This is written by Katie S
Rightly or wrongly, part of my match day routine now entails reading tweets from the fans after the match. I like to see what our fans think of the game and see if they have the same thoughts as myself. Thursday night was no different and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the tweets I read. The general consensus seemed to be pretty positive and for those of you who follow me will know this is not what I was expecting.
I could discuss the atmosphere and the ground itself, but one of the main tweets that stood out for me was regarding standing during the match. There seemed to be some abuse between fans that wanted to sit and those that wanted to stand. There have also been tweets to and from stewards, I am sure the stewards understand why some fans wish to stand, but they are just doing their job by telling fans to sit down, as officially all stadiums in England are all-seaters. This really got me thinking as I could tell the overwhelming majority (of the fans on Twitter) seemed to prefer standing and were quite against those who wanted to stay seated.
I think this issue has been brought to light due to many fans moving around the stadium. The Trevor Brooking/Bobby Moore lower were always known to be standing areas and I think lots of the fans that were located there at Upton Park, may have possibly moved to the East or West stands and vice versa. This has obviously highlighted the differences between the stands and maybe the type of fan in each of them.
I completely understand that fans want to stand up, it does seem to generate more atmosphere when everyone is up and singing together and this is what football of old was all about. I previously had a season ticket in the East Stand upper and nobody stood up, however I know from away games that I have been to, everyone stands and it cannot be denied, it does create a certain buzz and energy. My Dad also speaks fondly of his experiences in The Chicken Run terrace and says that nothing can match the atmosphere of those days.
However, being on the shorter side it can become incredibly frustrating not being able to see any of the game when others are standing, I have paid a lot of money for my season ticket and want to watch football, as well as cheer on my team. I spend the whole match on tiptoes and stretching my neck just trying to see if I can catch a glimpse of the ball. It also causes problems for children or those that are not that steady on their feet. For those of you who were at the Crystal Palace game last season, you will remember the whole of Upton Park celebrating Mabel’s 100th birthday. Mabel is a lifelong hammer and would have been at The Boleyn when it was all-standing, however I very much doubt that she would now be comfortable standing for 90 minutes. Surely we cannot suggest that she is not a ‘true football fan’ because she would choose to sit down!
I think this emphasises the need for safe standing in football stadiums, but do wonder if this is something that can be introduced at a later date, after so much work being put into the current seating. Safe-standing areas are a success in Germany, Sweden and Austria. These areas are financially beneficial to both supporters and the club. We have all seen the Dortmund Yellow Wall and know what an impressive and intense sight it is, but more importantly, IT IS SAFE.
In conclusion, most fans want the choice to stand or sit at football games and rightly so. I believe there is no right or wrong way to support your club, as long as you get behind your team that is all that matters, but let’s not abuse fans if they want to sit or stand – We are all West Ham and that is the important thing.
What are your thoughts on safe standing, do you think all fans should accept that football fans want to stand or do you choose to sit? Let me know what you think @flump9 on Twitter.
It’s a simple thing to solve if you wanna stand then go to the back so people can still see
As someone who used to stand either on the North bank or chicken run, it added immense amounts of atmosphere, with lots of banter and chanting between both ends, I would go further than introducing safe standing. I would reintroduce terracing for both north and south banks of the stadium, make them season ticket only perhaps to manage the numbers and allow extra support in on match days if the terraces weren’t full enough, this would create s real buzz imho, it’s unlikely to happen which is a shame but that’s life.
We had the same issue with our seats….. First time season ticket holder but always went to BML at Upton Park and travelled to many away games over the years.
We are located in TBU and a group of us started the match standing…. This quickly caused some issues with people behind who wanted to remain seated….
It’s a difficult issue because the standing fans are much more likely to create the atmosphere we all hope to achieve however there’s also a need to be considerate of others.
I would love to see the return of standing areas.
There’s a lot of space Between the pitch and the seating. Why can’t they have another chicken run?
When I went to the reservation centre to pick our seats (front row of the upper tier block 231) we were told these would be the best view for my 9 year-old daughter as supporters would not be allowed to stand up in front of us. This was not the case on Thursday as the back 5 rows stood up for the whole game. My daughter had trouble seeing and just think it is unfair to her that supporters who want to stand are not considering her.
Having been in the Bobby moore lower and standing the whole time, and not being able to get the same seats as I had, I’ve met with people that used to be around me and they where getting told off for standing and trying to start songs and get the crowed roaring. It’s always gonna be hard in a new stadium and will take a whilst to sort out the more lively parts of the stadium.
Celtic have just put in a Safe Standing section at Celtic Park . Plans to increase London Stadium to 67k should include this behind both goals .
Safe standing is definitely the way to go, It’s been proven to work & something a lot of fans want. You are never going to please everyone but giving fans more than one option in how they watch & interact at a game can only be a good thing.
Atmosphere is one thing consideration of your fellow fan is another.The standing few creates a domino affect and forces more & more rows to stand even if they don’t want to.If it’s to be allowed then there has to be a re allocation of seats to the back rows for all fans to be satisfied.
It is clear that many wish to stand and chant, which is perfectly fine, and creates it’s own atmosphere. We do have to find an answer, [possibly similar to that at Celtic, which appears to be a good plan.
I remember being taken to Upton Park as a kid, aged about 8. We were late, so had to go in the Chicken Run and stand. We were playing *spit* Spurs. As it happened the Spurts were great (times change!) and passed all of us kids down to the front. I remember though being rather intimidated by all these blokes standing behind me.
Everyone should have the choice to stand or sit.
All seater games have taken so much away from the game. Freezing my nads off on a wintry Sunday morning at the local park was made more bearable by being able to jump about and generate some warmth. The comradeship that accompanied standing was different too, and took the need for people to stand up from their seat to let “Mr Slackbladder ” go for a quick Jimmy.
Sitting in a cramped seat for 90 minutes is massively uncomfortable for a large fella like me, and the people either side of me will always get fidgety elbows.
Time to lay this all seater nonsense to rest and bring back a bit of passion again.
I’ve stood in the BML for the last few seasons and will continue to do so at the new ground as it the fans like me and all those who stand that generate the famous westham atmosphere. I believe the club should have actively promoted ‘singing’ areas and advised those fans where to sit at the new ground, likewise the family sections. This was always going to be an issue as there will be many new fans who do not understand the traditions of Upton Park. I was at the Juve game on Sunday in the BML and did notice grumbles from a few fans but I think the real litmus test will be the Bournemouth game when most season ticket holders will be there. If it continues the club must be prepared to implement a seat swap scheme as it is not fair on those who want to continue to stand and sing or fair for those who are either unable to stand for 90 mins or families with young children who cannot see the game.
For me it seems pretty simple. If you don’t want to stand but chose a seat behind either goal then more fool you, it is well known that at West Ham that is the area where people will stand.
On the flip side, if you want to stand but chose any other area then you can’t expect people wanting to sit to put up with you blocking the view.
The club are in a difficult situation where they can’t be seen to be allowing standing and probably expected what I said above to happen. That said, I don’t think they have helped themselves by not having a family section.