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Andrew Pope Demonstrating
Rail Seats |
UPDATE (9/8/22)
Andrew Pope says:
"Recently, after upping the pressure, I have achieved improved dialogue between the Safe Standing campaign, officers of Southampton FC, the Rail Seats Roadshow, Saints fans and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. But Southampton City Council have been no help. Why?
Because in a Freedom of Information request (FoI), Southampton City Council denied to me that the Full Council meeting in 2018 - where I achieved support for my motion for Safe Standing - ever happened! They said no Council meeting occurred between 2017 and 2022 on safe standing.
Incredibly, the Council's FoI response also denied that any correspondence ever occurred between the Council and Southampton FC. Southampton City Council's FoI function has limited credibility. This correspondence did not happen? Well, I've seen the correspondence. I told the Council that what they wrote was pathetic, and there was correspondence. But the Council's own FoI response denies it!
Perhaps the Daily Echo, BBC Radio Solent and other local and national news organisations all reported on my campaign, and they had imagined it? It's the Council getting it wrong again. The Football Supporters Association definitely had heard about my campaign. But the Council denies it.
Reality definitely seems to exist in a parallel universe to the FoI staff at Southampton City Council! Their FoI response was abysmal, it was very wrong, and I've asked them for an Internal Review, which has already gone past the deadline they gave me. Nobody can trust the Council's FoI responses when it is this bad.
I have again raised concerns with officers of Southampton FC about safety and persistent standing at St. Mary's Stadium, particularly around the repeated problems at the segregation line between home and away fans - a source of repeated flashpoints during last season. I have urged Southampton FC not to consider Block 1 for any safe standing. Almost every other location in the Stadium would be preferable for any trial.
After five years, I am hopeful of a breakthrough.
Because of the improved dialogue, I am now more hopeful than ever that Southampton FC will engage meaningfully with me and other independent fans on Safe Standing, and I strongly believe that fans will get our trial of Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium. "
More news to follow, hopefully via local news media...
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Other
Premier League Clubs Have Installed Safe Standing – Why Are Saints
Delaying?
"Five years after, Saints will still not commit publicly to definitely bringing in safe standing. How long are they going to wait?"
The leader of the
campaign for Safe Standing at Southampton FC, Andrew Pope, attended St. Mary’s Stadium for a
Women’s Euros 2022 football match. Andrew was
saddened to see that safe standing had still not been installed. It
reminded the former Southampton Independents Councillor to get an
update and up the pressure on the new owners of Southampton FC.
When Andrew asked
Tim Greenwell - who is Chief Governance and Operations Officer for
Southampton FC – he was told:
"We are currently in discussions internally and with our supporters group about safe standing.
We are building our own plans around this issue and are working with the right people to determine whether this is something that is right for St Mary's and our supporters.”
Andrew responded:
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| Andrew at St. Mary's |
“Five years after I started the campaign for Safe Standing, Saints will still not commit publicly to bringing in safe standing. This is frustrating. And it is despite it now being legal to do so because the Government changed the rules after years of campaigning by us football fans. Our campaign victory happened earlier this month.
How long are Southampton FC going to wait to apply for a safe standing licence? Other clubs have been early adopters.
Will Saints be the last adopter?
Will Saints be the last to give its fans what they want which is to stand safely at the football? I hope not.
Yes, they need time to plan it safely, but even Cardiff City have beaten them and they are in the Championship, not the Premier League.”
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| Rail Seats Roadshow's Jon Darch Showing How Dangerous Unsafe Standing Is Now Photo: Southampton Independents |
As shown on this website, back in 2017, Andrew
started a petition for Saints fans that received around 1,000 signatures,
and organised a demonstration of rail seats – one form of safe
standing - in Southampton.
As a Southampton City Councillor, Councillor
Pope proposed a motion at Southampton City Council on 16th May 2018.
The motion was carried by the majority votes of councillors. The full text of the Motion is below.
Andrew added:
“At the Austria-Northern Ireland Women's Euros match, I stood with other fans in the Itchen Stand for almost the entire match. No stewards asked us to sit down.
Standing without rail seats is common at every Premier League match, but it is not safe when the Stadium is packed.
Safe standing must be the future at St. Mary’s Stadium.
I’m glad that my Freedom of Information request to the Council revealed that talks are happening by Southampton FC speaking with the Safety Advisory Group and SGSA. Other responses from the Council were extremely worrying and they will be revealed in due course.
I hope that safe standing will happen in the next year. But why so slow?
And why is the communication from Southampton FC with its fans on safe standing, so lacking?
Southampton FC claim to be speaking to a supporters group. I believe they are called "Saints Voice" but most fans have never heard of them.
I've asked Southampton FC for more details of what this supporters group has done to push for Safe Standing, but had no response.
From what I've discovered myself, there has been very little pressure coming from Saints Voice on safe standing. I'm sure those individuals on Saints Voice are well-meaning, but they are not independent of the football business or its owners.
I saw this sort of thing when I was a union rep 20 years ago - company management tried to undermine the union by creating an "employees voice". This was to by-pass the independent union, whose reps were elected.
Southampton FC seems to be pretending that it listens to fans so that it can claim to the authorities, including the SGSA, that it talks to fans. But it seems to be more like a "tickbox exercise" than a genuine body with fan power.
Fans pay Southampton FC a fortune in ticket prices every year. They deserve to be listened to and their concerns acted upon.
This requires an independent organisation with elected representatives who can be removed if they do not represent fans."
Minutes of Annual General Meeting, Council - Wednesday, 16th May, 2018 11.00 am
https://www.southampton.gov.
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16. |
Motions (a) Cllr Pope to move:
This Council supports standing up for Southampton FC fans and standing up with Saints fans. But since the Taylor Report, and changes to safety regulations, fans are not allowed to stand up at the match.
Yet Saints' fans passion means that they do stand at every match in the Itchen and Northam stands. They want to stand. They want to sing. They want to shout. Safe standing allows them to support the team with more passion and to do so safely.
This Council supports the national campaign for Safe Standing in the Premier League, and supports Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium.
This Council agrees to write to the Board of Saints and to the Secretary of State to urge the Government and/or Parliament to change legislation to allow trials in the Premier League and then full installation of rail seats or other safe alternatives. UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE MOTION WAS DECLARED CARRIED.
RESOLVED: that the Motion be approved. |