About safety at sports grounds
Responsibility for the safety of spectators at a sports ground lies with the ground's management. This is usually the owner or leaseholder.
When a ground needs certification
Sports stadiums must be certified under the Safety at Sports Grounds Act 1975 if they have a spectator capacity of more than:
- 10,000 people
- 5,000 people if they're a Premiership or Football League ground
A general safety certificate covers use of the stadium for certain activities. Use for other spectator-related purposes requires the a special safety certificate.
A general safety certificate will set:
- the permitted capacity
- terms and conditions for the ground's safe operation at its permitted capacity
Charlton Athletic Football Club Safety Advisory Group
The safety advisory group (SAG) advises us on how we should carry out our responsibilities for overseeing spectator safety at sports grounds.
SAG meetings are attended by:
- representatives of the football club management
- emergency services
- supporter representatives
View the Charlton Athletic Athletic SAG safety certificate and terms of reference:
Raising safety concerns about Charlton Athletic
If you're a Charlton Athletic fan, you can raise safety issues with the supporter representatives.
Find out more about supporter representatives on the Charlton Athletic website
Regulated stands
A sports ground that's not designated by the government may also need to be certified under the Fire Safety and Safety at Places of Sport Act 1987.
Sports grounds must satisfy both of the following conditions:
- the sports ground contains a covered stand
- the covered stand has a spectator capacity of more than 500 people
Definitions
Stand - an artificial structure (not merely temporary) which provides accommodation for spectators and is wholly or partly covered by a roof.
Covered (in relation to spectator capacity) - covered by the roof or other part of the structure which constitutes the stand.
Further information
You can find further information on the GOV.UK website: