WHEN discussing the merits and concerns of introducing what is termed as safe standing at football matches in Scotland, the crux of the matter is surely to be found in the name.

Supporters who want to stand will soon be able to do so in a safe environment, a world away from the terraces of days gone by when the concrete crumbled as people squeezed into a small space for a poor view of the game, all played out with a familiarly unpleasant smell fouling the air.

From the Jungle at Celtic Park, to the Copland Road at Ibrox and the banks which stretched for miles, or so it seemed, at Hampden Park, this is where the real fans could be found. It was the place those of a certain age remember as visceral and exciting. A sea of people, all singing, always moving, brought together by the love of their team; our collective memory conveniently forgetting the stench and the fact any average sized Scot would struggle to see the pitch.

And yet the Sunday Herald has discovered that the majority of Scottish football's leading clubs could be ready to follow the example of Celtic who last week announced their plan to introduce a rail seating area, or safe standing, which will initially accommodate up to 2600 supporters by the start of the 2016/17 season.

Just like many German clubs, most notably Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, Celtic Park would have a terraced area for domestic games which easily converts to seats for the Champions League - where standing is not permitted.

Ross County revealed they would not be far behind Celtic, Aberdeen are likely to build a section of terrace when they move to their new home and did you know Hibernian already have a so-called standing area at Easter Road?

Terracing in British grounds, at least in the top leagues, disappeared following Hillsborough in 1989. However, prior to the merger of the Scottish Premier League with the Scottish Football League to form the Scottish Professional Football League, clubs in the Scottish Premiership were given the all clear to have a safe standing area in their stadiums.

Celtic were first to make a move. They won't be the last. Of the clubs we spoke to, none were against safe standing. The practicalities were the only problem.

It costs money to rip out rows of seats and replace them with rail seats, clip-on seats or foldaway seats. Clubs could fit more people into these areas but at a lower price. So those in boardrooms will have to do their sums.

Not Ross Country, however, as they are well on their way. "We have made inroads and are moving forwards to have standing back in the Jailend [for the start of] season 2016/17," was the message conveyed by Donnie McBean, the club secretary.

In February, Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson announced he planned to invest £200,000 to help his club become the first in the Premiership to re-introduce standing at games. This seems to have been postponed as they have no plans at the moment, a spokesman said, although they will watch closely to see how the project fares at Celtic Park.

Hibernian said they had "a constant dialogue with the fans about this" and in fact there is a small pocket of supporters in what is now call the east stand who are "allowed" to stand during the game.

Called Section 48, this group have been moved to the front and self-manage how the section works and who is allowed to join them. The suggestion is that one day they will be moved to another part of the stadium where many more will be allowed to stand. However, while in the Championship, Hibs are in no position to spend the money required for such changes.

This is the biggest factor for many clubs. St Johnstone is, and always has been, well run so no penny is wasted on anything until much thought has gone into it. Football administrator Paul Smith said: "We are of the view that we would look at any innovation that would seek to attract supporters back to Scottish football. There would be high costs to be considered. That is something which needs to be looked at. However, we would always be interested in anything that would keep people, or bring people back, to our game."

The same message is coming out of Motherwell. They have nothing against the idea, but with little money to play with and other things to pay for, this is going to, if you will, take a back seat.

General manager Alan Burrows said: "We would be in broad support of any initiative that could aid the supporter experience within Fir Park. The big issue with this particular topic is the cost and how that will prohibit clubs from doing it.

"If it was affordable or someone wanted to help us finance it by sponsoring it, then obviously, it would be something we'd be keen on. However, with Scottish football having come through what has been a fairly challenging financial period, in terms of priorities for the football club, given the cost, it would be low on the list.

"There are things we require to do to Fir Park that are mandatory from a safety point of view. In terms of what we spend on the ground, it's those that have to come first."

But the Kilmarnock chairman Jim Mann made the point the new seats seemed to be more durable and therefore more cost effective in the long run.

"Safe standing is something we have discussed," he said. "There are supporters we know who are keen. It was interesting to see Celtic being given the green light and we will wait to see how they get on."

Pittodrie was famously the first all- seater stadium so there would be a certain irony if their next home were to become the first to have a custom-built standing area.

An Aberdeen spokesman said: "We want to be moving away from Pittodrie sooner rather than later. We can't consider it before then, but it is something we could look at in regards to the new stadium."

Hearts are in a similar situation in that they will either rebuild their 100-year-old main stand or relocate. Installing a standing section, they say, is something that could go either way.

"We have spoken about it and never in a negative way," a club spokesman said. "It is something we would discuss with the supporters and it's something we would explore if we either move from Tyne­castle or redevelop the stand. We would look at anything that would benefit the fans' experience at games."

As for Hamilton Academical, they welcome the move but have no intention of following Celtic. Chairman Les Gray said: "It's not something we would consider and it is not something we would be against. Because of the size of our fan-base, it really wouldn't be worth it for us. I wouldn't wish to spend money on something we don't need. However, Celtic are doing the right thing for them."

Like summer football and bringing back alcohol at grounds, reintroducing standing at matches is something our clubs cannot afford to dismiss in their constant battle against losing spectators and falling revenues.