Safe standing: Saints’ big chance to create an ‘end’

[Daft Kerplunk]

With safe standing likely to be permitted, could this be Saints’ chance to use the Chapel stand to create a meaningful end in the stadium for fans to be together and stand, and hopefully sing? Certainly if I was at the club, I’d put safe standing across the Chapel end regardless as watching football standing up is more fun, and helps generate better atmospheres than people sitting down. 

[Toadhall Saint]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58357046

[niceandfriendly]

46 minutes ago, Daft Kerplunk said:

With safe standing likely to be permitted, could this be Saints’ chance to use the Chapel stand to create a meaningful end in the stadium for fans to be together and stand, and hopefully sing? Certainly if I was at the club, I’d put safe standing across the Chapel end regardless as watching football standing up is more fun, and helps generate better atmospheres than people sitting down. 

Now this is a cracking idea. While reading the BBC article I imagined the safe standing to be in the Northam but with away allocations varying in size, and the Northam end for home fans having limited space it's hard to envisage the safe standing working there. Creating an entire end in the Chapel with safe standing is something I think a lot would get behind.

[The Kraken]

Knowing Saints we’ll put the standing area in the away end…

[alehouseboys]

49 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58357046

It was inevitable once the big boys installed rail-seating before the start of the season, they had probably pushed for it and been tipped off it was imminent.

Wolves already had it, but now that most of the Big-6, (Man U, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham) have recently put them in, it's opened the door.

 

Hopefully SFC have some spare cash to implement it.

[niceandfriendly]

Wasn't a question about safe standing raised at one of the recent fan events and Semmens poopooed the idea?

[Uncle Albert]

51 minutes ago, niceandfriendly said:

Wasn't a question about safe standing raised at one of the recent fan events and Semmens poopooed the idea?

Yep something to do with old bill

[SNSUN]

1 hour ago, The Kraken said:

Knowing Saints we’ll put the standing area in the away end…

They're already standing as they're busy celebrating goals against us. 😈

Edited 29 August, 2021 by SNSUN

[djharvey]

2 hours ago, Uncle Albert said:

Yep something to do with old bill

Thought that was regards moving away fans!

[Uncle Albert]

1 hour ago, djharvey said:

Thought that was regards moving away fans!

Ah right my bad, your right come to think of it.

[Badger]

Creating a space in the ground for the standing section might present a challenge, but could be the easy part. Once it's available can we attract the right sort of fans in sufficient numbers to fill it and create an atmosphere ? 

Bearing in mind many see the match day ritual as being close to the away fans I wonder if we'd uncover a new generation of teens- early 30's to attend after a few beers (often a few too many), or will it be a recycling of existing 'family' fans with thermos flasks who will go to The Chapel end because that's where they've always gone.

Doubt the fans to 'create an atmosphere' are the type of fans the club - with it's poncey wine bar prices and £89 luxury seats - are now targetting to be honest. The former 'dockers enclosure' of the old lower tier East Stand at The Dell probably doesn't meet the  target 'customer profile' these days.*

 

*shame really as I found it quite educational there, especially increasing the vocabulary and knowledge of things that weren't talked about in School in the 1970's

 

Edited 29 August, 2021 by Badger

[LGTL]

I’ll be amazed if Saints install these. Expect we’ll be the only PL club who don’t, it just doesn’t seem very ‘us’.

[CB Fry]

Reading that report it looks like the plan will be that a standing spot will occupy the same area as a seat.

So commercially not particularly attractive as you can't use standing to fit more people in, especially as your average fan is going to expect to pay less for a standing ticket.

I'm sure Saints will do it but will present no great gain in revenue or attendance. Away fans will stand as they do now regardless of whether it is designated or not.

[Micky]

The fact that we've just installed 'comfy seats' and relocated long time ST holders may be a bit of a clue about where our marketing people see any proposals about standing. 

[Fan The Flames]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

Creating a space in the ground for the standing section might present a challenge, but could be the easy part. Once it's available can we attract the right sort of fans in sufficient numbers to fill it and create an atmosphere ? 

Bearing in mind many see the match day ritual as being close to the away fans I wonder if we'd uncover a new generation of teens- early 30's to attend after a few beers (often a few too many), or will it be a recycling of existing 'family' fans with thermos flasks who will go to The Chapel end because that's where they've always gone.

Doubt the fans to 'create an atmosphere' are the type of fans the club - with it's poncey wine bar prices and £89 luxury seats - are now targetting to be honest. The former 'dockers enclosure' of the old lower tier East Stand at The Dell probably doesn't meet the  target 'customer profile' these days.*

 

*shame really as I found it quite educational there, especially increasing the vocabulary and knowledge of things that weren't talked about in School in the 1970's

 

It's not one type or fan or the other, the club can provide different things that appeal to different punters. I had a sit down meal at Gillingham the opening game, that doesn't mean they have stopped targeting traditional fans, they are just trying to make a few extra quid, like us.

[Fan The Flames]

24 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Reading that report it looks like the plan will be that a standing spot will occupy the same area as a seat.

So commercially not particularly attractive as you can't use standing to fit more people in, especially as your average fan is going to expect to pay less for a standing ticket.

I'm sure Saints will do it but will present no great gain in revenue or attendance. Away fans will stand as they do now regardless of whether it is designated or not.

And cost £2m ish to do the work. 

