Clubs competing in Europe will be allowed to trial safe standing
UEFA have confirmed that clubs competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League will be allowed to trial safe standing from as early as next season.
The trial will be conducted by English, French and German clubs only and will apply for all games except for the final in all of the men’s competition.
Clubs will notice a difference in the number of fans that can attend
UEFA have described the launch as the “Standing Facilities Observer Programme 2022-23” and said that it will “observe the use of such facilities in domestic as well as international club competition matches.”
Clubs such as Borussia Dortmund will see a major difference in their attendances with the inclusion of safe standing at European games. Previously, the Signal Iduna Park was only allowed to have a capacity of 65,829 for UEFA games but will now be able to use the whole ground, increasing the attendance to 81,365.
A statement from the governing body said: “UEFA has announced today the launch of a programme to observe the use of standing facilities for general admission spectators attending matches of clubs participating in its men’s club competitions during the upcoming 2022-23 season.
“While UEFA regulations only permit seated places to be used for its competitions, except for those competitions where Category 1 stadiums may be used, an increasing trend towards the use of standing facilities in some domestic competitions has been observed in recent years.
“Football supporters across Europe, as well as clubs who regularly use standing facilities at domestic level, have expressed increasing interest for UEFA to consider standing facilities at European matches.”
Several Premier League clubs have also been granted the use of safe standing in their stadiums this season after last year’s successful pilot schemes.
The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all installed safe standing areas for supporters this season.
Related links:
- Safe standing areas can be introduced in Premier League from 2022/23 season
- UEFA planning another tournament because football obviously needs more matches
- Scottish man interviewed live as Sweden supporter before England Euro 2022 semi-final
