England: Standing seats will return to Brighton & Hove

source: StadiumDB.com; author: Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia

England: Standing seats will return to Brighton & Hove Brighton & Hove has not had standing seats in its stadiums since 1997, when the club sold Goldstone Ground to avoid bankruptcy. Restrictive regulations prevented the introduction of standing sectors for a long time, but they have been relaxed in recent years. Brighton & Hove Albion is yet another club to introduce safe-standing rails.

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Amex 14th stadium with standing seats in the Premier League

Standing seats were banned in the 1990s after a series of tragedies in the stands, most notably the one at Hillsborough, which resulted in the deaths of 96 fans. The rules were not officially loosened until 2022. To date, as many as 13 Premier League clubs have introduced safe standing in their stadiums, and Brighton & Hove Albion will add to that group starting next season.

The capacity of American Express Stadium will not change, prices will not fall, but still 80% of ticket holders support the introduction of safe-standing seats. At the Brighton & Hove Albion home, they will appear in the rail seating variant, which means that folding chairs will be installed in the rails. They can be unfolded for UEFA matches and folded back for league matches, which is an important characteristic, as The Seagulls are aiming to return to European competitions this season.

Standing seats will be introduced before the start of next season, and only in some parts of the North Stand, specifically from row R upwards. The club takes into account that some season ticket holders may want to keep their seats, hence they will have a window to change their place in March.

Amex Stadium© Stuart Noel Fuller

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