Liverpool to trial seats with safety rails after review
- Published
A limited number of fans returned to Anfield for Liverpool's final game of last season against Crystal Palace
Liverpool are to trial seats with safety rails at Anfield because of concerns over "persistent standing" by supporters.
The issue in the Kop and Anfield Road stands was highlighted after a Sports Grounds Safety Authority review.
The trial will begin at the start of next season.
"Anfield will remain an all-seater stadium and the trialled areas with the new seats and safety rails are not 'safe standing' areas," said the club.
About 7,800 seats will be updated, with 1,800 in the back of the Kop and 6,000 in the Anfield Road lower tier.
"The seating being installed at Anfield includes normal stadium seats with an integrated safety rail behind them to avoid a crowd collapse," added the club.
"They will not impact the visibility of the pitch for supporters. The design is to enable fans to stand safely at key moments in the game, like goal celebrations, but must revert to a seat at other times."
Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground on 15 April 1989.
Liverpool wrote to all the families of the 96 fans about the move to install the rail seating.
"I can't speak for the families because they will have their own opinions but I've no issues at all with that because we've always campaigned for fans' safety," said Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James in the Hillsborough tragedy.
She is also the former chair of the disbanded Hillsborough Family Support Group.
A football fan was been taken to hospital in a serious condition after falling from a stand during England's opening Euro 2020 match against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday.
Aspinall added: "I think it is important after you heard about the lad at Wembley who fell.
"At first I didn't want any form of safe standing but I have changed my opinion because you see people standing, only at certain times, and the seat is still there for them to sit back down again and the rails are there to stop them falling over."
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