Safe standing in English football edges closer after Shrewsbury Town apply to install rail seating

So-called safe standing is set to be introduced to English football for the first time after Shrewsbury Town applied to install rail seating at their ground.

The League One club announced plans to convert around 400 seats at their 9,875-capacity home by the end of next season in what has been hailed as landmark step in the return of standing to the domestic game.

The move comes three months after the Government-appointed body which regulates ground safety, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), granted a request by the English Football League for so-called rail seating to be permitted in 21 stadia not subject to all-seater requirements.

That gave a number of League One and Two clubs license to install such seating if they wished, something Shrewsbury plan to do via a crowdfunding campaign.

Grounds in the Premier League and Championship were converted to ­all-seaters following the Hillsborough disaster, but the development of rail seating – advocates of which claim allows fans to stand safely – sparked a clamour for the current rules to be relaxed.

Celtic installed rail seating at Parkhead last season – Scotland is exempt from rules governing grounds in England and Wales – while the majority of professional sides are thought to be in favour of following suit.

Shrewsbury Town chief executive Brian Caldwell told BBC Sport: “More people are encouraged to sing and get behind the team but also it’s a safer environment as well.

“Our safety officer has been up to Celtic to see it in action and was very, very pleased with how safe and secure it was.”

It was revealed just last week that the Premier League had written to its clubs asking them whether they would be willing to take part in a pilot if the Government allowed the SGSA to license rail seating throughout the game.

EFL sides were informed in March of the granting of their own request, with chief executive Shaun Harvey saying: “The symbolic value of this decision should not be overlooked as I believe it demonstrates an encouraging direction of travel that will hopefully lead to further progress on our other aims in the period ahead.

“It is also recognition that the representations we are making about EFL clubs wanting to offer fans a modern and safe supporter experience in seats and on terraces is increasingly being heard and understood.

“Our objective remains to secure the opportunity for any of our clubs to have standing accommodation at their stadium and we will continue to lobby on this basis.”