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| Southampton Independents Andrew Pope In the New Safe Standing Northam Stand Pre-Season 2024/25 |
Leader of the Southampton safe standing campaign Andrew Pope says:
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| Andrew Pope at St Marys in 2018 |
"As I said in the Daily Echo, the safe standing at St Marys Stadium has been a resounding success, despite the abject performances on the pitch this season. It benefits 7,000 fans in the Northam stand. And it benefits 3,000 away fans. When Saints fans travel to away matches, they do not always have safe standing. Because even now, not all grounds have it.
Throughout the seven-year campaign, I regularly said to people that things only change if you stand up and fight. If you just whinge, roll your eyes and say it's terrible, and do nothing, and it won't change, surely things won't change. Fans of other clubs are having their own battles with their own clubs over safe standing.
Campaigns are hard and take a lot of work. The safe standing campaign took seven years and involved me working with Saints fans locally and nationally, and fans of other clubs, manufacturers, officials, directors, councillors, members of Parliament and members of Government.
This campaign was very difficult but I believed it was badly needed, and nobody else was providing the leadership in Southampton. Not the directors and chairmen, and no fans that I was aware of. So I did.
The law had to be changed. Southampton FC chairmen, owners and directors in the past tried to ignore the fans and the campaign. And they are doing it again now with my new campaign for better hand rails at SMS.
But in the end, they had to listen to my campaign, and they called me in and asked me what I thought of their plans. And they did listen to my answers and act on them.
It was a fight, which I won. Still, even now, fans of other clubs are still having their own fights with their own clubs.
Fans of other clubs have got in touch with me, to ask for some tips on how to make it happen. One of them has been Stand United, the campaign for safe standing at Bramall Lane, home of Sheffield United. They are still waiting for safe standing, and fighting to make it happen.
They've produced an excellent "Safe Standing Tracker" website, which they maintain. It shows which clubs have it, and which clubs do not. Things are changing because fans are making it happen. It's only when football fans work together that change happens.
The Plymouth Argyle Fans Forum on Thursday gave a firm commitment to safe standing, but no timeline. A Plymouth fan who is a close friend, told me about it. It's there on their video.
Safe standing talk, but not enough action or firm dates, was what I was faced with many times. Things only happen when the pressure is increased, which I did, using experience.
Why keep track of what is happening elsewhere?
Because Saints fans will benefit when they cross our great country to follow Southampton, whether in the Premier League or Championship. Away sections are changing to safe standing, so it is in our interests that I am in touch with their local campaigners and help them to bring it in. So if asked, I will continue to do that.
Meanwhile I continue the campaign for better hand rails and better safety at St Marys Stadium. If you want to help, get in touch. I already have some quotes from fans, but welcome more."
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| Former Councillor Andrew Pope speaking to BBC South Today |
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