Introduction
There is no doubt that safety for football spectators has tremendously improved over the past decades especially in contrast to some disastrous events that have marred the football scene during earlier times. For instance, in the year 1971, Ibrox stadium reported one of the most catastrophic figures in football history when sixty six people died and several others were injured. This was largely as a result of a collision between two sets of people who were leaving and entering the stadium; these fans were reacting to the activities going on in the field and most of them ended up falling in their stadium’s stairway. Fourteen years later, the United Kingdom fell victim to yet another incident. Someone was smoking a cigarette at Valley parade stadium and irresponsibly threw it near a wooden stand in the stadium. The fire quickly spread killing fifty six fans. Perhaps one of the worst incidences to date was one that occurred in 1989 where ninety six people passed away at Hillsborough Stadium. Their deaths were caused by a collision between fans who had been delayed by traffic and earlier fans. The former group entered the stadium through a narrow entry and crushed into the seated group thus ramming them onto steel barriers that had been set up in the stadium for safety reasons. (Fuller & Hawkins, 1998)
All the latter events caused UK policy makers to pass several legislations that have gone a long way in curbing similar occurrences. The paper shall look at these legislations, how they have been implemented and how they have contributed towards a safer environment for football spectators in various stadiums.
Legislations
Wheatley Committee Report
One of the first steps towards boosting safety within football stadiums was made in the year 1972 during creation of the Wheatley Committee Report. The latter Report was an analysis of the Ibrox stadium incidents. This report revealed that the disaster had been caused by three major issues that included; structural failures, lack of statutes on sports grounds as well as poor risk assessment. Through this report, UK policy makers realised that there was a need to make statutory laws on football or sports and this tremendously improved safety levels in those areas.
Safety of Sports Ground Act
After the horrific incident of 1971, one of the most relevant pieces of sports legislations was passed i.e. the Safety of Sports Ground Act 1975. This law grants the secretary of state the responsibility for designating sports grounds. Designation here refers to the right to own a safety certificate offered by a Certifying Authority. In the Act, grounds that qualify are those ones with a capacity of approximately ten thousand spectators, or those ones that host Premier League as well as Football League clubs with about five thousand spectators housed there. (Myron, 2007)
In these safety certificates, the Certifying Authority normally lays out rules that it sees necessary for the creation of a safe environment at sports grounds. It is therefore an offence if a designated sports ground has not obtained a certificate or if it violates the terms of the certificate. It should be noted that there is set procedure that Certifying Authorities follow prior to issuance of the certificate. They are directed by the Safety at Sports Grounds Guide created by the Department of media, sport and culture. This Guide was published under the name Green Guide. It is mostly used to determine the most appropriate capacity levels for any sports ground. On top of that, it also lays out some advice to the concerned parties over what they could do in order to ensure that their grounds are safe enough. The Green Guide itself is not a law but becomes enforceable once it has been included in safety certificates.
The Green Guide
The Green Guide is also called the Guide to Safety of Sports Grounds. It was revised in the year 1986 and published again after some work had been done by the Popplewell Report. The report covers the following issues:
- Structures of stairways and ramps
- Structures of buildings and stands
- Exits and entrances
- Crush barriers
- Terraces
- Perimeter walls
- Handrails (Geraint, 2007)
Through this Guide, football stadiums can be able to calculate the safety capacity for their sports grounds; they may also be in a position to plan for safety and stewardship issues. On top of this, structural issues surrounding ramps, stairways, barriers, seating, communication and even fire safety are addressed at length. This implies that almost all areas that could bring about accidents have been handled by football stadiums and this means greater safety for spectators.
