The Safe Standing Debate: The Celtic Park Experience

At the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Celtic broke the mould by becoming the first British club to implement a safe standing section at their home, Celtic Park, after five years of pressure from fan groups. The area accommodates around 2,500 fans and has been credited with adding a renewed vibrancy and colour to the Celtic Park atmosphere.

The Anfield Wrap’s Gareth Roberts was lucky enough to be invited down to a Celtic home game against Kilmarnock to experience the rail seating section first hand and meet up with the lads from the Green Brigade who helped make safe standing at Celtic possible.

Is it time the legislation was changed here in England and Liverpool Football Club open up the potential for a debate on the issue? Let us know your thoughts.

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Up the Reds!

[shorethings]

WOW...!!! Forget the Anfield Rd extension, let's get this done for the whole of the KOP. Bring back some of the atmosphere we've been longing for.

[albee_fuqtifanno]

Best atmosphere in Britain. Win lose or draw the GB are giving it laldy from 15mins before kickoff right till the end.

[kierantimlin]

Thanks so much for posting this mate. Much respect to yourself and paddy for the endeavor. From a Celtic fan born in Glasgow living on the west coast of the US this was brilliant man. YNWA

[joedlfc]

whole of the Kop should be safe standing

[liamwaltham]

Hopefully you're up again next season in the CL group stage with Liverpool mate! YNWA

[mrmervinjminky]

If the English football authorities are going to accept safe-standing then the campaign has to start from the City of Liverpool for obvious reasons. Celtic done their homework before installing the standing section due to the sensitivity of the subject and the relationship they have with the fans of Liverpool FC. As you could see, the atmosphere is fantastic at every game, but more importantly, it is completely safe and actually safer than sitting for the bigger games in which people in that section would stand anyway. Good luck mate!

[jk]

The main reason a standing section works in Celtic park is because we have an ultras group which basically forced Celtic to look into safe standing.

[mewsao]

You deserve your own show. The quality of this vid is 10/10

Seems great, much safer than standing in a seated place, where you don't have any place, and people stand anyway.

[jakehowie]

Class from Celtic supporters, they are the only British fans and supporters you have to admire, other than our own. Yes, Liverpool needs that European culture back too, and the old atmosphere of the Kop when it used to be all standing, especially for Premier League games. So make the entire Kop safe standing! It should make tickets cheaper like in Germany too, we can only hold our breath and wait.
British regulation slows everything down...

[missxsoph]

Very well put together summation of safe standing, I hope you do manage to install it at Anfield

[carolynndickie]

i think if the kop end got this done the noise and songs and atmosphere would be like celtic park

[jacobblyth]

I'm a Celtic fan and one thing I have about the safe standing is there's thousands wanting to experience the safe standing and there's loads of people up top not jumping just standing there.. like ffs they don't do fuck all there and there's people who really want to

[garsr]

The problem is the EPL don't have Celtic supporters! For anyone thinking that 'Safe standing' section is the reason for the atmosphere at Celtic park, it's not!

[alisonmcgoff]

Enjoyed your video and your reflections on Paradise are a delight to hear!!

[KernowekScouser]

Totally agree with everything in this vid. The other thing I like about this kind of safe seating, with a little bit of tweaking, every level where you come out into the stand, could be made wider, to accommodate wheelchairs. So you could have a lot more people with mobility issues not only being able to see the match, but watching it with friends who could stand next to them, safely, which would not hurt the atmosphere, would it?

I would love to see LFC take the lead in the premier league, bringing this in.

[darrenhiggins]

Read this on the Celtic blog in an article by james forrest and read the link so good to see your vlog hope your club implement safe standing was down for a match a few seasons ago against arsenal atmosphere was good but do think 3, 000 scousers going mental would keep away supports quiet and maybe raise the liverpool team to another level like it has with Celtic good luck and ynwa

[happygofucky]

As a celt I think that the standing section ought to be expanded

[emperorreign]

Too much of a controversial topic for the snobs. Even with all the appropriate safety measures in place. It was a miracle Celtic were even granted it at all. But it IS something that should be looked into with other clubs, particularly in stadiums that already generate a wonderful atmosphere.

[Andy-koeu]

the Kop at Liverpool needs this, once a great stand for amazing atmosphere is dying and packed with tourists, Celtic Park is bouncing every game no matter who we play