Portsmouth News 24/7Writer: Site Staff 
Date:Monday April 16 2007
Time: 12:26PM
UK time is: 08:16:40
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92% Support Standing At Football
Football Fans Census on the Stand Up Sit Down campaign:
'Eighteen years after Hillsborough the issue of the choice to sit or stand whilst watching top football matches hasn`t gone away. Lord Justice Taylor, whose report on the tragedy expressed his view that all fans would gradually adapt and even come to prefer sitting has been proved, with the benefit of hindsight, incorrect. The debate continues. The Football Supporters` Federation will soon make a major contribution to this discussion with its soon to be released report.
'This will advocate the right of clubs, working with their supporters, to introduce safe standing areas at all top grounds in England & Wales. 140 MPs of all political parties have already signed a parliamentary motion calling for a debate involving all concerned. One seminar for MPs and other interested organisations has been already been held. The property consultants and developers Drivers Jonas, who have worked with many football clubs on ground development and building sponsored this event. They are to be congratulated. Another seminar on similar lines for MPs is planned.
The results of the opinion poll conducted by the Football Fans` Census, an independent research and polling organisation shows overwhelming support for the choice to sit or stand, both amongst supporters who prefer to sit, as well as those who prefer to stand.'
Safe Standing
Results Summary
(results produced by the Football Fans Census and reproduced with the kind permission of Standupsitdown and FFC)
About The Survey
The national survey of 2,046 football fans was conducted by the Football Fans Census on behalf of 'Safe Standing' between 11th December 2006 and 6th January 2007.
The survey was conducted online and supporters of 159 teams were represented including all clubs in the Premiership and Football League. 46% of respondents were season ticket holders.
About The Football Fans Census
The Football Fans Census is a football research organisation. It has over 100,000 registered member/users.
Tables of Findings
Source 'Safe Standing Survey' by the Football Fans Census. Sample size 2,046 football fans.
Q1. Should fans be given the freedom to choose whether they stand (in 'safe-standing' areas) or sit inside football grounds?
| Yes | 92% |
| No | 07% |
| Don't know | 01% |
Q2. Should 'safe-standing' areas be allowed in grounds?
| Yes - it should be mandatory | 27% |
| Yes - the option should be allowed | 65% |
| No - 'safe standing' shouldn't be allowed | 07% |
| Don't know | 01% |
Q3. If clubs went ahead with it, what percentage of a ground's capacity should be allocated a 'safe-standing' area?
| Over 35% | 23% |
| 21- 35% | 36% |
| 11-20% | 24% |
| 10% or less | 11% |
| Don't know | 06% |
Q4. Who should have the power to decide whether or not grounds should include 'safe-standing' areas?
| Gov/Dept of Culture,media & sport | 09% |
| Local authorities, councils and police | 20% |
| Individual clubs | 52% |
| Supporters | 17% |
| Don't know | 02% |
Q5. If there was a 'safe-standing' area in your ground how often would you buy a standing ticket IF going to a match?
| All the time | 40% |
| More often than not | 23% |
| Occasionally | 17% |
| Never | 17% |
| Don't know | 03% |
Q6. How would the introduction of 'safe-standing' areas affect your match attendance?
| I'd go to a lot more matches | 18% |
| I'd go to a few more matches | 13% |
| Wouldn't affect my attendance | 65% |
| I'd go to a few less matches | 1% |
| I'd go to many less matches | 1% |
| Don't know | 02% |
Q7. If designated standing areas were available would you generally prefer to use a standing or sitting area?
| Standing | 69% |
| Sitting | 31% |
Q8. What effect would the introduction of 'safe-standing' have on crowd trouble and hooliganism?
| Would improve the situation a lot | 04% |
| Would improve the situation slightly | 07% |
| Wouldn't make any difference | 69% |
| Would make the situation slightly worse | 10% |
| Would make the situation a lot worse | 04% |
| Don't know | 06% |
Q9. What effect would the introduction of 'safe-standing' have on spectator safety?
| Would improve safety a lot | 06% |
| Would improve safety slightly | 18% |
| Wouldn't make any difference | 54% |
| Would make it slightly more unsafe | 14% |
| Would make it significantly more unsafe | 04% |
| Don't know | 04% |
Q10. What effect would the introduction of 'safe-standing' have on your view during the match?
| Would improve it a lot | 17% |
| Would improve it slightly | 19% |
| Wouldn't make any difference | 43% |
| Would make it slightly worse | 13% |
| Would make it significantly worse | 04% |
| Don't know | 04% |
Q11. Do you think the introduction of 'safe standing' areas would improve the atmosphere at football?
| Yes - significantly | 72% |
| Yes - somewhat | 20% |
| No - it wouldn't make any difference | 08% |
Q12. Overall, what effect would the introduction of 'safe-standing' have on your match-day experience?
| Would make it a lot more enjoyable | 52% |
| Would make it slightly more enjoyable | 26% |
| Wouldn't make any difference | 17% |
| Would make it less enjoyable | 02% |
| Would make it significantly less enjoyable | 02% |
| Don't know | 01% |
Q13. Regardless of your preference to stand or sit, do you think that there should be designated standing areas at all grounds, to allow choice for all supporters and overcome the current problem of supporters standing in seated areas, blocking the view of those behind who may wish to sit?
| Yes | 90% |
| No | 10% |
Q14. Do you think there can ever be such a thing as 'safe standing'?
| Yes | 79% |
| No - but I would like there to be standing areas anyway | 13% |
| No - and I would not like there to be standing areas | 06% |
| Don't know | 02% |
Q15. Would you be more or less likely to vote for a politician in Local Elections who supported the reintroduction of some form of standing at football?
| Much more likely | 29% |
| More likely | 24% |
| Would make no difference | 43% |
| Less likely | 02% |
| Much less likely | 02% |
Q16. Would you be more or less likely to vote for a politician in National Elections who supported the reintroduction of some form of standing at football?
| Much more likely | 25% |
| More likely | 25% |
| Would make no difference | 46% |
| Less likely | 02% |
| Much less likely | 02% |
Click here to go to the Football Fans Census and join up. They really are a very worthwhile set up getting feedback from the fans to the people who need it in the game. Their mission statement is to 'provide an independent and neutral forum for football fans that is both an information resource and a platform enabling them to communicate opinion on issues related to the game.
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I cannot see the FA or Government taking much notice of this poll though, sad to say. I feel that it should be up to each individual club to decide how they accommodate the supporters, after all most stadia have lost the atmosphere that can only be felt in a standing area - the FE is a possible exception but then at least 50% of us there don't sit down anyway!
So in my opinion, if the ticket prices were lower then a greater atmosphere would occur as the Average Joe would not have a problem in becoming part of The Passion. [Edited by TruePompeyBlue]