Since it has already been stated that the Certifying Authority is responsible for implementation of the green guide, it is crucial to see how this has been achieved. The latter authority usually decides whether there will be a formal liaison or whether this will be done through the use of regular liaisons. Whenever a risk alert is found, then it is the duty of one authority to notify another authority in charge of the stadium so as to ensure that coordinated caution is enforced within these premises. In the event that a group seriously breaches these rules, then the certifying authority is obliged to notify a district council which then takes action. These various collaborations ensure that football stadiums are kept on their toes because at any on time, there are always several authorities that are watching it. (Ware football club, 2008)
However, in case an emergency arises, then there are several avenues that may be followed in order to deal with impending dangers. Firstly, local enforcement officers may opt to issue a prohibition order for spectator protection. This must be done in liaison with the Certification Authority. Beside that, if the matter is so intense then law enforcement officers may be involved in order to ensure that people being affected by the matter are duly protected. All the issues covered by the Green Guide have been instrumental in bringing out the best in football stadiums because owners and stakeholders are aware of the repercussions of inadequacy or recklessness. Also, the guide assists football stadium owners in knowing which aspects of their stadiums could be dangerous and what needs to be done in order to improve safety. (Home Affairs Committee, 2007)
When a football stadium has obtained a safety certificate, it must comply with two main requirements; safety management as well as sports ground safety. Certification requires that a suitable risk assessment be made by the sports ground manager, that there be contingency plans for handling spectators, that there should be safety policies of spectators, detailed graphical illustrations of the stadium and, existence and qualification of a safety officer. All these conditions must be adhered even after issuance of the certificate. In order to ensure this, the Certifying Authority normally carries out frequent checks as specified by the Safety of Sports Act 1975 section 1 b. Prior to matches, the Certifying Authority is also required to look into sports ground compliance to the Certificate conditions before commencement of some matches. The kinds of matches chosen are dependent on the choice of the Authority. (Northgate Arinso, 2009)
In the event that a Certifying Authority inspects and finds a sports ground risky, then he /she can issue a notice that will prohibit admission of certain numbers of spectators. This means that a football stadium may be prevented from carrying out its day to day activities even if it had managed to obtained designation. The Sports Certification has gone a long way in boosting safety at football stadiums because respective managers must abide by these rules if they are to stay in business.
The Green Guide has also been important in outlining the importance of football stewardship. (Northgate Arinso, 2009) In other words, through this legislation football stadiums have become safe areas owing to the contributions made by staff members. For example, nowadays, stadiums have chief stewards, deputy safety officers as well supervisors to ensure that everything is running smoothly in a football arena. Aside from that, the latter areas also have static points that are designed to ensure smooth movement of people. For instance, perimeter gates have been installed, escalators as well as spectator monitoring points. Football stewardship also entails designating one steward over a certain number of people. For example, many stadiums usually employ a ratio of one to 200 depending on the levels of attendance. However, if a stadium anticipates a high number of children or if it feels that the expected crowd will not comply with their responsibilities as spectators, then more stewards can be allocated for a smaller number of people. Stadiums have also introduced specialist stewards whose main purpose is to deal with children or persons with disabilities.
Popplewell Report
In 1985, football stakeholders also created the Popplewell Report. This was a paper released after a commission of inquiry was set up to look into the Bradford football stadium disaster of 1985. In the latter report, members of the committee asserted that sports legislation in the region i.e. the 1975 Act was not sufficient to cover all issues in sports safety. Besides that, members also claimed that there was a need to look into the distinctions between sports grounds as well as stadiums so as to differentiate the risks associated with either case. Also, the Inquiry team felt that there was a need to clarify all the issues that are laid out in safety certificates. They spearheaded the change towards this by drafting model certificates. Additionally, they recommended that all fire risks be handled by one team in football stadiums while structural aspects be handled by another. This would go a long way in ascertaining that one group was not overburdened by the problems. This report was important in bringing in the idea of the Fire Precautions Act which was supposed to address all the fire risks in football stadiums hosting five hundred spectators or more. Thanks to this report, the Green Guide for sports grounds was revised and the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act ’87 was created. (Fuller & Hawkins, 1998)
Fire Safety and Safety of places of Sport Act 1987
As stated in the introduction, some sixty six fans died at Bradford due to a cigarette fire in 1985. This incident also prompted another piece of legislation known as the Fire Safety and Safety of places of Sport Act 1987. In this legislation, it was affirmed that sports grounds that can hold more than five hundred spectators ought to ensure that they possess a safety certificate. It should be noted that these grounds fall under another category known as a regulated stand. This type of Certificate largely focuses on escape routes and stands. Unlike the first type of certificate, this regulation does not focus on the sports ground itself. In most areas within the UK, a Building Control authority will be required to disseminate it. This is largely because every time a certain sports ground thinks of expansion, then they are likely to seek advice from a Building Control Authority. The latter group has the ability to determine whether stadium alterations will increase the levels of safety in those areas. (Ware football club, 2008) This Certificate has a gone a long way in preventing fire incidences in football stadiums.
