1996 No. 499

SPORTS GROUNDS AND SPORTING EVENTS

The Safety of Sports Grounds (Accommodation of Spectators) Order 1996

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

The Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred on her by sections 1(A) and 1(B) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 19751, after such consultation as is mentioned in section 18(4) of that Act, hereby makes the following Order:—

1

This Order may be cited as the Safety of Sports Grounds (Accommodation of Spectators) Order 1996 and shall come into force on 25th March 1996.

2

The number 5,000 shall be substituted for the number specified in section 1(1) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 for the class of sports ground specified in article 3 below.

3

The class of sports ground for which the number 5,000 shall be substituted consists of sports grounds in England and Wales at which association football matches are played and which are occupied by a club which is a member of the Football League Limited or the Football Association Premier League Limited.

Virginia BottomleySecretary of State for National Heritage

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 1(1) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 provides that the Secretary of State may by order designate as a sports ground requiring a certificate under that Act any sports ground which in her opinion has accommodation for more than the specified number of spectators.

This Order substitutes the number 5,000 as the specified number of spectators for sports grounds at which association football matches are played and which are occupied by a club which is a member of the Football League Limited or the Football Association Premier League Limited (both companies limited by guarantee). The specified number for all other classes of sports ground remains 10,000.