The Hotel End

https://www.ntfc.co.uk/news/2019/february/safe_standing_testing/ (https://www.ntfc.co.uk/news/2019/february/safe_standing_testing/)

Northampton Town Football Club are continuing the process of research and consultation that is looking at the possibility of introducing safe standing at the PTS Academy Stadium.

Following consultation with the Safety Advisory Group and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority as part of that process, a small section of barrier has been temporarily installed in the Sheinman Opticians Stand.

This barrier will be tested in accordance with the relevant safety regulations before being removed before the Crawley Town game. This is to ensure that we have all the appropriate information to share with supporters before the consultation process.

The next part of the process will be a consultation with season ticket holders who currently sit in the Sheinman Opticians Stand and this will take place through a survey that will be sent out to those supporters in due course.

“The opinion of the supporters who sit in that part of the stadium will be one of the key factors in how we proceed,” said Chief Executive James Whiting.

“As a club it is important we deliver the facilities the supporters want and we see the consultation with those season tickets holders as a key part of the process.

“As has been stated previously - but it is worth reminding everyone - this is an explorative and consultation process and no decisions have or will be made, but it goes along with our overall commitment to consult with our fanbase.

"We have discussed this subject at previous Supporters Advisory Panel meetings and the next such meeting, on February 21st, gives us the option to discuss this matter further. We would encourage anyone who has a view on the possibility of safe standing to come to the meeting and let us know their views."

That meeting will take place in Carr's Bar at the PTS Academy Stadium from 7.30pm-9pm on Thursday February 21st.

This bull5hit makes my pi5s boil.
How is this piddling nonsence going to advance our club into one that can compete in league 1?
Not a jot but will make our tiny stands look even more non league if that is even possible.
Why not use the money being wasted on this to set up a feasible study on building up a 3000 capacity  bank of terracing, built up behind the seats of one of the ends that allows our club the extra capacity needed for league 1 as well as giving the ground an atmospheric feel to the place that attracts new support.
If this is given oxygen it will put us back decades.
Who at the club is behind this and why?

Is that another contract that you aren't getting?

Standing is much better.
I remember ramming in the hotelend at the County ground singing, jumping and that surge forward when we scored.
Nowadays we're sitting there like a bunch of twerps

That should be enough to convince the undecided fans that it will be a good thing.

Im with you Doc, new years day against Colchester 87 brings particularly fond memories.

https://www.coludata.co.uk/item.php?frmft=True&pg=match&pd=1022&fsea=47&fdfaShowAll=&frefShowAll=&fcomp1=13&fcomp1ShowAll=&frt=all&fhan=all&it=2234

Don't we already have safe standing on the hill?

What a pointless exercise!  Yes, I too used to prefer the atmosphere on the terraces at the county ground.  If fact I’d go so far as to say it was more the reason I became a fan than the actual football... But make no mistake, safe standing is not terracing.

If anyone thinks that simply by ‘standing up’ it will recreate that, they’re wrong. In reality, it wasn’t the fact that we were standing that created that atmosphere, it was because we were crammed in shoulder to shoulder, when we scored there was a swell and the noise was deafening.

Standing up in neat rows where your seat used to be wont make a the slightest bit of difference to either the atmosphere or the capacity.  Completely pointless.

The club tries something and some people moan and if the club does nothing then usually the same people moan.......................stunning!

You might have a point there, perhaps there’s an element of splendour in the grass going on?

Once in a blue moon maybe.

The Hotel End what a place!

But you're wrong about safe standing not improving atmosphere. Go up to Celtic with the Green Brigade in their safe standing area and they'll preach to the rafters about how good it is. That's if you can hear them over the chanting. Also, go to Germany where they have various safe standing scenarios and the atmosphere is raucous.

There is also provision for safe standing to increase capacity and lower ticket prices. Win win.

Would agree though that there is a debate to be had about the potentially limited impact installing it in a small section of the North Stand or how future-proofed the North Stand is even as Beds has alluded to.

Ahh the piggery, absolute sh1t hole of a ground, safe standing makes little difference as everyone stands at bigger grounds anyway. Obviously it’s a lot safer.
Putting it in the north stand is absolutely pointless, build an upper tier like the council we’re going to if we’d have beaten Grimsby  :P

oh my life, are you still peddling that nonsense about having terracing behind seats? because that was such a great idea that ooooh pretty much no club ever has done it before.

Personally, I cant see any point in (say) making the back 2,3,4 rows safe standing. Mainly because most of us there, stand up during the game in any case...and its nice to have the option to sit back down when it gets really boring!  ;D

It wont increase capacity, certainly not by more than a couple of dozen. And it will look 'odd'.

Im in favour of a full stand being safe standing, but not a small section of one. Cant see the point!

I Agree.
I stand on the back row and am quite capable of doing so without a barrier which if installed will make sitting down occasionally as I do less of an experience because there'll be a big steel barrier in my eyeline and the rest of it will most likely interfere with my knees!
I know common sense has been largely withdrawn from life these days but at Sixfields most people surely still have enough left such that if they can't stand for 90 mins without aid or additional safety measures they won't attempt it...
As for increased atmosphere...it might work at other grounds but does anyone seriously believe a load of steel pipework erected in the North will assist in increasing the atmosphere?!

I'm a season ticket holder back row North Stand...

Stand up during the game then sit down during half time so happy as we are to be honest...

Nice to see a couple of examples of why this club will never move forwards.

I'm all for progress but just to be clear, you think the club will be taking a positive step forwards by erecting the pipework as seen in the link throughout the North or at least a section of the North?

I do a bit of non league hopping most Tuesday nights and thoroughly enjoy standing up.

