Manchester United have been given the green light to trial safe standing at Old Trafford.
As revealed by Sportsmail in February, the Premier League club had approached its local authority for permission to install 1,500 rail seats in the North East Quadrant at the Theatre of Dreams.
They have been in favour of the seats – which allow people to stand against a barrier – for some time and of the belief that it will 'enhance spectator safety' in areas where there is persistent standing.
Now, bosses at Trafford Council have given United the go-ahead to carry out a trial which the club have confirmed is likely to take place next season.
Standing has been outlawed in the top two tiers of English football following the Taylor Report into the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster.
However, rail seats are seen as a safer alternative to the issue of persistent standing, which is a problem at a large number of top flight grounds across the country.
United will now seek out suppliers to carry out the project.
The club's managing director, Richard Arnold, welcomed the move. 'It should be stated up front that our overwhelming priority is to keep our people safe from the COVID-19 pandemic,' he said.
'It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background.
'This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans. We have listened to their feedback, in particular the representations made by MUST, and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal.
'Our belief is that the introduction of barrier seats will enhance spectator safety in areas of the stadium where – as with other clubs – we have seen examples of persistent standing. It also allows us to future-proof the stadium in the event of any changes to the current all-seater stadium policy. If the trial is successful, we may consider further implementation of barrier seating in other parts of the stadium.
'We will now move on to develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial with a view to having the new seats installed for when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford.'