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Stewarding Qualifications
The FLA has received a number of enquiries concerning an advertising feature in the August edition of FC Business which stated that the FLA require that all steward supervisors hold a relevant level 3 spectator safety qualification. The FLA's position remains that we ask local authorities to include a condition in safety certificates requiring stewards working at Premier and Football League grounds to have or be working towards obtaining a level 2 qualification. The FLA also recommends that supervisors should have or be working towards a level 3 qualification and safety officers should have or be working towards a level 4 qualification.
Football Licensing Authority Annual Report and Accounts 2010/11
The FLA published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2010/11 on Thursday 14th July. To access the online version of the Report please click here
Licence Applications
On Friday 15th July the FLA issued licences for the 2011/2012 season. These licences will expire on 31st July 2012
Sports Grounds Safety Authority Bill
12th July was a major landmark for the FLA, as the Sports Grounds Safety Authority Bill gained Royal Assent. This important legislation will help provide greater consistency in the application of sports grounds safety advice, both nationally and internationally.
During the passage of the legislation a number of Parliamentarians paid tribute to the work of the FLA.
Jonathan Lord MP, speaking as he championed the legislation in the House of Commons, said “the authority was set up in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster and over subsequent years the FLA and its key personnel have gained an extremely high reputation for their expertise and experience in football ground safety. They are the authors of the "Green Guide", which has rightly been described as the leading publication in the world on sports ground safety. Indeed, there is no other organisation quite like the FLA in the world;”
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport added “The powers in the Bill . . .show that we trust the FLA and that the experience of the period that the FLA has been in existence has given Governments of both colours enormous confidence in the way that it performs its task.”
Lord Faulkner, speaking as he steered the Bill through the Lords, said - “The Football Licensing Authority was given the responsibility of licensing grounds and helping to ensure spectator safety. It is the author of the world's leading sports safety publication, known as the Green Guide. Its expertise is valued and respected nationally and internationally. . . . It is a lean and efficient organisation that offers excellent value for money.”
As a result of the legislation, the Football Licensing Authority will be renamed the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and will be able to provide advice, on request, about safety at sports grounds to any national or international organisation, person or body. It will also be able to charge for these services in certain circumstances. The proposed changes will not extend the FLA’s licensing functions or its local authority oversight duties under the 1989 Act to sports grounds other than football grounds. The FLA will formally become the Sports Grounds Safety Authority later this year.
All-Seated Stadia
The FLA attended a round table discussion hosted by Don Foster MP on 21 March 2011 at which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Football Authorities, Football Safety Officers Association, Football Supporters Federation, Association of Chief Police Officers and other interested parties were invited to share their thoughts on the reintroduction of standing at all seated grounds.
While the FLA accepts that there are some supporters who would prefer to stand, we believe that there are benefits of seating in terms of safety, comfort and crowd management. Seating can provide a more defensible space for those who need it or want it, including children, elderly people and people with disabilities, thereby helping to create a more inclusive and diverse environment. Seating can also make it easier to steward spectators, to identify and provide assistance to them if needed.
It has been suggested that persistent standing at some matches is clear evidence that supporters favour a return to standing areas. However, not everyone who stands in a seated area does so because they want to. Some people are forced to stand because others are, and so it is the only way to see the game.
Standing in seated areas presents a mixture of crowd safety, crowd management and customer care issues. Some experts have suggested that standing in seated areas can present a significant risk to spectator safety and under certain circumstances could result in a progressive crowd collapse. The FLA firmly believes it is important to approach persistent standing in a collaborative way. Ground management is responsible for the safety of spectators, but fans, football clubs, local authorities and police can all play a role in tackling the issue of persistent standing. Ultimately, that is a matter of enforcement rather than a reason to change the regulations.
Injury Statistics
The FLA annually collates and publishes the number of reported injuries at football grounds in England and Wales. Data is requested from all Premier League and Football League clubs plus Wembley and the Millennium Stadium and includes all competitive league and cup games.
This summary attempts to produce a streamlined set of figures focusing on high level trends. The FLA will continue to monitor any incidents or safety failures in which spectators are seriously injured.
Click Here to view the summary
Guide to Safety Certification at Sports Grounds
The FLA has issued revised guidance on safety certification which includes detailed advice on a new style of safety certificate which is more in line with the modern approach to spectator safety whereby the operator of a venue is responsible for identifying any risks and the steps to be taken to reduce those risks to an acceptable level. Although the FLA’s remit currently only extends to grounds at which designated football matches are played, local authorities issuing safety certificates to other grounds may find the new guidance helpful.
Click here to access a copy of the guidance
The revised guidance does not contain a model new style safety certificate but the FLA has worked closely with the London District Surveyor’s Association to whom we are grateful for producing a model safety certificate which fully accord with the advice in our guide.
Click here to access a copy of the LDSA model safety certificate
Transparency Data
As part of the Government’s Transparency agenda, we have published data on the remuneration of senior staff within our organisation as at 30 June 2010, as well as an organisation chart which shows the senior staff structure and summary information for staff at junior levels.
click here to access this information
Copyright © The Football Licensing Authority 2011
