This from Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Trust
The ability to stand and watch a football match is, to many, a very emotive issue, with a growing number of football fans objecting to the current national stadium regulations that prevent standing at the country's top level matches.
Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Trust and Wycombe Wanderers Founders Trust, with the backing of the Football Club, have announced that the forthcoming League Two fixture with Leyton Orient on 29th December 2005 will be designated "Safe Standing Day".
"Safe Standing Day" is an initiative designed with a specific purpose: To safely fill the Valley End terrace (aka the Jewson Stand) as a statement to the football authorities that supporters value the choice of whether to stand or sit to watch football.
The Trusts' Boards believe that the choice to stand safely at a football match is a basic right that should be available to all football fans no matter at what level their team play. Wycombe Wanderers are in an enviable position, compared to many clubs, of having a traditional terrace at the "home end" of the ground and the Trusts' Boards wish to keep it that way! The increasing number of all-seated stadia now being built takes away the choice, as does the Football League requirement for any football club to convert to an all-seated stadium within three years of promotion to the Championship.
Wycombe Wanderers' home match against Leyton Orient will be covered on live TV by Sky Sports. Both Trusts and the Club will use this match to raise the issue of Safe Standing at a national level.
Since the Hillsborough tragedy and the subsequent Taylor Report, a body of supporters have been campaigning for safe standing areas. The aim of Stand Up Sit Down (http://www.standupsitdown.co.uk/) is to restore supporters' choice as to whether they can stand or sit to watch matches, by agreeing areas where safe standing will be accepted.
Campaign Co-ordinator for SUSD, Peter Caton, comments, "Ask supporters what they enjoy about watching football and many stress the importance of atmosphere and the feeling that they are participating in an event - not just spectating. They add that all-seat stadiums have greatly reduced atmosphere and some of them have stopped attending matches as a result." Caton adds, "Lord Justice Taylor conceded that standing areas were not intrinsically unsafe. It is time to accept that the current regulations are unworkable and that managed standing areas should be introduced".
In support of the aims of Stand Up Sit Down, Wycombe Wanderers and both its Trusts are encouraging supporters to fill the Club's Valley End Terrace for this match. In recognition of the national importance of this issue, the Club is also inviting fans of other football clubs to come to this match and stand in the terrace.
For more info:
http://www.wwst.org/wwst_news_safe_standing_day_20051229.html