With West Ham moving to a new stadium we always knew there were going to be teething problems, and it seems one of the things that has flared up in the opening two games is the desire of some people to stand up the entire game, and others to sit.
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At Upton Park, more due to the amount of time we played there than anything else, people understood that there were parts of the ground that liked to stand the entire time and others that would be annoyed if sections spent large amounts standing up.
This was accepted, and those that liked to stand were in the areas with others, and those that sat down didn’t complain and those that like to stand didn’t kick up a fuss when asked to sit in the predominantly seated areas.
However due to the move no-one knows the etiquette, and a lot of people that used to all stand are now split up and those that are used to being seated at all times are in areas that want to stand.
What do YOU prefer to do?
— Hammers Chat (@hammers_chat) August 8, 2016
In my opinion it comes down to a couple of things.
Firstly, all the fans are there to see the match. If some cannot see the match then that is unfair on them. This is predominantly for children and those of an older age who cannot stand for an entire match, or those that even when they do stand can’t see over the people in front. This takes priority over the people who want to stand because they like it.
its a family day out which is ruined by a minority who insist to stand, one standing area per ground would solve the problem
— Kevin (@ClactonHammer72) August 8, 2016
Secondly, at the moment the Premier League is meant to be a fully seated league. This means that the stewards can ask you to sit at any point. Obviously they are not going to be silly about it and ask you to sit if we’ve just scored, but it does mean that within the laws of the FA and the Premier League if someone complains about you standing then the stewards will side with them.
This is something I feel should change however, once we have a return to “safe-standing” this problem would go away, and the atmosphere at grounds would improve as a result in my opinion.
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Thirdly, if you are a fit adult and everyone else is standing around you, and you can see over them when you stand, then stand. Forcing others to bow to your will just because you’re a bit annoyed is going to ruin the afternoon by putting people in a bad mood. There has to be a bit of give and take here.
It’s hard for the club because they aren’t allowed to have officially designated “standing zones” due to FA rules, and people are going to have to accept that. Some common sense is required and the fact is that the six year old behind you every week has just as much right to watch the match as you, and if you stop that then of course you should be asked by a steward to sit.
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But in the same spirit as the previous point, don’t try and force other people to bend to your will just because you’re lazy. It’s meant to be about enjoyment and you’d be spoiling that somewhat. We’re all West Ham fans and we need to get along, because the away fans aren’t there to be friendly! Think about your fellow fan first, and we’ll all get used to the London Stadium in no time!