Fans will be allowed to stand at a major domestic men’s football final in England for the first time in almost 35 years at the 2022/23 Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Small sections of Manchester United and Newcastle United supporters have bought allocated safe standing tickets for the showpiece at Wembley Stadium.
The decision also marks the first time that safe standing will be used for a major final since the stadium opened in March 2007.
How many people will have a safe-standing ticket? How does it work? Here’s what you need to know about the initiative.
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How many seats are safe standing at Wembley?
With almost 89,000 people attending the final last season, the proportion of fans standing is likely to be tiny.
Man United and Newcastle have been given 867 safe-standing tickets each, making a total of 1,734 standing supporters.
The standing areas will be in the East and West Stands at Wembley, positioned directly behind each goal.
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Carabao Cup final tickets: How does safe standing work?
When they buy a safe-standing ticket, fans are allowed to stand in allocated spaces behind a barrier or rail that prevents them from falling forward. Similar ‘rail seating’ has been installed at some Premier League and Championship grounds, including Old Trafford, in the past couple of years.
Supporters must remain seated in all other areas of the stadium, according to ticket stipulations.
Which clubs have safe standing?
Premier League giants Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea were joined by Championship club Cardiff City in a safe-standing trial in sections of their stadia towards the end of the 2021/22 season.
Safe standing has been installed on the bottom tier of the South Stand at the Etihad 🏟
[@City_On_Tour]#mancity #mcfc #etihadstadium pic.twitter.com/WxXbMVQ1Y3
— mcfc lads (@mcfc_lads) August 4, 2021
Brentford, QPR and Wolves joined in the initiative before the start of the 2022/23 season, and areas with a rail were introduced for England’s match at Wembley against Germany in September 2022.
Why was terracing abolished in the Premier League?
Standing areas — known as terracing — were abolished after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, leading to the introduction of all-seater stadia.
There has been a concerted campaign in recent years for the return of an option to stand safely for supporters.
The Sports Ground Safety Authority has found that the re-introduced standing areas can help to enhance safety, security and supporter experience at games.