Safe standing at football matches in Wales could be introduced if the responsibility of sports ground safety management is devolved to the Welsh Assembly.
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies has long led the calls for a safe standing pilot in Wales and believes the plan could become reality if the UK Government transferred stadium safety powers.
Davies has discussed the idea of safe standing with the UK Sports Minister Tracey Crouch and will write to her formally requesting the transfer of powers to the Welsh Assembly.
The introduction of safe standing has the backing of the Football Supporters' Federation and the Supporters' Trusts of the four main professional clubs in Wales - Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham - and a report published last February showed that 96 per cent of 2,364 fans surveyed backed a pilot to trial modern stadium technology.
"Our plans would allow a limited pilot of safe standing areas in Welsh grounds," Davies wrote on the Welsh Conservatives' website, YourVoice.
"Advances in stadium technology have made stadiums a far more safe and comfortable environment for fans of all ages, genders and backgrounds.
"In fact it's those advances which make 'safe' standing areas a straightforward proposition.
"This isn't about revolution, it's about common sense and fairness, and we would commission the SGSA (Sports Ground Safety Authority) to continue to perform the sterling work they do."
Davies said a pilot scheme in Wales would address the concerns of sceptics and build a case for safe standing areas to be rolled out throughout UK stadia, akin to those on the continent.
"Safe standing is a question of fairness. How can it be safe to stand at a rugby match or a concert yet somehow inherently unsafe to stand at the football - often in the same stadiums?" Davies said.
"That simple distinction has never made any sense outside of the context of social attitudes towards football supporters in the 1980s.
"We wouldn't accept that kind of discrimination against any other social group or demographic, so why accept it when it's levelled at football fans?
"Today's crowds are as family-friendly and diverse as they've ever been and we don't want to change that.
"But we do need to accept that things have changed and start treating football fans with more respect."
Plaid Cymru also support the idea of devolving stadium regulation powers and Peter Daykin, the FSF's safe standing co-ordinator, said he hoped to see a pilot scheme run in Wales.
"The FSF has always believed that if supporters argue their case with intelligence, passion, patience, and reason, then football and politicians will listen," Daykin said.
"There now seems to be an irresistible demand for a safe standing pilot to be run in Wales and the FSF hopes that progress can be made."
Jon Darch, director of the Safe Standing Roadshow, welcomed the possible devolution of stadium safety powers to Wales by saying: "That would be a major step forward in achieving the objective of a safe standing pilot in Wales.
"Coupled with Celtic installing rail seats this summer in Scotland it further strengthens the case for similar trials to be allowed in England as well."
Source: PA
