In the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, it was made law that stadiums in the top two divisions of English football must be all-seater stadiums, with standing sections outlawed. Ninety-six Liverpool fans were killed at Hillsborough through crushing in a standing section, with the deaths found to have been ‘unlawful’ by the Hillsborough Inquest earlier this year due to police negligence, coupled with inadequate safety.
Steps are now being taken towards reintroducing ‘safe standing’ zones in top flight English clubs, with Premier League sides agreeing for further talks on the subject after first meeting on Thursday, with West Ham co-chairman David Gold calling the meeting the “first steps towards safe standing”.