Manchester City has announced that the Etihad Stadium will be outfitted with over 5,500 rail seats. According to the club and The Guardian, the benches will be placed this summer in the lower tier of the South Stand and will fold into a folded position to enable fans to stand.
Standing remains illegal in England’s top two leagues, but teams are training for the prospect of safe standing, with Wolverhampton Wanderers installing rail seats at Molineux.
Manchester United, which has long had problems with fans refusing to sit, is erecting 1,500 new seats at Old Trafford, while Tottenham has seats that can be converted to standing.
According to the city, the decision to install 5,620 rail seats was taken after due study, and it would “enhance security in an area where constant standing exists.”
“While we will continue to remind fans to stay seated during matches, we are also delighted to tell them that the construction of a rail seating area ensures the Etihad Stadium will be ready… should the government put in legislation to introduce safe standing in the Premier League,” said City’s managing director of operations, Danny Wilson.