Whenever a football stadium is about to host a large group of spectators, then there are several teams mandated by law to be included in the management of such events. These teams are made up of the following groups
- Ambulance Services
- Fire Authorities
- The Police
- Building control
- Other service groups. (Geraint, 2007)
Such teams usually ensure that all the parameters involved in safety are considered and enforced by football stadiums. Also, the fact that they are working together goes a long way in ascertaining that one aspect in not forgotten while overemphasising on others. This is probably the reason why safety levels in football stadiums have given up and also why catastrophic events like the ones mentioned earlier have not occurred in this decade.
The Fire Safety and places of Sport Act 1987 has ensured that football stadiums prevent occurrence of fires accidentally. Clubs normally monitor, review, plan and organise matters surrounding fire incidents. Statistics have shown that fire risk assessments are fundamental in preventing actual fire incidences and this has contributed tremendously towards more safety in football stadiums. Many stadiums are well aware of the Bradford issue and the recommendations made by the inquiry committee. Consequently, most staff members have been trained on rapid fire evacuation techniques. The Bradford Stadium fire was catapulted by closed fire exits, few fire exits as well as over-stretched capacities. Most stadium owners and managers have implemented several measures to ensure that spectators can safely leave premises in case of emergencies. This has effectively prevented another Bradford incident.
In different areas of the UK, several football stadiums have now adopted a three tier management structure that involves local authorities, emergency services as well as themselves. The latter approach has emerged after the realisation that coordination of activities is very necessary in ensuring footballer safety. (Irish Football Association, 2006)
Football Spectators Act 1989
The UK also passed a Football Spectators Act in the year 1989 and amended it in 1991 to allow the Football Licensing Authority to deal with Licensing of all the groups covered under the Championship League as well as the Premier League. These football events are some of the most important in the UK’s calendar and implementation of such legislation has therefore been crucial in ascertaining that some of the risks associated with the spectators are dealt with before they can turn into dangerous aspects of their lives.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
The health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 has also been crucial in ensuring that another dimension on football safety that was not covered by the latter mentioned legislations is dealt with; this involves all the risks related to the actual sporting event taking place. This law requires that event organisers analyse and hence manage all the risks to spectators as well as to worker’s health while watching sporting events. Consequently, potential risks like steel rein forcers are analysed and checked for potential danger; this has protected many spectators from looming dangers associated with being in a large crowd while watching football matches.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has also gone a long way in making sure that stadiums take preventive measures to make spectators’ safety a priority in football stadium. Here, most stadium mangers have created several day to day action plans that consider each sporting event and the level of risk associated with the event.
On top of these, the Health and safety at Work Act 1974 has been useful in protecting spectators during times of emergencies especially when it comes to medical issues as well as first aid arrangements. These days, no football match occurs without the presence of less than two first aiders in attendance. On top of that, when a match entails a crowd of large proportions, then every first aider is usually allocated about one thousand members. Football clubs have also created ample room in which members can receive first aid without having to worry about exposure to the elements or other crowd members. NHS trust representatives as well as doctors specialising in crowds need to collaborate with one another so that they can be in a position where they can offer first aid responses quickly and efficiently to spectators who may need it. Many footballs stadiums also have defibrillators in compliance with legislations of workplace safety. These measures have ensured prompt responses from concerned parties and have also been able to boost outcomes in such institutions
The Health and safety at work Act has also ascertained that most football stadiums address issues that may cause discrepancy after commencement of a match. For example, when a match has been abandoned by team players, then a number of stadiums have made provisions for refunds. This is also common in case matches have been cancelled or postponed. Therefore by anticipating issues that may cause discrepancy and dealing with them before hand, football stadiums (in compliance with the latter legislation) have made such stadiums peaceful environments that are safe for the spectators. (Irish Football Association, 2006)
Taylor Report
There was also another important government intervention known as the Taylor Report. This was enacted in the year 1989 after the Hillsborough stadium incident. The report was supposed to look into the issues that had caused the latter incident and whether these could be addressed in the future. It was affirmed that poor leadership in football was lacking, that poor facilities led to the problem, that fans and officials did not consult, that alcohol selling in such stadiums contributed and so did newspaper as well as television perceptions. This report recommended that terraces be replaced by seats, perimeter fencing be made less than 2.2 metres, that ticket touting be made a criminal offence and that missile throwing, racist chanting as well as other offences should be dealt with. Most of these recommendations have been implemented thus going a long way in ensuring that sports grounds are safe in football. (Irish Football Association, 2006)
There are several ways in which the Taylor Report recommendations have been implemented in football stadiums. For instance, most grounds normally ensure that they assess the entry capacity of their stadiums so as to make certain that people entering are within manageable limits. This considerably improves the level of order and hence safety in such facilities. Besides that, these very groups usually look into their holding capacities. In other words, all stadiums have a capacity that can be dealt with comfortably; consequently, adherence to this holding limit has improved safety levels especially when a football match has a high number of followers. Closely related to the latter is the issue of exit capacities. Following previous disasters where several people were not in a position to leave the stadium securely, stadiums have realised that they must assess and hence allow only certain numbers of people within their exit doors at any one time. In the case of emergencies, stadiums have implemented several evacuation routes and evacuation methods that are directly related to the level of risk within their facilities.
