(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's new 62,000-seater stadium has been "future-proofed" for safe standing, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The north London tam's announcement comes as cross-party MPs are set to debate safe standing in Parliament later on Monday to decide if English clubs should offer fans the choice to sit or stand while they watch their team play.
"As a club, we did not engage on this until the Hillsborough Inquiry was concluded, which showed that the tragedy in April 1989 had not been caused by standing," Tottenham executive director Donna-Maria Cullen said on the club's website http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/club%E2%80%99s-future-proofed-areas-offer-new-concept-in-safe-standing-debate-250618, referring to the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster in Sheffield in which 96 Liverpool fans died.
"At our new stadium, we have designed a section within the home area and within the away section that has an integrated safety bar with the normal seating."
Tottenham said areas at the front of the stadium's South Stand and the visiting supporters' section have been future-proofed for safe standing.
The sections will feature newly-designed seats that are an improvement on the existing rail seats, which are used extensively in Germany as well as in Scotland's Celtic Park.
Spurs will play their first home league game of next season at Wembley before welcoming Liverpool in their first competitive match at the new ground on the weekend of Sept. 15-16.
(Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
