Sport 22-12-2000 Football Returns To The Terraces? who: Former sports minister Kate Hoey what: Backs pilot scheme to return football terraces when: Today snippet: "The Sports Minister, Kate Hoey, will jeopardise her position within the Government this evening," reports The Independent`s Nick Harris, "by appearing on national television and advocating a review of standing areas at Premiership football grounds." Large stands were banned as a direct result of Lord Justice Taylor`s reports on the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which, rcalls the BBC, "in which 96 Liverpool fans were killed because of over-crowding at the Sheffield ground". On BBC1`s Weekend Watchdog programme tonight, Ms Hoey explains that advancements in security technology mean it is time for a review, in spite of a reprimand by Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who has strongly discouraged debate on the issue. "Hoey has been impressed by film of a dual-role stand that has been built at Hamburg`s ground in Germany," reports The Mirror. The Volksparkstadion "allows for either 8,000 spectators to stand during Hamburg`s games or half that number to sit, which will be the case when the ground stages matches during the 2006 World Cup." "What we`re not prepared to have a re-think on is going back to huge terraces, very badly controlled and in very bad condition," Hoey tells the programme. "What this is about really is whether it is possible - if the clubs and certain supporters want it - to have pilots perhaps of safe designed standing areas, very small and very well controlled." [... more]

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