Wycombe Wanderers has claimed a first for English football after the League One club installed new 2020 seating at Adams Park.
The new 2020 seat has been produced by Grand Stand Seating Systems in conjunction with Alderdale seating, giving fans the option of standing or sitting during games without having an obscured view of the pitch.
A total of 68 elevated seats have been fitted in Block J of Adams Park’s Origin Family Stand, with the structure including accessible options for disabled fans. The 2020 seats are set out in a theatre style, with off-seat centres in alternate rows designed to improve fans’ views.
The structure is subject to approval from local authorities, with the seats having been cleared for installation in stadia across the country after complying with the government’s all-seated stadium policy and revised guidelines produced by the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA).
Wycombe chairman Trevor Stroud said: “As a club we have been following the progress of safe standing initiatives in English football but this is an innovative new development which ensures both the comfort and safety of fans whether they choose to sit or stand, and we’re pleased to be the first club to have the 2020 seat installed at our stadium.
“Depending on the feedback from supporters and the authorities, it’s something we may look to roll out across other areas of Adams Park in the future, and we’d like to thank Grand Stand Seating Systems Ltd for working with us at the start of what could be an exciting project for them across the country and beyond.”
The seats will not be available for Saturday’s match against Shrewsbury Town as Wycombe awaits approval for the structure from the local authorities.
The news comes amid an ongoing government review into safe standing that could result in a change of legislation in stadia across the country. Standing has been outlawed in English football’s top two divisions since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which claimed the lives of 96 football fans.
Image: Wycombe Wanderers
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