The ability to stand and watch a football match is, to many, a very emotive issue, with a growing number of football fans objecting to the current national stadium regulations that prevent standing at the country's top level matches.

Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Trust and Wycombe Wanderers Founders Trust, with the backing of the Football Club, have announced that the forthcoming League Two fixture with Leyton Orient on 29th December 2005 will be designated "Safe Standing Day".

"Safe Standing Day" is an initiative designed with a specific purpose: To safely fill the Valley End terrace (aka the Jewson Stand) as a statement to the football authorities that supporters value the choice of whether to stand or sit to watch football.

The Trusts' Boards believe that the choice to stand safely at a football match is a basic right that should be available to all football fans no matter at what level their team play. Wycombe Wanderers are in an enviable position, compared to many clubs, of having a traditional terrace at the "home end" of the ground and the Trusts' Boards wish to keep it that way! The increasing number of all-seated stadia now being built takes away the choice, as does the Football League requirement for any football club to convert to an all-seated stadium within three years of promotion to the Championship.

Wycombe Wanderers' home match against Leyton Orient will be covered on live TV by Sky Sports. Both Trusts and the Club will use this match to raise the issue of Safe Standing at a national level.

Since the Hillsborough tragedy and the subsequent Taylor Report, a body of supporters have been campaigning for safe standing areas. The aim of Stand Up Sit Down (http://www.standupsitdown.co.uk/) is to restore supporters' choice as to whether they can stand or sit to watch matches, by agreeing areas where safe standing will be accepted.

Campaign Co-ordinator for SUSD, Peter Caton, comments, "Ask supporters what they enjoy about watching football and many stress the importance of atmosphere and the feeling that they are participating in an event - not just spectating. They add that all-seat stadiums have greatly reduced atmosphere and some of them have stopped attending matches as a result." Caton adds, "Lord Justice Taylor conceded that standing areas were not intrinsically unsafe. It is time to accept that the current regulations are unworkable and that managed standing areas should be introduced".

In support of the aims of Stand Up Sit Down, Wycombe Wanderers and both its Trusts are encouraging supporters to fill the Club's Valley End Terrace for this match. In recognition of the national importance of this issue, the Club is also inviting fans of other football clubs to come to this match and stand in the terrace.

All-ticket arrangements:
For safety reasons, the Valley End terrace has been designated all-ticket for this match only.
There are 1850 tickets available and supporters, who wish to stand in the Valley End terrace, must buy tickets in advance.
Tickets can be obtained either from the Commercial Office at Adams Park, Wanderers in Town, the Club's ticket office on 01494 441118 or, for those fans who are registered, via its online ticket facility at https://tickets.wwfc.com.
See below for opening hours.

Minimum Height Restriction:
As an additional safety factor, only supporters taller than 1.2 metres (approximately 4 foot) will be permitted to stand on the terrace. The Club have written to all holders of junior season tickets notifying them of this restriction. Any existing season ticket holder, who is affected by the 1.2 metre restriction, will be relocated to another area of the ground together with other members of their party as required - they should contact the Club's ticket office on 01494 441118. See the note below on the Safety Considerations for further details on the background to this restriction.

Exchanging existing tickets for terrace tickets:
The Club are willing to exchange tickets, including season tickets, from other areas of the ground for terrace tickets for this match. This service is being provided to facilitate participation in the Safe Standing Day and, whilst exchanges are being permitted, the Club is not offering refunds on existing tickets.
Please take your existing ticket to the Commercial Office at Adams Park or to Wanderers in Town or call the Club's ticket office on 01494 441118.

The opening hours of the Commercial Office and Wanderers in Town over the relevant period:

Safety Considerations:
The decisions to make the match all-ticket for the Valley End terraces and to impose a 1.2 metre minimum height restriction were taken by the Club's operational management. These decisions have been supported by the Safety Advisory Group. The Safety Advisory Group consists of the Club's Safety Officer (Richard "Stan" Stanford) together with representatives of the emergency services, St. John's Ambulance, the council and other interested parties. One guide used by both the Club's operational management and the Safety Advisory Group in their deliberations is the "Guide for Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide)", which has been commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Scottish Office and produced by the Football Licensing Authority - see http://www.flaweb.org.uk/docs/specsafe/specsafe.php

The Trusts have been told that this document recommends that clubs develop a strategy to ensure the safety of children and highlights that children are potentially vulnerable when pressed up against crush barriers, which are typically 1.1 metres high. The decision to impose the 1.2 metre minimum height restriction for this match is a specific response to this recommendation. For obvious reasons, it is desirable that the Safe Standing Day rigorously abides by all safety procedures in order to make its point more forcefully.

Following further discussions, the Supporters Trust has been invited by the Club to nominate a representative to sit on the Safety Advisory Group. This development is welcomed. It should ensure greater supporter input into the consideration and implementation of such recommendations in the future. Further, it should ensure that the Supporters Trust is more completely informed when explaining such decisions.

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