A
BILL
TO
Give all football clubs the freedom to build, or maintain existing, safe standing
sections in their stadia if they choose; to establish minimum safety criteria that
must be met for standing sections in football stadia; and for connected
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
(1)
Section 11 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 (Power of Secretary of State to
require conditions in licences relating to seating) is amended as follows.
(2) After subsection (1) there is inserted—
“(1A)
5The requirements imposed by a condition in pursuance of this section
may relate to the number of spectators for whom seating is provided
and the number of spectators for whom standing accommodation is
provided; but no condition shall require that seating must be provided
for all spectators.”
(1)
After section 11 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 (Power of Secretary of State
to require conditions in licences relating to seating) there is inserted—
(1)
15The Secretary of State must, by order, direct the licensing authority to
include in any licence to admit spectators to any specified premises a
condition imposing requirements as respects the safe standing of
spectators at designated football matches at the premises; and it shall
be the duty of the authority to comply with the direction.
(2)
20The requirements imposed by a condition in pursuance of this section
may relate to the number of spectators for whom seating is provided
Safe Standing (Football Stadia) BillPage 2
and the number of spectators for whom standing accommodation is
provided; but no condition shall require that seating must be provided
for all spectators.
(3)
The requirements imposed by a condition in pursuance of this section
5may relate to the accommodation to be provided at, or the
arrangements to be made as respects the spectators admitted to, the
premises.
(4)
A direction may require the licensing authority to include the condition
in the licence when granting it or by way of varying the conditions of a
10licence.
(5)
Before giving a direction under this section in relation to any premises
the Secretary of State shall consult the licensing authority which may,
if it thinks fit, make recommendations to him.
(6)
The licensing authority shall not make any recommendations under
15subsection (6) above without consulting the local authority in whose
area the premises are situated.
(7)
The power to make an order containing a direction under this section is
exercisable by statutory instrument which shall be subject to
annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(8)
20In this section “local authority” has the same meaning as in the Safety
of Sports Grounds Act 1975.
(1)
“Safe standing” means the accommodation provided for those standing
while spectating at a designated association football match where that
25match—
(a)
takes place at a ground registered with the Football League or
the Football Association Premier League as the home ground of
a club which is a member of the Football League or the Football
Association Premier League; and
(b)
30is played as part of a competition of the Football Association
Premier League or the highest division of the Football League,
at the time the match takes place.
(2)
The licensing authority must provide guidance to the Secretary of State
regarding the imposition of conditions for safe standing not more than
3518 months after this section comes into force, and it must publish this
guidance within a reasonable period after it is issued.”
(1) This Act may be cited as the Safe Standing (Football Stadia) Act 2011.
(2)
This Act shall come into force at the end of a period of six months beginning
40with the day on which it is passed.
(3) This Act extends to England and Wales only.