The prospect of safe standing being introduced to English football has "moved a step closer after the government body responsible for ground safety granted a request from the Football League to permit rail seating in 21 grounds that are not subject to all-seater requirements," according to Ed Aarons of the London GUARDIAN. A letter sent by Football League CEO Shaun Harvey to clubs this week revealed that the Sports Grounds Safety Authority has agreed "to establish a process" whereby rail seating such as the type used in Germany’s Bundesliga and at Scottish Premiership side Celtic's Celtic Park can be introduced. Harvey: "In practice, I think it’s fairly unlikely that clubs will choose to take up this opportunity given they are already permitted to utilize traditional terracing and because of the significant cost of installing rail seating. ... Nonetheless, the symbolic value of this decision should not be overlooked as I believe it demonstrates an encouraging direction of travel that will hopefully lead to further progress on our other aims in the period ahead." The latest development "was welcomed" by the Football Supporters' Federation, although Peter Daykin, the coordinator of the safe standing campaign, "believes it has only opened the door to the possibility and plenty of work must still be done to achieve their goal" (GUARDIAN, 3/10).
