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Annual inspection v structural appraisal – what is the difference?
Celebrating 10 years of the SGSA
Licensed standing in seated areas
Local Authority Safety Certification Training
Safety Advisory Group – Terms of Reference Checklist
Preparing counter terrorism measures
Safety certification for National League clubs
Planning for increased threat levels
Planning for moving people in an emergency terrorist threat situation
Alternative uses of sports grounds
I’m a new Safety Officer, what do I need to know?
Pre-event tests and inspections
Electrical and mechanical services
Crowd disorder and anti-social behaviour
Is an Operations Manual held by a public body covered by the Freedom of Information Act?
Football league capacity requirements
Matches between league and non-league opposition
Temporary demountable structures
Reducing slip hazards on concourses
Dynamic Performance and Testing of Grandstands
Historic Home Office circulars
Counter terrorism advice for sports grounds
Academic Forum minutes – 5 September 2019
Academic Forum Terms of Reference
Spectator injuries at sports grounds data
ACT (Action Counter Terrorism) Awareness eLearning
Spectator safety qualifications FAQs
Sports Technology and Innovation Group
Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975
Oversight and Licensing Policy
Sports Grounds Safety Guidance Documents
National League Clubs Guidance
Articles
SGSA Conference 2022 Programme Launched
Guidance on crowd related medical incidents
SGSA Conference programme overview released
Understanding the steward exemption
UEFA Stadium & Security Webinar 2022
SGSA Conference 2022 – tickets now available
Martyn Henderson awarded OBE in New Year’s Honours List
2021 – Reasons to be cheerful part 4
End of year reflections from the Chair
Fan-led Review of Football Governance published
First licensed standing grounds announced
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the SGSA
SG03: Event Safety Management webinar
Planning safe events – online training
Licensed standing in seated areas
New SG03: Event Safety Management guidance available to buy
Licensed standing areas at top flight football grounds to be allowed from January
New guidance document brings together the core elements of event safety management
New Event Safety Management guidance published
New research highlights safety requirements of Neurodiverse fans at live sporting events
Annual Report and Accounts published
Events and attractions guidance
Keeping structural checks and sports grounds inspections high on the agenda
Derek Wilson appointed Chair of SGSA
New spectator safety qualifications
Sports unite to show nation they are fan ready
Ticketing partners come together to support the return of fans to live sport
Sports Technology and Innovation Group
Planning for social distancing – international
SG02: Planning for physical distancing international edition
SG02: Planning for social distancing webinars
Planning for social distancing: lessons from case studies
2019/20 Injuries at football grounds report released
SG02: Planning for social distancing
Planning for social distancing – videos
Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20
Drones – SGSA Knowledge Series
Football without spectators guidance
Sport without spectators – general guidance
Risk-based safety certificates – Knowledge Series
Zone Ex – SGSA Knowledge Series
Capacity Calculations – SGSA Knowledge Series
35 years since Bradford tragedy
Taylor Made – 30 years since the formation of the Football Licensing Authority
Women in Sports Grounds Safety
SGSA supporting African football safety and security
Promoting safety across Europe
Safe management of standing at football – emerging findings
SGSA Strategic Plan 2020-24 published
SGSA speaks at FIFA Master programme
SGSA supporting Stadium Safety and Security Workshop
Standing at Football Review Released
New partnership formed with BASIS
New partnership with LABC formed
One year on for our Chief Executive
Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 published
Integrated safety management for major events
Wolverhampton Wanderers new seating announcement
Council of Europe Convention Signed
Progress made, but more needed
SGSA welcomes new Board Members
Five top messages from the Green Guide Briefings
Cyber Security for Major Events Guidance
National Occupational Standards for Spectator Safety Review
Winter reminders for sports grounds
Safety Certification Guidance Updated
Reflections on security at future major events
New sports safety guidance launched
Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide) – Available to buy
Condolence message to Leicester City Football Club
Government review of evidence relating to the all-seater policy
Terrorism, Technology and Thinking – Key messages for Venue Safety
The evolution of the Green Guide
SGSA Welcomes New Interim Chief Executive
Equality And Human Rights Commission Report on Premier League Accessibility
In January 2022, CFE Research commenced an evaluation of ‘early adopters’ of licensed standing areas in five football grounds, commissioned by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. The findings of the research will be provided to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to inform its decisions about the potential wider roll-out of licensed standing.
