Safe Standing plan for Power Court would ‘benefit the atmosphere’ say Luton as fans’ views sought

An artist's impression of Luton's Power Court stadium

Luton Town plan to include Safe Standing at their new Power Court stadium, saying that ‘it would benefit the atmosphere’.

The Hatters have now launched a short survey now asking for fans’ views on how much standing space to include and where, ahead of detailed plans for their new home being submitted to the Luton Council.

Feedback from a previous fan survey conducted by the club showed that more than 90 percent of supporters wanted to see some form of safe standing at Power Court; with two-thirds of respondents preferring to stand; and more than three-quarters wanting safe standing behind the goal.

A standing ban has been in place in the top two tiers of English Football for over 25 years, but the government and Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) gave five football clubs permission to trial safe standing areas from January 1, 2022. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Championship club Cardiff City were each granted a special licence to take part in the trials, which are proving to be positive.

Luton chairman David Wilkinson, chief executive Gary Sweet and chief operating officer Paul Watson in the directors' box at Kenilworth Road — (L-R): Luton chairman David Wilkinson, chief executive Gary Sweet and chief operating officer Paul Watson in the directors’ box at Kenilworth Road. Photo by Liam Smith

Last month, chief executive Gary Sweet said that Power Court plans still included space for a music venue and a football museum. Today, in a statement on their website, the Hatters have said: ‘We definitely plan to include some Safe Standing at Power Court, but we now need to define what proportion we install – and where best to place these areas to maximise atmosphere and answer fans’ preferences.

‘We firmly believe supporters should be given the choice whether to stand or sit to enjoy the game, and it appears that the early success of the trials will undoubtedly allow for this to happen.

‘In our previous survey to our entire supporter base, fans responded overwhelmingly in favour of standing at Power Court.

‘At Kenilworth Road, whilst the venue is technically an all-seater ground many choose to persistently stand in certain areas. We estimate this is over 20 per cent of attendees.

Fans standing up during Luton's 3-0 win over Peterborough at the start of the season. — Fans standing up during Luton’s 3-0 win over Peterborough at the start of the season. Photo by Liam Smith

‘From a club perspective, not only do we feel that you deserve to have a choice whether you sit or stand, but we also feel it would benefit the atmosphere at Power Court. Standing fans can be a little more vocal in their support of the team and will help provide zones around the ground according to your preferences.

‘We believe that modern stadiums will incorporate more Safe Standing areas according to supporter demand and, for us, this could act as an important differentiation between Power Court and more typical stadiums.’

You can provide your views in this short survey, which is expected to take only 5 minutes to complete.

Safe Standing at Power Court – Survey 2

The Hatters have also provided 9 facts about Safe Standing to help fans understand what it is. They are that:

The days of packed-out, overcrowded terraces have long gone. Every person standing will have their own space equipped with a safety rail in front and a foldable seat to allow them the choice to stand and watch the game, or sit at intervals.
A safe standing space will occupy the same footprint as a regular seat.
Installing Safe Standing spaces is marginally more expensive than installing regular seats.
As such, ticket prices are not likely to be any cheaper (or more expensive).
Installation of Safe Standing will not increase the capacity. The same number of supporters will occupy the same space as regular seating.
Whilst this is certainly the case for the foreseeable future there are some supporter organisations that would like to see – and are predicting – a slight relaxation of this: for example, parents being allowed to bring a child into the same space.
We are not relying on such a relaxation for Power Court but will (just to be safe) reserve sufficient safety standards for access, convenience and concourse space should this happen.
Persistent standing in areas where supporters expect to sit is problematic, and it is felt that the introduction of standing zones and giving supporters and choice will stop this from occurring, reducing tensions between supporters. It also means supporters sitting will be expected not to stand.
If Safe Standing is allocated for home supporters at Power Court we will also be required to offer Safe Standing for away supporters too.