[Tom & Gerry]

The problems at St Mary's originate from the singing fans decision to sit/ stand at the Northam end presumably to better wind up the away fans. If they had congregated at the Chapel end we could have had a whole end of singing fans, there would be no criticism of the club for not moving the away fans, there would be a better overall atmosphere, and it would be easier to implement safe standing at the Chapel End. Fans have only themselves to blame and have made it difficult for the club to relocate old duffers like myself who did their share of standing for 40 odd years at the Dell and now prefer to sit ( at least some of the time)

[JRM]

30 minutes ago, Tom & Gerry said:

The problems at St Mary's originate from the singing fans decision to sit/ stand at the Northam end presumably to better wind up the away fans. If they had congregated at the Chapel end we could have had a whole end of singing fans, there would be no criticism of the club for not moving the away fans, there would be a better overall atmosphere, and it would be easier to implement safe standing at the Chapel End. Fans have only themselves to blame and have made it difficult for the club to relocate old duffers like myself who did their share of standing for 40 odd years at the Dell and now prefer to sit ( at least some of the time)

It was fairly straightforward at the time, the Archers Road end moved to the Northam, lots of the lower east from the Dell move to Itchen North area. It was best fit to recreate what we had at The Dell. 

[djharvey]

I actually think the club have a responsibility to install safe standing! 

 

[Turkish]

4 hours ago, LGTL said:

I’ll be amazed if Saints install these. Expect we’ll be the only PL club who don’t, it just doesn’t seem very ‘us’.

Agreed. It’ll cost them Money to do it and itll mean cheaper tickets plus it’s something fans want so it’s a none starter. Expensive padded seats which don’t sell on the other hand, they’re all over it

[niceandfriendly]

13 hours ago, Uncle Albert said:

Yep something to do with old bill

Think it was more about the cost of implementing it. Pretty sure he basically said that it's not worth doing. 😐

[Griffo]

12 hours ago, LGTL said:

I’ll be amazed if Saints install these. Expect we’ll be the only PL club who don’t, it just doesn’t seem very ‘us’.

When it comes to going out of their way to help the majority of their fans then Saints are so far behind the majority of other clubs it’s embarrassing.

As you say, we would be the last club to even consider this.

[whelk]

Is there a way we could be the first to exploit padded standing for an enhanced, nay transformational, customer experience?

Cuo and Tupperware lunchbox holders?

[Uncle Albert]

10 hours ago, niceandfriendly said:

Think it was more about the cost of implementing it. Pretty sure he basically said that it's not worth doing. 😐

Yeah I remembered after it was pointed out to me.

should definitely be done though, whether we have the money is another question.

[Mystic Force]

If it comes with a prawn sandwich I am in.

[Fan The Flames]

I'll pay extra as long as the rail has a little nut caddy, big gulp holder and foam hand hooks.

[Wurzel]

The irony of all this is The Chapel end was the area the club envisaged as our "Kop End" when the stadium was being built, with enough room to accommodate all singing sections from The Dell and more all in one place. 

Of course our fans decided to split so they could "intimidate" 🤣 the away fans from both sides, diluting our support and consequently being outsung by almost every visiting team. 

Got to agree though, an all standing all singing Chapel End would be great. 

[Tom & Gerry]

31 minutes ago, Wurzel said:

The irony of all this is The Chapel end was the area the club envisaged as our "Kop End" when the stadium was being built, with enough room to accommodate all singing sections from The Dell and more all in one place. 

Of course our fans decided to split so they could "intimidate" 🤣 the away fans from both sides, diluting our support and consequently being outsung by almost every visiting team. 

Got to agree though, an all standing all singing Chapel End would be great. 

JRM seemed to indicate that the club directed Archers Road enders to the Northam End, but in any case there is a precedent for fans changing ends. When the club built a roof on the Archers and moved the away fans our singers moved from the Milton to the Archers. Not so easy now though of course as the present incumbent's will not be easy to budge after 20 years (myself included). Good idea in theory though.

[Fan The Flames]

Being from out of town I rarely went to the Dell as tickets were so hard to get when the capacity dropped, so I really wasn't aware what ends were what at the Dell. So when St Marys was opening I wanted a ST for the first season, I came down to the booth they had in the Dell car park and the sales person said that the Northam Stand was going to be the signing end.

This might not have been the original design but it was certainly the case prior to SMS opening.

[Wurzel]

44 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

Being from out of town I rarely went to the Dell as tickets were so hard to get when the capacity dropped, so I really wasn't aware what ends were what at the Dell. So when St Marys was opening I wanted a ST for the first season, I came down to the booth they had in the Dell car park and the sales person said that the Northam Stand was going to be the signing end.

This might not have been the original design but it was certainly the case prior to SMS opening.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Chapel was the intention, but club went for a "let nature take it's course" approach, and it soon became apparent once tickets started selling who was buying where. 

[The Kraken]

40 minutes ago, Wurzel said:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Chapel was the intention, but club went for a "let nature take it's course" approach, and it soon became apparent once tickets started selling who was buying where. 

I’m not sure that the Chapel was ever the intention as being the main end. The family section is in the Chapel and, I believe, always has been. I remember the discussions that went on at the time on saintslist about where people were planning on going in the stadium and it seemed the push from the club was that the Northam would be the main end.

[Saint Fan CaM]

As has been mentioned on here numerous tiles, the placement of away fans in half of the ‘home end’ of our home stadium has been and continues to be a significant shot in the foot. Coupled with this is of course the placement of the most ‘vocal’ element of Saints home supporters - stupid decision to allow these two factors to essentially work against each other in the first place, but once set it’s almost impossible to change it seems.  
 

What this has to do with standing at games I fail to see. A small minority of fans want to stand for most of, if not the entire game.  How the club is supposed to turf out a large contingent of season tickets holders in the Chapel, just because some nippers want to stand up is beyond being reasonable or sensible. Just cannot see it happening anytime soon.