
Guest
Yes the picture isn't too bad. I like the idea of parts of the stand being safe standing for games that warrant it - in upper sections obviously whilst retaining seats in lower parts.
Karl
Guest
I don't think Storm would have any say really considering Victory had 6 sell outs out of 8 home games at the stadium last season alone. Only team that can fill the ground. Storm average 13k.
Sneaky Russian
Guest
Great idea, but have you tried buying a beer or getting to the bathroom when there's 30000 @ AAMI? The facilities barely cope with a full house at the moment. I'd love to see safe standing there but they'd need to spend a bit of money upgrading facilities to cope with another 10000 people.
cm
Guest
My favourite one "through the darkness"/(n*gro Jose) has never got a proper run. Pure party time! Would have been great this last season as well. Problem with the south American ones is that it requires people to hold a tune of course... :lol:
Bondy
Guest
Fussball I concede that's not a bad idea that from the picture, and with the rails they cant rush down or around when a goal has been scored ...
SVB
Guest
I agree cm. 'We Unite as One' and 'These Colours Unite us All' (plus a few other chants) are easily Wanderers support at it's best. They also have a very South American style that goes for long and has a great melody to it. No other support in the a-league can quite do it the same, so why would you change it? Just try to perfect it.
cm
Guest
@svb me too... and if you look at what gets people going, it's the latin ones. @kaks I had the same initial reaction but if you look at who they are replacing - tanaka frees up a visa spot for further up the pitch and Neville is no mug; Pepper is potentially - and I say that carefully - a more versatile replacement for perkatis
SVB
Guest
I prefer the South American style. It has a great feel to it and is easily the best style of support for me. I don't really like Euro chants even though I am from that background. Also considering the absurd monkey chants they do in some parts there, I would prefer to steer clear from that one.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Here is a photo from the Imtech Arena where HSV Hamburg play their home matches. You can see the normal seats are in the lower tiers, safe-standing seats have been retrofitted in the upper tier. http://www.thisisanfield.com/wp-content/uploads/Hamburg-rail-seats-1.jpg
blob
Guest
You can still sit in the safe standing sits if you wish any ways
blob
Guest
great well founded idea
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"or look at another venue" Show me the money. AAMI Park cost around $270m to construct (2007). A new 40-50k venue could be close to $400m to construct. Safe standing seats are around $200 to buy & install. So 25k safe-standing seats = $5m outlay instead of $400m outlay to create a 40-50k stadium And the additional advantage with safe standing is that the stadium converts to the usual 30k for events that don't require the increased capacity. So the atmosphere is not like an empty cavern. Imagine Brisbane Roar in a 30k stadium rather than a 50k stadium.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Membership will be very interesting, and i think it will have an impact based on who we recruit after all the players that have left/been released. I'll be honest, im not left too optimistic after we sign two Jets player - the only team to do worse last season.
Ian
Guest
Thanks AZ In the privacy of your own home you can watch a game however you wish ;-)
Ian
Guest
I'm not against this safe standing idea. It sounds a reasonable method of increased capacity. My point was will all the members and fans that turn up at AAMI Park prefer to stand all game rather than sit. If they have to buy a premium ticket there would be not be universal support. Does anyone with a family and young kids have to buy premium tickets to attend an event? Does anyone else who enjoys sitting have to stand or then buy a premium ticket in order to have the privlege of sitting? My comparison is I'm certain a good proportion of fans in Melbourne would like to sit rather than stand. If Victory in whatever time frame have 40k members,will the club in consultation with members, AAMI Park owners, other stakeholders enforce standing everywhere other than 6 sections as you have suggested, have an increased amount of safe standing but keeping more seats such as a 50/50 split or look at another venue?
cm
Guest
The euro style has more adherents than the south American one I'd suggest... But I could Dale for a lot longer than 12 minutes personally :lol: Magic.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"At Suncorp I can’t see our Platinum members preferring to stand" Well, let's be honest. Brisbane have an average home attendance of around 13k over the 10 years of ALeague. I don't think there will be any capacity issues that need to be addressed at Suncorp in our lifetime. This article suggests an alternative way to increase the capacity of AAMI Park for insignificant cost. "I would have thought more attendees at AAMI Park than just a Premium A ticket holder would want to sit." Well, the bottom line is: if MVFC gets more than 30k members do we cap the membership, or do we try for 20k more members using Safe Standing.
Ian
Guest
Maybe it works better for a 15-30k venue. At Suncorp I can't see our Platinum members along the Western stand preferring to stand and plenty of fans in Orange (cheapest) Black or family section would prefer to sit than stand all game. I understand if part of each section was made safe standing but not the overwhelming majority. I would have thought more attendees at AAMI Park than just a Premium A ticket holder would want to sit.