I broke my Molineux virginity in 1991 when I first started a long relationship with what remains one of the biggest loves in my life.
That day, a Paul Birch goal turned out to be merely a consolation as we suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ipswich. It mattered not a jot though, because despite paying and entering the South Bank originally in the wrong entrance and standing with the tractor boys for around 10 minutes, I bloody loved it and I was hooked.
Back in 1991, Molineux was a dilapidated eyesore and three sides of the ground were being torn down and rebuilt under the finances of Wolves owner and guardian angel, Sir Jack Hayward.
That day in November there were less than 12,000 in the ground and I stood in a South Bank terrace that was set to be transformed to be part of one of the first all-seater stadia in Britain by the end of 1993.
Just four short years previous to the new Molineux opening was the Hillsborough tragedy, which when added to the Heysel disaster of 1985 proved that the time had come to drastically improve safety standards in football.
Other sports, such as motor racing had seen similar safety hauls for spectators have a dramatic effect on their sport, and just like with the current day reluctance to introduce technology, football was lagging badly behind.
For the last 22 years then, Lord Justice Taylor’s ruling that terracing disappear from the top two divisions of English football has deprived us of standing shoulder to shoulder with our fellow fan and perhaps the time has come to revisit that ruling.
In the wake of the Hillsborough disaster, it was understandable that any lengths to prevent something happening like that again would be welcomed by the authorities of the time.
However, Taylor’s report in the aftermath of the tragedy didn’t actually point the finger of blame to standing for the sickening crush; it was primarily the failure of the police and the design of the Sheffield stadium that were named as the chief causes.
Fast forward 22 years since the ruling and you will find the Molineux inhabitants of the Jack Harris (South Bank) stand on their feet throughout the entirety of most games this season, something which hasn’t gone unnoticed by local authority bigwigs.
Jez Moxey, Wolves Chief Exec has been warned that the Jack Harris will be forced to have it’s 5,345 capacity reduced by 500 seats if the standing persists, something the club could do without as they enter the first phase of the stadium rebuild.
So, with so many football fans across the land eager to get back to their feet and recreate the days where standing on the terraces would create incredibly hostile and atmospheric stadia, is it time to reconsider the possibility of bringing them back?
Kenny Dalglish certainly doesn’t think so, and he recently published an article where he said there were 96 reasons why football must never go back to the terraces. He is of course referring to the people who lost their lives at Hillsborough, but as we know, standing wasn’t the primary reason for that horrendous tragedy, albeit it was still a contributing factor.
Kenny also mentions fans still stand in countries like Germany, but says that if the Germans had lived through a Hillsborough, that they would never have reversed the decision.
Sorry Kenny, I know that this is probably an incredibly emotive subject for you, but I can’t agree with you on that one. Pop over to Germany and witness the splendid Veltins Arena used in the 2006 World Cup and home of this year’s Champions League Quarter Finalists, FC Schalke, and then tell me that you can’t stand safely in a game.
Schalke have an average league attendance of 61,348 and you can get into the standing part of the ground for as little as 12 euros, around £10 or even get a season ticket for that part of the ground for as little as £150.
The capacity is reduced from 61,673 to 54,142 for European and International games, because of UEFA and FIFA legislation by using flip down seats in each standing area (as illustrated below).
And as with the Westfalenstadion, home of Dortmund and the largest standing terrace in Europe (Südtribune) with 26,000 or the Tivolistadium in Austria, standing fans create a much enhanced atmosphere and bringing terracing back to the Premiership could also result in a reduced ticket cost.
As Molineux goes through what is set to be an incredible transformation, I for one would be a huge advocate in bringing back terracing in the South Bank.
Of course, I wouldn’t be standing there, I’ll be happy with a flask and a kit-kit in my cosy seat in the Steve Bull. But for those hardcore Wolves fans who like nothing better than singing their hearts out for 90 minutes and jumping around like six year old kids on Kia-Ora, then what could be better?
These are the most fervent of Wolves supporters, the ones that have the most passionate, create the most noise and an intimidating atmosphere for the opposition, and so why not give them the ideal platform?
I’m sure if one of the bigger powerhouse clubs of the EPL decided this was a good idea then we could perhaps foresee a return to safe terracing in this country. Unfortunately, I’m not sure our little Black Country club will carry enough weight to make this happen.
We have already heard that the Premier League will vehemently oppose a move by supporters’ associations to bring back standing at football matches, so we could be trying to push water up hill.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to politics and if terracing did return, opposition to it would be waiting for the slightest of accidents or incidents and they would come down on the British Sport’s Minister Hugh Robertson like a ton of bricks.
Perhaps at the end of the day Kenny Dalglish really does have a point. We have lived through the Hillsborough tragedy and perhaps it would be an insult to those 96 that lost their lives if we did bring back standing, perhaps being seated is a small price to pay?
@Wolvesblogger 