Liverpool will continue to add thousands of rail seats at Anfield after a successful trial, which has led to a significant development of safe standing being introduced next season.
The club first introduced rail seating ahead of the 2021/22 season and its trial has now come to an end after being installed in the Kop and the lower Anfield Road Stand.
More than 10,000 rail seats have been installed and they are now moving ahead permanently, with the next phase this summer to see a further 3,000 added on the Kop.
The club reviewed the effectiveness of rail seating concerning fans’ safety at the end of the trial period and, as a result of its findings, will be applying for a Safe Standing Licence.
The latest enforcement recommendations from the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) state that stadiums with rail seating for more than two years must apply for a Safe Standing Licence.
The move will see the introduction of safe standing areas across all rail seating sections on the Kop and in the lower Anfield Road Stand from next season.
In these safe standing areas, supporters will be permitted to stand throughout matches, and not just for significant moments, such as goal celebrations.
Safe standing areas are licensed by the SGSA and fans must be able to sit or stand – the seats cannot be locked in the ‘up’ or ‘down’ position. There must also be one seat/space per person and licensed standing areas must not impact the viewing standards of other fans, including disabled supporters.
So far six other Premier League clubs have applied for and been awarded a Safe Standing Licence – Wolves, Spurs, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brentford and Chelsea.
Rail seating was first introduced in two areas of Anfield Stadium during the 2020/21 closed season following a safety review by the SGSA. The initial trial saw 7,800 rail seats installed on the Kop and the lower tier of the Anfield Road Stand, a second phase saw a further 2,500 rail seats introduced to the Kop during last season’s break for the winter World Cup.
The next installation phase will take place this summer when a further 3,000 rail seats will be placed on the Kop, in the remainder of blocks 202-208 up to row 33.
This will take the total to 7,425 rail seats on the Kop, just over 55 percent of stand capacity. Liverpool plan to extend rail seating on the Kop next year to Block 102-108, up to row 13.
Andy Hughes, managing director at Liverpool, said: “Following an extensive review of our rail seating trial we’re delighted to confirm it has been successful and is now a permanent feature at Anfield Stadium.
“We also examined how effective rail seating is in terms of the health and safety of our fans, and we came to the conclusion that the management of rail seating areas would benefit from safe standing areas.
“So that’s why we have taken the decision to apply for a Safe Standing Licence, which will see the introduction of safe standing areas across all stadium sections with rail seating from next season.
“The health and safety of our supporters when attending matches at Anfield is, and always will be, paramount.”
Season ticket holders whose seats are impacted by these changes will be contacted directly in due course to explain the changes.
The club has consulted with its Supporters’ Board about the permanent extension of railed seating and its planned application for a Safe Standing Licence.
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