The Taylor report as well the Green Guide has been instrumental in promoting peace in football stadiums because of their prohibitions on alcohol. Nowadays, England and Wales have enacted legislations that only allow the following; consumption of alcohol in football stadiums where the teams involved are entering in the Football League or other leagues for the first time and alcohol consumption is only allowed when an association football match is going. However, even in those stadiums, persons consuming alcohol are usually not allowed to get drunk, they are not supposed to enter the grounds with alcohol in their hands, they cannot take alcohol two hours prior to the match if seated in areas where the match can be seen. Spectators are also not allowed to consume alcohol in hospitality boxes that are in view of the football field. Here, they can only do so fifteen minutes before and after a match. Spectators are also not allowed to hold beer cans or other alcoholic containers because these may be used to injure other persons watching the match. In such regard, spectators even violating these rules may be immediately removed from such matches. By enacting all the following issues, football stadium managers have eradicated some of the possible dangers associated with drunken and disorderly members of the audience. (Northgate Arinso, 2009)
Disability Discrimination Act 2005
The Disability Discrimination Act of 2005 has been very vital in increasing safety levels at such stadiums. This Act was designed in order to ensure that the needs of disabled persons are catered for by football clubs. The latter group are particularly sensitive because in case a certain accident occurs, then it may be disabled persons who suffer the most. Many stadiums have implemented a series of structural as well as strategic measures to implement this Act and hence protect disabled spectators. For instance, blind people with guard dogs are normally given precedence during entrance or exist and spaces have been designed for this very purpose.
Conclusion
It can be said that legislations have in fact made UK football stadiums much safer than they were prior to those laws. The Wheatley Committee report of 1972 was one of the first pieces and it contributed towards better structural facilities in these stadiums. Shortly, after, the safety of Sports Ground Act of 1975 was passed and it has ensured that safety certificates are issued to football stadiums depending on their capacity thus leading to reinforcement of crowd limits. The Popplewell Report of 1985 was vital in introducing new elements such as fire risks during football matches. The Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sports Act of 1987 has gone a long way in preparing football stadiums to deal with fire incidents through safety precautions. The Green Guide which was revised in ’86 was instrumental in making football stadium structures and capacities comply with the needs of the spectators thus preparing them to deal with any eventualities. Lastly, the Taylor Report contributed towards eradication of certain behaviour that could impede safety and these include alcohol consumption, chanting racist slogans among others. All these aspects have caused stadium managers/ owners/ stakeholders to become more vigilant and strict about protection of spectators hence contributing towards greater safety in these facilities.
References
Geraint, L. (2007). Stadia: a development guide. Amsterdam: Architectural Publishers.
Myron, S. (2007). Wembley kick off: England first to play. Daily Mail..
Ware football club (2008). Safety policy.
Home Affairs Committee (2007).The cost of policing football matches. London: HMSO Publishers.
Irish Football Association. (2006). Facilities Strategy. Club Licensing and Facilities Department Report 12: 56.
Northgate Arinso (2009). Health and Safety in Football stadiums. Health and safety in Sport Journal 14(5): 67.
Fuller, C. & Hawkins, R. (1998). Assessment of football grounds for player safety. Journal of Safety Science 27(3): 115.