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The ''Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds'', colloquially known as the ''Green Guide'' is a UK Government-funded guidance book on spectator safety at sports grounds. The Guide provides detailed guidance to ground management, technical specialists such as architects and engineers and all relevant authorities to assist them assess how many spectators can be safely accommodated within a sports ground. It has no statutory force but many of its recommendations will be given force of law at individual grounds by their inclusion in General Safety Certificates issued under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 or the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sports Act 1987. It is written by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (formally the
Football Licensing Authority The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Until 2011 it was known as the Football Licensing Authority, having been set up under ...
).


Background

Following the Ibrox disaster in 1971 when 66 people were killed, the government commissioned a report by Lord Wheatley the following year. In his report Lord Wheatley said: As a result of Lord Wheatley's report the first guide was published in 1973. Following the
Bradford City stadium fire The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. The stadium was ...
in 1985 when 56 people were killed, Justice Popplewell was commissioned to produce a report into safety at sporting venues. The results of his report were incorporated into an expanded second edition of the ''Green Guide'' which was published in 1986. Following the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in ...
in 1989, when 96 people were killed, Lord Justice Taylor in his
report A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage In ...
noted that "..evidence I have received suggesting that the Green Guide may not be followed as closely as is desirable, I consider that when it is revised it needs to be given more effect". This led to a third edition, published in 1990, which incorporated changes of the guidelines following a re-examination of the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in ...
. The fourth edition was published in 1997 and was a major revision which contained several recommendations following consultations between statutory and regulatory authorities. This edition added substantially new guidance on providing access and hosting spectators with disabilities. The fifth and edition was published in 2008 and provided more advice to stadium authorities as to risk management, counter terrorism and guidance on training and qualifications of stewards. The sixth editions was published in 2018. It provides new additions on Zone Ex, the areas outside the stadium where spectators arrive and depart, as well as changes and updates on the advances in technology.


See also

*
Sightline (architecture) In architecture, sightlines are a particularly important consideration in the design of civic structures, such as a stage, arena, or monument. They determine the configuration of such items as theater and stadium design, road junction layout ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


Guide to Safety At Sports Grounds - Sports Grounds Safety Authority
* British books Sport in the United Kingdom Health and safety in the United Kingdom 1973 non-fiction books 1973 in the United Kingdom