West Brom repeat Sunderland trick with significant change going ahead at The Hawthorns

West Brom have confirmed works will be carried out this summer to introduce safe standing at The Hawthorns, following in the footsteps of a host of fellow Championship clubs.

Supporters have been calling for safe standing to be implemented at the Shrine to help improve the atmosphere on matchdays. West Brom fans are renowned for making plenty of noise at it is but having more spectators standing throughout matches will up the volume a notch further.

The Baggies have announced - following consultation with the Albion Assembly, the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) and the club’s Safety Advisory Group - that nearly 4,000 seats will have rails built in from the start of next season. The works will see 3,864 safe standing positions in the home and away areas of the upper Smethwick End, as well as the Millennium Corner.

There will be no change to the capacity of The Hawthorns, which will remain at 26,804. Albion have the thirteenth-highest capacity in the Championship this season but the ninth-best average attendance at 24,883 for league matches.

Responding to the plans, Albion’s managing director Mark Miles said: “The club have long been advocates of safe standing and we are delighted to be introducing it to The Hawthorns for next season.

“Though the upper Smethwick End and Millennium Corner are expected to be very popular locations for safe standing, we understand it might not be for everyone, and we’ll ensure anyone who would like to relocate can do so.

“A lot has changed since The Hawthorns became an all-seater stadium almost 30 years ago, and we’re confident now is the right time to bring standing back in a safe and controlled way.”

West Brom repeat Sunderland trick

The move follows a number of clubs moving to safe standing in recent years, led by Shrewsbury Town, who became the first to install rail seating in 2018. Black Country rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers introduced safe standing in 2023 and Villa converted away areas and parts of its Holte End early last year.

Exactly half of the clubs currently in the Championship have made the move to bring in safe standing. Among those are Burnley, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Derby County, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and Swansea City. Meanwhile, Oxford United are planning to built rails into 25 per cent of the seats in their new 16,000 capacity stadium.

In terms of clubs in direct competition for promotion to the Premier League, Sunderland - expected to be participating in the play-offs alongside West Brom - are one of the most recent to introduce rail seating. The Black Cats implemented 2,000 safe standing spots in the Roker End - and a further 1,000 in the away section of the North Stand Upper - for the start of the 2024/25 season.

In other news, we asked artificial intelligence how many points West Brom need to secure to finish in the play-off positions.