The Petition

Since the launch of the Standupforthebantams campaign during the 07/08 season as a petition calling for the right to stand or sit at Valley Parade it received over 600 names; an impressive response!

Since acknowledging the petition, Bradford City FC put out a statement accepting that some fans prefer the choice and challenged the fans to com up with a serious proposal.

‘Zero tolerance’

The campaign played a pivotal role in improving the match day experience for fans in the Bradford End the season just gone that came about after an incident during the Dagenham game when someone threw a lighter on the pitch. Whilst agreeing the actions of this individual were deplorable and that damaging property within the stadium is so too, the campaign did not support the zero tolerance response of the Club on standing up. Such a position needs an agreement from the fans, and after demonstrating that there was no agreement amongst those who prefer to stand, the Club had to quietly drop their position. Since then the relationship between fans and stewards have improved and overall we have seen the match day atmosphere in that end greatly improved.

The pledge to bring safe standing to City

Our proposal is to trial 500 safestanding seats (like those that feature in modern German stadiums such as Signal Iduna Park home of Borussia Dortmund) in the lower tier of the Bradford End. Each seat costs around £100, and in order to make this plan workable, the lions’ share of investment to pay for it has to come from the fans. The aim is to get as many as 500 supporters to pledge £5 per game per match for just one season. The cost to the fan can be reduced through potential funding such as the Football Foundation, local sponsors; these could be our supporters clubs, volunteer labour, special season-ticket offers and of course, the manufacturers’ reduction as a result of the trial.

Fans’ involvement

The Stand Up for the Bantams campaign, backed by the Football Supporters Federation, aims to work alongside the Trust, City supporters groups and the City Gent fanzine to raise the profile of the campaign. This can have a positive effect of all involved. Working collectively can bring greater achievements and a greater sense of solidarity and camaraderie. For example, at the BCST AGM/Fans’ Forum Review last November Mike Harrison expressed the City Gent interest in sponsoring some seats. More recently, the Shipley Bantams Supporters Club have recently put out a statement on their Shippers website in support of the campaign, and Daz Clarke of the City Gents Supporters Club has expressed his interest as well.

Stand Up for the Bantams however needs supporters to come together to form a loose group to help promote the campaign proposal with a view of getting as many fans as possible to pledge to bring safe standing to Valley Parade, this can be from raising the profile on message boards, handing out leaflets or helping to raise necessary funds. Fans involved in other supporters’ organisations who are interested in the safe standing issue would be welcome in such a group.

If you want to know more about safe standing campaign at City and/or you would like to help promote it email info@standupforthebantams.co.uk

If you would like to know about other safe standing campaigns and you feel strongly on ticket pricing, stewarding, policing and the wider issues in the game then www.fsf.org.uk and the www.susd.vitalfootball.co.uk is for you.