Sign up for the big Everton stories from a fantastic season so far Get the newsletter Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Everton are aiming to have rail seating installed at both ends of their proposed new Bramley-Moore stadium.

More detail about the Blues' proposed new home will be revealed during the second stage of Public Consultation which begins on July 26.

But club officials have already shared some information during a series of outstanding presentations made by Stadium Development Director Colin Chong and Senior Press and PR Manager Mo Maghazachi to selected Everton organisations.

And as the plans currently stand, the club anticipates to have rail seating in the South and North stands of the stadium from opening.

One of the sections would be for away fans' use, with visiting supporters' traditionally opting to stand even when only seats are available - but home supporters in the North and South stands would also have that opportunity.

The club also intends to 'futureproof' the stadium so that safe standing can be introduced if government legislation changes in the future to permit that form of access.

Safe standing is currently not permitted in England and Wales whereas rail seating offers an acceptable 'middle ground.'

Following the Taylor report commissioned after the Hillsborough disaster, all Premier League and Championship clubs in England and Wales were legally obliged to provide all-seater stadia from 1994.

CLICK HERE for when the latest designs for Bramley-Moore stadium and Goodison Park's legacy are set to be announced

But last year, new guidance from the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), the body in charge of ground safety, opened the door to the use of rail seats.

Its Green Guide document, used by all stadium managers, referred to 'seats incorporating barriers', which the SGSA later confirmed meant that they could be installed and still meet the government's all-seater policy, provided certain strict conditions were met.

(Image: Chris Owen)

Several German clubs already successfully use rail-seating including Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg.

Each ticket holder is designated a seat in the stadium. The design allows for the seat to be locked upright, allowing supporters to stand. Each row has a safety barrier to improve crowd control.

Scotland relaxed their requirements in July 2011, giving Celtic the opportunity to open a safe standing section in July 2016 for nearly 3,000 fans.

The Football Supporters Federation - with Everton and Liverpool fans heavily involved - has campaigned for England to follow suit and a 2018 survey concluded that over 94% of supporters believed they should be allowed to choose whether to sit or stand at matches.

CLICK HERE for all of today's latest Everton news and transfers as French midfielder Morgan Sanson is linked

More than 112,000 fans signed a petition calling for change and following a Commons debate the government commissioned an external review

In January this year the findings were promised "shortly" - but the same report to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also said that it still believed "all-seater stadia were the best current means to ensure the safety and security of fans.

"However, the DCMS would consider relevant advances in technology and data."

The three-hour Everton engagement sessions were attended by a wide range of groups, including the Everton Disabled Supporters Association (EDSA), Everton Heritage Society and the Everton Shareholders’ Association, as well as representatives from many Supporters’ Clubs and the Fans’ Forum - and the feedback has been uniformly excellent.