Probably need a bit of context here. The nearest safe standing system in use similar to the bar the Cobblers have installed is at Orlando City who have a fantastic safe standing area. Although their bars are more streamlined than the shall we say "industrial" scaffolding type that the club are safety testing.

https://twitter.com/stevenpowell4/status/871832237762908160 (https://twitter.com/stevenpowell4/status/871832237762908160)

The club are going to enter into full consultation regarding safe standing and you would assume that also means where it can be installed and the actual system used, based on various factors including future-proofing, cost and, obviously safety.

That the project has progressed is a good example of positive and focused work between the club, the Standing At Sixfields Group and the Trust.

If anyone has ideas on where standing would benefit the ground why not respond here.

Thomas and cardoza?

Standard terracing that is all ticketed, well stewarded to avoid over crowding is essentially safe standing,  all this nonsence about putting some railed seating in the tiny stands needs to be killed off before anymore oxygen is wasted on what is in essence a diversionary tactic from our useless club officials in order to avoid the major issues strangling  our club.

hello wally.

https://sgsa.org.uk/resource/installing-dual-purpose-seating-and-standing-areas/

basically, you dont want us in the championship any time soon (as unlikely as that is anyway)

apologies for introducing some laws and facts to your mind

Brentford Have played several years in the championship with old school terracing,  that what you linked is out of date old hat.

Not reading this thread, but can say that Burton Albion has Safe Standing...I don't think they've got any 'lads'!

https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2018/june/terracing-retained-june-2018/

Why do you keep doing it to yourself?

So not only must with to the Championship we need to stay for at least 6 season before we have to convert to seating

I with Beds (again) this railed seating is a load of political correct / health & safety bulls***

There are umpteen examples of standing in league 1 and 2 and quite a few examples of unsafe seating bolted in - Charlton and Luton spring to mind

All stands are monitored and counted so very easy to see capacity and any problems, plus the biggest problem was pitch side fencing which is obviously not there

Within three seasons...

Exactly, why worry about minor things like legislation, rules and all that cr@p. Let’s do what we want when we want on a whim and damn the consequences? This idea about the club doing an exercise to test feasibility and fan reactions is a total waste of our time. Let’s just get on with it, what could possibly wrong and after all it’s someone else’s money not ours so who cares?

The feeling within the industry is the legislation will change within a year as so many Premier League clubs are in favour. Wolves have installed 5 different safe standing systems and are testing them all. Cobblers could just stick the seats back in, in the somewhat unlikely event we are in the Championship for 3 seasons and the legislation hasn't changed by then. There's also the argument that the North for instance would need a complete overhaul anyway in relation to sustained Championship or Premier league football. It'd be a different ball game.

I'm a big fan of standard terracing but don't believe that it will be allowed in the upper echelons of the game. The rake (incline) of our existing stands is to steep for it. Could you consider a new terraced home end with provision to install safe standing? Yes but you'd likely take a hit on a really good imposing rake.

The Lincoln away stand still has the steps to enable them to remove the bolt on seats if they want to revert back to standing, our North Stand doesn't therefore that would need safely inserting in accordance with H&S regulations...and as Meccano says the incline of our stand is too steep?

No I don’t want standing of any kind .
Pointless .
Just get the existing stand finished first .
That’s the top and bottom of it .
Move on

yes 3 years but Brentford have had terracing for 5 seasons in Championship, pretty sure we would be given the same opportunity. Still same negative no can-do attitude from same posters !!!!

By the time we ever got there pretty sure the current regulations would have long changed.

With ours can we just have a rail for each step, it was the railed seat that would never be used is just a waste of time and money. Would think you could increase capacity by 25% and give people the easier choice of being together and hopefully improving the atmosphere.

They have only been given 5/6 years grace because of their intended relocation/rebuild of the existing stadium.
Not negative (I am assuming that you are throwing the over size cap towards me), just fed up with reading things from the same posters that; do not pay attention to the detail of what is written in front of them, continue using phrases like "pretty sure", "would think", "hopefully improve", plus many of similar tone and meaning in their arguments and then expect the rest of us to believe what they are spouting.
I am still waiting for someone (your leader) to factually convince me that I should join the band of revolutionaries!

The club won't be considering standard terracing in the ground's current configuration. The rake/depth of the steps aren't considered workable.

The club is currently testing a safe standing bar system. Whether this will mean the removal of the seats is yet to be confirmed.

The club could build a new stand should it wish with standard terracing with the provision of seats or rail seats to be added if needed. Howevee such a setup might mean a less than desirable incline in the stand.

Still v early and still no guarantees that it will see the light of day. Nor what is presented will be conducive to building a high class stadium

Hope that helps

For those worrying about what will happen when we get to the Championship, it's been 52 years since we were last there and I think we are as far away as we've ever been at the moment !   ::)

You're not being negative are you?  ::) ;D

We haven’t even got safe seating (east stand)

Personally I'm happy that the club are still exploring this. As a season ticket holder in the North myself, it will be interesting to hear what kind of feedback the club get back.

I won't deny I have zero belief in anything the club say, for years we have been told what they want us to believe so they can avoid the major issues and keep any secretive agendas they may have on track.
This latest of a piddling token gesture of suggesting putting in a few rails in the tiny stand can only be to hide the shameful fact they have no plans to do anything with the ground.

At least your approaching it with your usual open mind mate..  :P

Beds might be a little blunt sometimes but he's absolutely right about if something is worth doing it's worth doing well. 

 keith kurle is doing a good job here. a1-1 draw against the leaders was a good result.COME ON COBBLERS

WTF has this got to do with safe standing!?  ::)

Isn't it obvious?

 ;D  Good old defender.

Fake poster.

No, he's a good old boy, used to post on the rivals site many years back.