Tens of thousands of Scottish fans stand for the whole game as Scotland beat France at Hampden Park.

BBC Songs of Praise shows 4000 Christians standing, dancing & singing in front of banked seats at the Spring Harvest festival at Butlins in Minehead.

Whilst Stand Up Sit Down has no objection to people standing at such venues, we would again ask why there are no restrictions at any events other than football matches.

All Manchester United's 5000 supporters stand for the whole game at Wigan.

All 2000 West Ham fans and around 700 Portsmouth supporters stood for the whole match at Fratton Park, with no efforts made to get either set of fans to sit down.

All of Tottenham's 3800 supporters at Aston Villa stand for the whole game, as do the back 10 rows of home fans in the Upper Holte end.

Hundreds of Norwich and QPR Fans stand at Loftus Road, including in upper tiers, with no efforts made to get them to sit.

Around a third of Brighton's 300 supporters stand at Brighton. Stewards tried to get them to sit but soon gave up.

Around 300 of Wycombe's 800 fans at Walsall stand for the whole game, with stewards making no efforts to get them to sit.

Around half Chelsea's 3000 supporters stand throughout the game at Reading.

Following the FLA's reply to us with regard to defining ‘persistent standing' a Stand Up Sit Down member has a telephone conversation with the Chief Executive of his (Championship) club:

The club official said that supporters were allowed to stand at moments of excitement, i.e. when the team attacks, but were then expected to return to their seats when asked by a steward.

He once again reiterated that ‘there is no safety issue with regards to supporters standing at their ground and that the only issue the club would have is customer care, where supporters stand in front of those who want to sit.

Put to him that although common sense can be used amongst supporters for home matches, the issue at away matches is more complicated as the ticketing system is far more random, his response was that ‘to some extent, supporters should expect to stand at away matches'.

Around 1500 Newcastle fans and all 2000 visitors from Turkey stand for the UEFA Cup match at St James' Park.

Despite having their allocation reduced due to persistent standing in previous years, all 1500 Newcastle fans stand for the whole game at Middlesboro, as do several hundred home fans. Once again this shows that reducing ticket allocations is failing to stop standing.

A Norwich City supporter and Stand Up Sit Down member reports:

‘Apart from the front couple of rows, the entirety of the 1500 Cardiff supporters at Carrow Road yesterday stood for the entirety of the match, with no apparent attempts to get them to sit. They were one of the best sets of supporters I've seen at Carrow Road in the last few years, creating a good atmosphere long before kick off.

Around 600-800 Norwich supporters stood throughout the match, with many more standing intermittently. A far better atmosphere from the home support than in previous matches, long may it continue.'

An Ipswich Town supporter reports on his experiences at their away game v Southend as follows:

‘ Southend yesterday with Ipswich is a perfect example of how it should be. The seating was unreserved seating. This means that all those who want to sit i.e. old and disabled, could sit at the front. They sat in the first and second rows and the rest behind all stood. We had a right old sing song and it was one of the better away games I've been to.

This is how it should be:

1. Those who want to sit can.
2. Those who want to stand CAN!
3. A good old atmosphere.

The stand at Southend was small so how could there be any danger. It was designed to be a terrace anyway and they bolted seats on. Things that are designed to do one thing shouldn't be changed (e.g. a narrow road is not designed for cars and it is impossible to get down them). They should have just left the terrace how it was...'

Virtually all West Ham's 3000 allocation at Spurs stand throughout the game, as do many home fans alongside them.

After 30 minutes of the match stewards moved in to try to get away fans to sit. Working row by row from the front, they never got beyond the fifth row before an incident on the pitch, or a chorus of ‘stand up if you love West Ham' got everyone standing and they had to start all over again. Stewards gave up trying in the 2 nd half.

The annual Premier League survey of supporter's views contains 70 questions, but none relate to standing, something that polls frequently show is one of the main issues of concern for supporters.

Last year the Minister for Sport used the survey results which showed that supporters rate the need for safety as important, as justification for all seater stadia, despite the fact that again the survey did not mention standing, and that the supposed evidence for standing being unsafe is very suspect.

150 of Doncaster's 600 fans at Wycombe stand for the whole game, with no efforts made to get them to sit.

As Leicester host Aston Villa in the Carling Cup, all 4200 visiting supporters stand for the whole game.

The day after 1000 of their fans have stood on a terrace at Chesterfield, with no problems whatsoever, and after the club have urged supporters to get behind the team at their next game, West Ham United send out letters to scores of supporters advising that they have been banned for persistent standing.

The club decline Stand Up Sit Down's request to be told the number who were banned, but we later learn that many bans were revoked on appeal to the club, but around 20 had to miss the Blackburn match.

Stand Up Sit Down write to West Ham expressing our disappointment that they have acted in this way, and saying that we believe they should be telling the authorities that the regulation preventing standing should be changed.

West Ham have said that they are very concerned that there is a real possibility of the ground capacity being cut by closure of a stand. Stand Up Sit Down have repeatedly pointed out to the club that even the FLA have said that if they were to do this they would expect it to be challenged in court and that they would have to show that the action was proportional to the risk. Given that supporters have stood in front of seats at Upton Park for the last 10 years without significant incident, it would be very hard to make a case that the safety risk now merited closure of the stand.

Spurs 2000 supporters at MK Dons all stand.

