The atmosphere inside Easter Road has always been a hot topic of debate amongst the Hibernian faithful. Many supporters have their own opinions about how best to intimidate opposing players and fans, with much of the debate revolving around the positioning of our singing section.
Since I got my first season ticket and started regularly attending matches in season 2012/13, there have been numerous ‘ultras’ groups set up in many locations throughout the ground.
So, let’s take a look back at groups of the past and then look ahead to how we can continue enhance the atmosphere even further.
Dreaming of Bygone Days
First there was the Hibs 12th Man – a group I don’t remember all that well but do recall seeing their banner pinned up against the back of the East Stand from shortly after its redevelopment in 2010.
Section 43 followed from around the beginning of season 2011/12 and were the first group I remember hearing on a matchday. I sat in East Stand section 40 so hearing the persistent chants and drum beat coming from further along was always fascinating as a 10-year-old – especially considering the majority of those sat around us were of an older generation and seemed to think constantly berating players was a form of encouragement.
The upper-third of Section 43 was where the core group stood; with streamers, tifo displays and large crowd surfer flags often providing a colourful backing of the team both at Easter Road and at Hampden.
Perhaps it’s just me subconsciously romanticising my early memories of Easter Road on a matchday, but I seem to remember the atmosphere coming from Section 43 was always pretty good, despite home attendances seldom topping 15,000.
Around the time of our relegation, Section 43 moved to the front of the East Stand and occupied the first few rows. As an outsider I am unsure if this move was made by or with the club itself, or whether the group just felt they needed to be closer to the action on the pitch. However, I felt the move worked in their favour. It allowed banners to be draped over advertising boards, which increased visibility on TV, and it seemed as though group numbers grew amongst a younger generation.
Perhaps the best-known group throughout the wider support, Since 1875, replaced Section 43 at the start of season 2015/16 by my reckoning. They remained in the same spot at the front of the East and essentially picked up where Sect 43 left off.
Despite a pretty ‘meh’ league campaign on the pitch, Since 1875 wrote themselves into Hibernian history when the final game of the season came around on 21st May 2016. Those now-famous words – TIME FOR HEROES – greeted the players as they took the field that day and even became the title of a club DVD.
When Hibs finally gained promotion back to the Premiership, Since 1875 moved to a new home in the top right corner of the Famous Five Stand (section 25). This move was in accordance with then-chief executive Leeann Dempster and was thought to have been a stepping stone to achieving the group’s ultimate aim of a permanent home in the FF Lower.
It was also the first time I can recall the club actively endorsing and recognising a ‘singing section’ within the stadium. The switch to the Famous Five allowed for many memorable displays, not least at the ‘Natural Order Derby’. Such displays, particularly the full stand ones, just added that little bit extra to already-huge games and helped fire up both fans and players alike.
I moved my season ticket to be sat in Section 25 at the beginning of season 2019/20, which was Since 1875’s third season up there. What had initially looked like a temporary repositioning, increasingly seemed like an attempt by Dempster to ‘get them out the way’ and hide them up in the corner.
I am no musical expert but the acoustics of a singing section tucked up at potentially the furthest point from the pitch did not bode well for the atmosphere elsewhere in the ground. Regularly would you see comments from supporters sitting in other stands saying they simply couldn’t hear the drum or any chanting despite core group members trying to make it happen.
Eventually their patience wore thin and Since 1875 staged their own trial of moving to the FF Lower during the second half of our Scottish Cup tie against Inverness in February 2020. Straight away the feedback from fellow fans was positive – with many stating that chants could be heard clearly and that a change from the usual abundance of empty seats found in the FF Lower was a welcome one when watching on TV. However, as we all know, the Covid pandemic struck less than a month later and that threw yet another spanner in the works.
Where Are We Now?
After an entire season behind closed doors, fans finally made their return at the start of this season. During the shutdown, the club informed supporters that the ‘singing section’ had relocated back to the East Stand and into section 45.
However, Since 1875 announced in October 2021 that they were calling it a day, citing declining numbers and other commitments as the reason for their decision. This left a gap which was quickly filled by the latest singing section instalment – Block Seven.
I won’t go into too much detail about the new group as you can read a separate article on Block Seven right here on The East Stand. However, after some initial teething issues and supporter backlash, Block Seven seem to be on the up.
Incidents relating to pyrotechnics and potential sectarian singing were rightly called out by fellow fans, but the group maintain those responsible were non-members and that similar situations won’t happen again.
From personal experience sitting two sections along from them, Block Seven have been creating a good atmosphere and making plenty noise during our most recent home fixtures, so long may that continue.
What Next?
As Block Seven hopefully continue to expand throughout the rest of the season, attention must turn to what’s next for them. Currently, their position right up against the edge of the East Stand is not ideal – it’s better than the FF Upper, but still not ideal.
The general consensus amongst supporters seems to be for our ‘singing section’ (regardless of the active group) to find a permanent home behind the goals in the FF Lower. Traditionally this is where similar ‘ultras’ groups are positioned in other countries, such as the US, and it would allow for further expansion of the group.
With the Famous Five Stand being the family section, such a move would present logistical challenges of reallocating the seats of existing season ticket holders. Nonetheless, I think the move would be beneficial to the club in the long run and help improve the ‘matchday experience’ our owner Ron Gordon loves to talk about.
Safe standing is another hot topic which goes hand-in-hand with the Easter Road atmosphere. Ron Gordon has already confirmed that it’s ‘on the list’, telling the Evening News: “Many, many people love going to football and standing, so we want to give them that.”
Personally, I’d like to see safe standing implemented behind the goals in the FF Lower section. I think moving the singing section there and then adding rail seating would be the nudge many supporters need to move seats and hopefully form one big, raucous group which backs the team through thick and thin.
For now, though, the immediate priority should be growing Block Seven and continuing to improve atmosphere at Easter Road week-on-week. Since 1875’s social media presence was a good factor as it allowed information about displays, marches and volunteering opportunities to the shared with the wider support, so Block Seven should look to continue to do similar.
They should also aim to maintain a healthy relationship with the club as it certainly seems like our ‘new’ owner and chief executive are more receptive to the idea of a singing section than the previous regime ever were.
The East Stand 