Join the campaign for safe standing...

At various RUST Fans Forums the debate about safe standing has been brought up as it was felt that since seating the Tivoli end of Millmoor, a lot of the atmosphere had been lost at games. The club itself (under the new board) have also enquired about the possibility of ripping out the seats in the Tivoli End, but were told that it is not possible as once seats are installed they cannot be removed regardless of division the club is playing in!! (If we had not played 3 years in the Championsip then we would not have been made to have them installed.)

The FSF (Football Supporters Federation) have continued to campaign for a return to standing and have even offered the sort of alternatives used on the continent, particularly in Germany, where people can sit and stand together.

The Government have appeared to unwilling to listen to any reasoned argument, and that means a return for safe terraced areas within our grounds have been unlikely to return. This leads to people standing, blocking the views of those who wish to sit, and caused all sorts of problems at some grounds through over zealous policing by clubs, ours without doubt being one of them.

We at MillersMad are therefore grateful to one Member of Parliament, Mike Hancock the Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, who has put forward the following Early Day Motion EDM101:

“That this House urges the Government to re-examine the case for introducing small, limited sections of safe standing areas at football grounds; further urges the Government to recognise that there is widespread support for such areas, and that improvements in stadium design and technology mean that with rigorous safety specifications standing areas could be safely re-introduced; and calls on the Minister concerned to convene a meeting of representatives of the police, supporters, Premier League clubs and the Football Licensing Authority to find a way forward.”

The motion has, at the time of writing, been signed by three other MPs, Bob Russell (Lib Dem for Colchester), Nigel Evans (Conservative for Ribble Valley) and John Hemming (Lib Dem for Birmingham Yardley). Click HERE to see the Early Day Motion and list of MP's who have signed.

This is another opportunity to raise this and MillersMad would ask, if you support a return to safe standing inside our grounds, to firstly contact your own Member of Parliament to ask them to support the Early Day Motion EDM101. Click HERE to find details of your MP and how to contact him/her.

Could you then please send any replies you receive to the FSF's Phil Gatenby.

You can EMAIL it to Phil or alternatively post it to him at the following address:

Phil Gatenby
Football Supporters Federation
Fans' Stadium – Kingsmeadow
Jack Goodchild Way
422a Kingston Road
Kingston
KT1 2PB