West Brom offer The Hawthorns to Premier League for safe-standing trial
Albion have told the Premier League they are 'very keen' to trial safe standing at The Hawthorns.
The league has written to its 20 clubs asking if they would be interested in taking part in a pilot scheme in their grounds.
And director of operations Mark Miles, who is responsible for crowd safety at The Hawthorns, has offered Albion up for any future trial.
“I have written back to the Premier League and told them our position remains that we would be very keen to be involved in a pilot,” said Miles. “It is the same message I have delivered verbally at previous meetings.”
The pilot scheme would be delivered in the Smethwick End so that both home and away sections were accommodated, but it remains purely hypothetical for now.
Government legislation brought in after the 1990 Taylor Report into the Hillsborough disaster currently requires all teams in England’s top two flights to have all-seater stadia.
And a Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: “The government currently has no plans to change its position and introduce standing accommodation at grounds covered by the all-seater requirement.”
However, the Premier League's survey gauging opinion on the matter is an indication that there could be a return to standing soon.
There is a growing number of fan groups around the country calling for a rethink into the issue.
They have pointed out the inconsistencies in the policy - which only applies to the top two tiers in England – and have highlighted the success of railed seating in Germany and at Celtic.
Miles visited Celtic Park last year to see their 2,600-capacity railed seating area and came back impressed with the scheme.
He said at the time: “If it could be demonstrated that in fact, it can actually create a safer environment and address the issue that, whether we like it or not, supporters want to stand, then I think government would take notice.”
However, there is still opposition to standing at football grounds in Merseyside.
New Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram and the Hillsborough Family Support Group are against it.
But the Hillsborough Justice Campaign is open to a debate on the matter and the club’s biggest independent fans group, the Spirit of Shankly, is planning to vote on the issue this summer.
In a statement, a Premier League spokesman said: “Last November clubs tasked the Premier League with scoping out the safety, supporter, technical and legislative issues surrounding permitted standing before further discussions, based on facts, take place. This survey is part of that process.”
