Stand up, sit down - is terracing coming back?

Aston Villa have announced that they are exploring the prospect of safe standing areas. The Football Supporters' Federation have an ongoing campaign to restore the choice for fans to stand or sit. The Bundersliga are seen as torch-bearers, as grounds are allowed safe standing areas for domestic games, with the facility to install seats for European and Internationals. Is it time for terraces to come back?

It seems strange timing that Villa make their announcement today, on the day of the deadline for the e-petition set up demanding a new inquest into one of the deaths of a Liverpool fan at Hillsborough. That tragic day was the spark for the Taylor Report which recommended all-seater stadia for England.

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Ninety-six Liverpool fans died on April 15th 1989, and the battle for true answers has been ongoing ever since. Standing at top level football has been a thing of the past for nearly twenty years as a result. But... Surely enough has changed at football to allow fans to make the choice? Most stadia are futuristic, designed within an inch of their lives for the comfort of all concerned, and monitored like a reality TV show.

However, it is also safe to say that most grounds are also quiet, peaceful places, where the main noise comes from the groups of fans who happen to spend most of the games on their feet.

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Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park (formerly the Westfalenstadion) is home to the German champions, and was visited by this writer in September 2011 on Matchday 1 of the Champions League. The atmosphere was almighty, and despite the forced seating as per UEFA regulations, not one person in that South stand was seating, and they were led by the bandmasters at the front, including Daniel Lörcher, as profiled in Blizzard issue two by Uli Hesse. The atmosphere was electric, and must be a contributing record to their recent title win.

Surely if that's not an advert for safe standing, I don't know what is. Will we see it in England? Who knows. Aston Villa's announcement is a big step. Will any others follow? Or will the Emirates, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge remain seated and mute?

But will the law-makers and paymasters accept it? Or should stewards start learning to alter the terraces to seats before a UEFA match?

Looking for lost coins

To read more about the FSF's campaign, follow this link