BEVERLY HILLS, March 24, (THEWILL) – As clubs prepare for in-person spectators at football matches, English Premier League champions-in-waiting Manchester City have decided to install 5,620 railed seats for the return of a standing section at their Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
They have scheduled the installation of the railed area to take place over the summer ahead of the return of fans to football clubs next season across the EPL. To accommodate these railed seats, the work is expected to be around the south east and south west corners of the south stand because these areas have been identified as sections where ‘persistent standing’ occurs during games.
In making this public, the Manchester club noted that the installation will be ready should legislation regarding seating areas change in the future. This is because following the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, the Taylor Report mandated that all grounds have to be all seater stadiums. However, there have been calls in recent years to allow sections of football grounds to have “safe standing” areas built for that purpose.
Danny Wilson, the Managing Director of Manchester City Operations pointed to this in his comments about the decision: “The development and installation of a bespoke rail seating system at the Etihad Stadium will not only improve supporter safety but also ensures that until there is a change in legislation which permits safe standing, the matchday experience of supporters and Season Card holders in the lower tier of the South Stand will remain unaffected.
“Whilst we will continue to remind supporters that they should remain seated during matches, we are also pleased to inform them that the installation of a rail seating area means the Etihad Stadium will be ready and prepared should the government bring forward legislation to introduce safe standing in the Premier League,” he said.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