The following provides an overview of some of the key findings from the research so far. Please note, the research is ongoing and as such these are emerging findings only.
Following the recent occurrences of stoppages of play due to crowd related medical incidents, the SGSA has been involved in discussions with other footballing bodies about appropriate advice and guidance to support safety teams.
As a result, we have created new guidance which includes a range of indicative questions that could be considered in preparing for crowd medical incidents, and ensuring that all of the stakeholders involved are aware of their roles and responsibilities.
The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the University of Edinburgh, which sees the creation of a PhD studentship focused on understanding the drivers of safety at major sporting events.
Applications for the studentship, which is part-funded by the SGSA, are currently open via the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science.
The project will establish how event organisers can make football events safer. It has two core research questions:
The studentship will be based in the Department of Psychology within the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. It will be supervised by Dr Anne Templeton and SGSA’s Head of Partnerships and Strategy, Darren Whitehouse.
Martyn Henderson OBE, Chief Executive of the SGSA, said: “This is an exciting new collaboration for the SGSA. Our aim is to enhance research into safety at sports grounds. This PhD studentship reinforces our commitment to investing in high-quality research, which will further our own evidence base on which to shape future policies.”
The closing date for applications is 14 April, and applicants must meet specific criteria as outlined on the studentship opportunity webpage.
We have released the overview of the SGSA Conference 2022, which outlines the programme and issues being considered through the day.
View the overview of the programme (PDF)
The conference will include three main plenary sessions, with the themes of:
Along with the plenary sessions, there will be two sets of breakout sessions, with topics including:
We’ll be releasing the names of speakers over the next couple of weeks, with the full programme available from mid April.
The early bird discount is still available and ends on 31 March. Tickets can be booked online:
Full information on the conference can be found on the conference page: www.sgsa.org.uk/conference.
If you have any questions about the conference, contact Andrea Jones (andrea.jones@sgsa.org.uk) or Monica Gameiro (monica.gameiro@sgsa.org.uk).
Under the Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) 2001, some security roles undertaken in sports grounds in England and Wales are exempt from Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensing.
The exemption only applies in certain circumstances, and it may not always be clear whether an SIA licence is needed.
To help clarify, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) and SIA have put together a document explaining when a SIA licence is needed at a sports ground.
The SGSA is proud to have taken part in the UEFA Stadium & Security Webinar 2022.
The focus of the SGSA is the safety and enjoyment of all fans at sports grounds. There has never been a greater need for effective event safety management.
Ken Scott MBE highlights the importance of applying the comprehensive advice provided in our latest guidance document, SG03: Event Safety Management.
Tickets are now available for the SGSA Conference 2022
Join us on Tuesday 24 May at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester
On 24 May 2022, the SGSA will be holding their sixth Annual Conference at the Etihad Stadium, one of the first grounds to be pioneering licensed ‘safe standing’ in seated areas from 1 January 2022. This comes as great news after the unfortunate cancelation of the Annual Conference over the past two consecutive years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, much has changed.
In celebration of moving forward with the historic change to allow standing in top flight football grounds in England and Wales for the first time in nearly 30 years, we are extremely pleased to be hosting our annual conference at the Etihad Stadium.
The last 19 months have been busy for sports grounds safety professionals. We’ve seen our events come to a halt and experienced sport without spectators, tackled the challenges of managing the safe return of fans, welcomed the policy change of licensed standing areas; and saw the new guidance on Event Safety Management being published.
The focus of the SGSA is the safety and enjoyment of all fans at sports grounds. In order to never become complacent when it comes to safety, we aim to bring together the events and sports sector at the SGSA Conference to discuss the latest developments in sports grounds and event safety.
The conference will start at 10am and finish at 5pm (registration from 9am). There will also be tours of the Etihad Stadium available either before or after the conference.
Over the coming months we’ll be announcing details of our speakers and sessions.
The day will include a mixture of full plenary and breakout sessions, providing both strategic overviews of some of the biggest issues in sports grounds safety, as well as more in-depth discussions on specific subjects.
A focus of the conference will be the introduction of licensed standing in seated areas – with the event taking place at one of the early adopter grounds, you’ll be able to hear first hand the experiences from the first few months of its implementation.
The programme will also include:
There will be plenty of opportunities for you to network with colleagues and visit our exhibition area.
Once registered, you’ll be kept updated with the latest programme announcements and information about the day.
Find out all of the information and keep up to date on our conference webpage: www.sgsa.org.uk/conference.