CARDIFF CITY will be one of five football clubs to trial safe standing from January 1, 2022.
The Championship club, alongside Premier League clubs Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have all been selected.
Their applications to be part of the trial were approved by the UK Government.
First and second tier grounds in England and Wales have been required to be all-seated by law since 1994.
Standing at football grounds was outlawed following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 which resulted in the death of 97 Liverpool fans.
Since then there have been calls for standing to be reintroduced at football grounds.
Welsh Conservatives, and the party’s leader Andrew RT Davies, have long led the political campaign for safe standing to be reintroduced and the party was successful in getting a motion passed in the Senedd backing a pilot scheme in 2015.
The Conservative Party then promised to work towards the introduction of safe standing areas in our 2019 general election manifesto and, if the initial trials prove successful, legislation could be introduced for all stadiums in the top two divisions within the next few years.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Sport, Tom Giffard MS, said: “Whilst I am a Swansea City man, as a football fan and Welshman, I’m delighted that Cardiff City will be trialling safe standing for the second half of the season.
“For years, football fans today have been unfairly punished by this outdated ban so any steps to remove it and give people choices on how to enjoy a match like they could any other sport or concert is welcome news.
“As Welsh Conservatives, all the way back in 2015 we listened to the valid calls from football fans, took positive action, and led the political charge to see the ban overturned.
“I’m delighted to see the UK Conservative Government is delivering on another commitment with Cardiff set to be a trailblazer in piloting safe standing alongside some of the world’s biggest clubs.
“I hope this trial proves to be a resounding success and will pave the way for more safe standing in grounds across Wales and the rest of the UK.”
The trial will run until the end of the season.
