No long-term solution to coordinated jumping in B Stand

Parken Stadium is not designed for the coordinated jumping of thousands of fans on the terraces. The process to rectify this is in the B Stand is underway but there is no concrete solution yet to the challenges the stadium faces.

When Parken was built in 1992 Danish football fan culture was very different to what it is today. At the time there was no requirement for stands to sustain coordinated, rhythmic jumping from spectators.

Therefore, the Danish national stadium is not designed to support coordinated jumping at sold-out events.

In March 2023 F.C. Copenhagen confirmed that the situation in the B Stand would be investigated, to see whether coordinated jumping can be done without exceeding structural safety standards.

The conclusion of this investigation is that the stand is not built for the load that occurs when a full crowd jumps in unison.

There is no question of a construction fault or a lack of maintenance. It's simply that the B Stand is currently being used in a different way to what it was designed for.

F.C. Copenhagen are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the process to ensure all fans in the B Stand can support the team without any restrictions.

"During 2023, we have prepared analyses and control measurements in collaboration with some of the country's most talented engineers from Rambøll," says FCK director Jacob Lauesen.

"The conclusion is clear: Parken is not designed for the coordinated jumping of several thousand fans. Therefore, we need to find potential solutions so that the B Stand can be used again for coordinated jumping. It is of strict importance that everyone respects the ban on coordinated jumping while the work is going on."

Due process required
Rambøll's engineers and oscillation experts have advised F.C. Copenhagen in the process, just as they have done with other Superliga clubs that have been in the same situation.

In close collaboration with Rambøll, a process is now beginning which involves closed, controlled vibration tests on the Lower and Upper B Stands.

The process may take longer and there may be a need to reduce the spectator capacity in the grandstand along the way. At present, it is not possible to determine exactly how long this period in question will be.

The controlled vibration tests will reveal the concrete possibilities in the future and form the basis for our next steps.

Jan Vig Nielsen, Head of Monitoring and Analyses of Existing Structures at Rambøll, says: "I think that few people have thought about how much extra load 8,000 fans jumping in time can create on the grandstand structures - it can be many times their own weight.

"Although the B Stand is in excellent condition, it was not originally built for this increased load. Therefore, we are working closely with F.C. Copenhagen on an in-depth analysis so that we can solve these challenges."

Coordinated jumping is when fans jump in unison at the same time, for example to the beat of a song or chant. If this happens against, for example, Manchester United in the Champions League or against Brøndby in Sunday's derby, then F.C. Copenhagen will be forced to immediately reduce the capacity in the stands by up to fifty percent for upcoming matches.

"We naturally have a desire to solve this challenge as soon as possible, so we are working hard, but we cannot avoid the fact that this process can create limitations for our fans. This is the last thing we want, but we also want our fans to be able to act freely, and therefore it is necessary to start this work," adds Jacob.

"We are very sad that the fantastic, atmosphere-creating fan culture at Sektion 12 will be limited. We are therefore looking forward to the fact that it will again be possible to support the team with coordinated jumping eventually, and at the same time hope that fans in Sektion 12 will continue to support the team in the meantime. Because even without jumping, Sektion 12 is completely unique in Danish football."

Sektion 12 Association: We need your help
The article has been updated with the below statement from the Sektion 12 Association.

As the club announced, we are in a very serious situation regarding the potential halving of capacity in Sektion 12 for at least the rest of the year.

This would be a disastrous consequence with the schedule of matches we face for the rest of 2023. We therefore cannot emphasise strongly enough how important it is that people respect the call not to jump during the remaining home matches in 2023!

The Sektion 12 Association is in close dialogue with the club regarding the further work to find both temporary and permanent solutions to the problem. Until then, we encourage everyone to put all their energy into vocal support for the team!