Struggle against seats?

[H BIF (Denmark)]

Hello Ajaxfans!

Im a fan of Brøndby I.F. from Denamrk. Our board of directors, declarede yesterday, that our beloved stand The "Faxe" stand, - shall be changed to permanent seating! After Eurostand in 98, our chairman promised over and over again, that the club woud work for the fans wish of keeping the stand seatless. Even after our new stadion were build, the club allowed us, to keep the stand seat free, - european games excluded.
The "Faxe" stand, is known in denmark, as the most legendary and feared stand truout the country - the board of direkctors have desided to kill that spirit!

Off cause this have caused a lot of protests!, and when the season kicks off on sunday there are bound to be a lot of actions and demonstrations against the desision!

The reason why im writing you lot, is that i rember in the Eurostand action in 98, that you made those brilliant T-shirts, with the frase "If god ment for me to sit down - Why did he make my ass so good lookin". I were wondering if you have had any similar struggel agains seating, before or after the Eurostand, - because im interested in wristing an articel for our fanzine, about other fans experience wiith fighing against all seating.As i happends im gonna hit Amsterdam from 26 /3 to 29/3, -
So im interested in meeting up with som fanactivist - for a chat and and beer ;O) Please feel free to drop me a mail!

all the best

H

[Wim]

The rules for international football is that everybody must have there own seat, so no standing at al. An allocated chair as seat. Otherwise no international football is allowed in stadiums where standing is possible en allowed. The Dutch Football union take this rules over into there own rules. In Amsterdam in the Arena we had a similar problem with standing at our so called F-side. They like to stand and they like to stand where they want.
During a meeting between the F-side and the club management a solution was born. The facility stays as it was. The chairs remains. But. The club accepts that the people stands before the chair they have chosen.
This is a typical tolerated situation. Formally not allowed but in reality accepted.

[H BIF (Denmark)]

I denmark, the F.A allows standing, as many danish ground are old! Therefore there no whatsoever reason for us to accept seating in our stand, as is it, according to us, slowly will kill the fanatic atmosphere in the stadium.

Among other actions we have started an pertision among our own, and since we se so many fans from around the world, who cares about our struggle, we altso have made a guestbook, for fans to make a shout of sympathy!

http://www.pubspotters.dk/noseats/

Please Do NOT sign the petision, as its for brøndbyfnas ONLY
but again PLEASE sign our guestbook, with some shouts of symphaty! We want to show evrybody - that many european fan are against Allstatin!

All the best!

[bryan]

My father survived the Heysel Stadium disaster and he is all for seating in stadiums.

[Philippe]

bottom line

[H BIF (Denmark)]

Hello bryan

Well respeckt for your old man and all, but in my opinion, Seats are acctually fare more dangerous than stands are, - that is off course, if you stading up!

I have allways stood up, when at football games, . Its easyer to sing loud, and if your teams scores you can jump around, without having to worry about falling over seats. Bottomline is for me, that the most fanatic supporters will always be standing at games. When people are standing on seated terreces , it is very dangeruos because of the risk of falling. As i see it there are no good arguments for seating, - the only reason why the FA and boards wnat it, is so they can charge more for teh ticket and/or keep the workinclasse elements away from the terreces

all the best

Fenris

[ferry]

Hi Fenris,

I understand your actions and the willing to keep the things as they are. On the other hand, the UEFA wants to see only seats in the stadiums.

I diasagree with you about the safety issue where you say that standing is safer then seats. Of course when everybody use the seats as supposed to it's much safer then standing.
I understand and agree that standing up gives automatically a better atmosphere. Like Wim already wrote: go and stand before the seat. It's working in Amsterdam, so why not in Denmark? Okay, you have to remember there are seats in front of you, but now there are probably steps (or stairs) that you have to take into account when cheering. Not to mention those little fences where people get pushed against when there is a goal and everyone is dancing forward.

I know, we were not too happy with the descision of the ban of standing places as well, but with this compromize we can live very well with it.

And as far as it the prizes for the tickets concerns, I have a season ticket in a corner behind the goal, and paid € 174,- for it. That's not too bad, is it?

Cheers,
Ferry

[Celtic Park]

You are quite right to fight this all the way, and I agree with your sentiments that the board of directors are using this as a vechile to increase ticket prices thus making the game become a sport for the people who can afford it, not a game for all.

The same thing happened at my team, Celtic. Although it has to be said our old stadium, and I use the word very loosely, was a dump. We now have a fantastic 60,000 seater arena but some of the old atmosphere has gone.

I can take on board the concerns with regards to safety, but why do the clubs not just make entrance to the terraced area of the stadium all-ticket, which could ensure that the problems of over-crowding would not happen.


All the best with your campaign, but I know from experience your onto a loser.

[H BIF (Denmark)]

Hello evryone

Im at job right now - so this is gonna be a shorty

But the bottom line is, that we actually won, and for now the seats are removed! The protest that were planned were so massive, along with the symphaty statement from all over the world, - the board desided, in the last hour, to remove det seating!

To be honest, i dident think we had any chance at all, going up against the Board and the FA, - But i think the prospekt of loosing the fanatic support from the ultras & casuals in the stands, finally made them redicide. Off cause its because that they have to admit, in the end, that the atmosphere provided by the hardcore fans, are a big part of the product, the board are trying to sell. Well, im happy - we won!!

all the best

Fenris