Let’s be clear. The Foxes Trust wholeheartedly supports having safe standing at the King Power Stadium.
We believe the installation of rail seating should occur before any stadium redevelopment starts and ideally work should be carried out to ensure it is in place before the start of the 2025/26 season.
Our latest survey, completed by members and non-members, showed that just under 90% of those surveyed wanted to see rail seating installed at the King Power Stadium, with around 30% caveating that based on where it would be installed. Comparing members views to non-members views, slightly more members were in favour than non-members. There’s no doubt the Foxes Trust has a mandate to pursue safe standing with the club.
Supporters, both Trust members and non-Trust members, told us that their most favoured area to locate safe standing for home fans was in SK1 and SK2 and it is our objective to pursue that.
When the club announced the plans for stadium expansion in 2021 its statement regarding safe standing in the FAQs said:
Have you considered safe standing?
We recognise that safe standing is an important topic for supporters and one which LCFC is considering having already undertaken a study of rail seating, which included engagement with fans. We will undertake further fan consultation on rail seating in due course, in addition to our ongoing discussions with the relevant bodies including the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA).
That was three years ago when the stadium expansion was predicted to be completed by the summer of 2024. We now know that any expansion work will not start until 2026 at the earliest.
It has been difficult to get a firm commitment from the club about whether rail seating will be installed before the stadium expansion work starts or whether we need to wait until 2026 and beyond. If we do have to wait that long, it will leave us out of step with the majority of Premier League clubs. The latest information from Stand United shows that the only club in the Premier League introducing safe standing after LCFC is likely to be Fulham.
We see the installation of rail seating as fundamental to improving both the matchday experience and the atmosphere in the ground. In our survey, supporters saw this as ‘average’. It is clear the club has work to do to improve both. Having a vibrant home support in the ground will help do that.
But it’s not just about creating a better atmosphere. Based on an assessment of a Government commissioned trial, it concluded that the installation of barriers or rails delivered a positive impact on spectator safety and improved the fans’ match day experience in both home and away sections. Because of that, from the start of the 2022/23 season, the Government confirmed that Premier League and Championship clubs wishing to introduce licensed ‘safe standing’ areas in their grounds would be allowed to do so. This was a huge step forward based on the foundations of a 32-year campaign by the Football Supporters’ Association to reintroduce standing areas to football grounds in the UK.
In addition, we can utilise Safe Standing areas to ensure those that cannot stand, or are not tall enough to see over people standing in front of them, no longer have their views blocked by persistent standers in the seated areas.
We will support Union FS in its campaign, and we will continue to pursue the club to introduce Safe Standing in advance of ground redevelopment.
We appreciate that the introduction of safe standing areas needs to take account of ensuring seated fans outside of those designated areas have their sightlines protected. That should be easily managed – other clubs have navigated this successfully. Southampton, who have a stadium similar to ours and who we’ll visit in a few weeks, have delivered safe standing in the away fans corner and also in the Northam Stand where 7000 home fans can enjoy the benefits of safe standing.
We realise some fans may have objections to being moved, but with any form of redevelopment that will happen. The introduction of safe standing will benefit the club and fans alike. The club should do all it can for those fans being moved, enabling them to be grouped together if that’s what they want, and to have seating that is equal, if not better, than what they currently enjoy. They should also look at considering the pricing structure for people using safe standing to encourage younger fans to enjoy the benefits of something generations of Leicester City supporters have not experienced at the King Power Stadium.
At every opportunity will raise this with the club, whether, as we did recently at a ‘Your 90 minutes’ session, or through other fan engagement … such as Trust meetings with the club, the Fans Consultative Committee dealing with Stadium Facilities and Atmosphere, and the Fan’s Advisory Board.
What can you do? Contact the club and explain why you believe there is a need for rail seating at the King Power. Ask why we are falling behind most of the clubs in the Premier League and Championship.
Sign up for ‘Your 90 minutes’ sessions and let the club know that the issue of safe standing is something the vast majority of fans want … not just one or two representatives from supporter groups … and that the fanbase as a whole is clamouring for it.
Useful links
Stand United – See the introduction of safe standing across the Premier League – – https://www.standunited.uk/tracker
Union FS – https://www.unionfs.co.uk/safe-standing-review.html – Union FS statement regarding rail seating and the singing section
The Government stance – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/safe-standing-at-football-stadiums-to-be-rolled-out-next-season
The Football Supporters’ Association – Standing – Football Supporters’ Association (thefsa.org.uk)
Southampton Independents: CAMPAIGN DELIVERED:
Southampton F.C – What’s changed for 2024/25 – What’s changed at St Mary’s? Everything you need to know | Southampton FC Official Site