Many Man Utd and Crewe fans stand for the whole game at Gresty Road.

Amanda Matthews, co-leader of Stand Up Sit Down , appears on Radio Five's breakfast programme, to talk about the banning of West Ham supporters.

A steward from Ipswich Town is interviewed to put the opposite view, but ends by saying that they simply can't get fans in the North Stand to sit, adding weight to Stand Up Sit Down's case that the regulation is unworkable.

London's free daily paper, The Metro, carries a piece about the banning of West Ham supporters, including quotes from Stand Up Sit Down .

The Times also mentions the ban and our campaign.

600 of Middlesbrough's 900 supporters stand for the whole game at Man City, as do around 600 home fans.

An increased number of home fans in the very high level 7 are reported standing as Charlton visit St James' Park.

Aston Villa's entire allocation of 3200 stand throughout the game at Liverpool.

Most of Chelsea's away support stand at Sheffield United.

Writing in The Guardian,. Russell Brand says:

‘ You will be aware if you have followed this column that I offer tacit support to ‘the' Stand Up Sit Down campaign, the aim of which is to enable West Ham fans to stand in designated areas of Upton Park. ( and elsewhere)

I've gawn and got myself into a bit of a situation – members of the campaign plan to chain themselves to the main gates at West Ham before tomorrow's match against Blackburn. I was asked not to mention the specific nature of the protest, lest it be scuppered by my scribblings tipping awf the Peelers. I have now pledged that if this has any negative impact on the protest, I will, like a geezer-suffragette, chain myself to the railings in his stead in front of Sky's cameras. I already rue this oath. I reckon I've chained myself to a risky scenario. If the protesters are prevented from carrying out their direct action I'm going to find myself in an awful situation. Ironically, too, because, though I appreciate the desire of the campaigners to stand up during matches, I myself quite likes the occasional sit down.

I'm happy to stand up during some songs and of course when there's a goal but often I like to peruse the game all sedentary and snug, but what I must support is the right to stand. Last season?

I hope tomorrow's game goes well, I hope the protest is triumphant, I hope I'm not forced to fling myself in front of the king's horses in an attempt to prove my allegiance not only to this beloved club but also to an idea that, like a butterfly of springtime joy, appears to be fluttering into an infinite winter. ‘

West Ham supporters mount a protest at Upton Park about the banning of fans for standing.

Russell Brand and another supporter handcuff themselves to the stadium gates, and are filmed doing so by Sky TV and press photographers.

A spokesman for Stand Up Sit Down and Russell Brand are interviewed by Sky, with Brand's interview shown shortly afterwards on Sky TV.

8000 red fliers are distributed to by protesters, including several who no longer attend Upton Park due to the hassle from stewards over standing, plus an Arsenal supporter who travelled specifically to support us. The leaflets are given supporters entering the Bobby Moore & Centenary lower tiers, and have the following message:

WEST HAM FANS BANNED

SCORES OF WEST HAM FANS HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM UPTON PARK JUST FOR STANDING TO SUPPORT THEIR TEAM.

Clubs are being pressurised by the Football Licensing Authority to eject or ban their supporters.

MOST CLUBS DON'T THINK THAT STANDING IN LOWER TIERS IS DANGEROUS AND NO REAL EVIDENCE HAS BEEN PRESENTED AS TO WHY STANDING IN FRONT OF SEATS IS DEEMED UNSAFE.

It is considered OK to stand before kick off and at moments of excitement, so why not during the rest of play?

Why can people stand at rugby matches, at concerts held in football grounds, at German grounds, but not at Upton Park?

THE REGULATION BANNING STANDING DURING PLAY IS UNWORKABLE, UNECESSARY AND SHOULD BE CHANGED.

The club say they fear a stand being closed, but even the FLA have said that such action would lead to a review in court in which they would have to demonstrate that closure was proportional to the safety risk. How can they show that something that has happened for 10 years without incident now merits closure of the stand?

RATHER THAN BANNING LOYAL SUPPORTERS WEST HAM SHOULD BE PUBLICLY BACKING FANS AND URGING THE PREMIER LEAGUE TO USE ITS INFLUENCE TO SEEK A WORKABLE SOLUTION – SEPARATE STANDING AREAS.

PLEASE HOLD THIS CARD UP JUST BEFORE KICK OFF AS THE PLAYERS SHAKE HANDS

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU TO STAND DURING MATCHES

Stand Up Sit Down are campaigning for designated areas where supporters may stand in front of their seats, managing what has happened at most grounds for the last 10 years. We would like to see safe terraced areas, but see this as a simple common sense solution that would benefit all supporters and would cost nothing .

SIGN OUR ON-LINE PETITION AND JOIN US AT:

www.standupsitdown.co.uk

Despite this week's bans, several thousand West Ham fans stand as their team play Blackburn, showing once again the desire of fans to stand, and the impossibility of enforcing the current regulation.

The North Stand Lower Tier at Ipswich stand again as Luton visit Portman Road.

The Sun includes mention of our protest in its report on West Ham v Blackburn:

‘It says a lot about West Ham fans that they do not appear too bothered by the impending takeover. But tell them to sit down at Upton Park and it is a different matter.

One supporter chained himself to the fence outside in protest at the ‘sit down' ultimatum and the poor bugger was still on the outside looking in when Sheringham banged one in the net. ‘