The Football Spectators (Seating) (Amendment) (England) Order 2025

The Football Spectators (Seating) (Amendment) (England) Order 2025 updates the Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2022 to reflect Everton Football Club's relocation to a new stadium, the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The amendment changes the address listed in Schedule 2 of the 2022 Order to the new stadium's location.

The Order ensures accurate licensing information and maintains regulatory compliance.

Arguments For

  • Improved Accuracy of Licensing: The amendment ensures the licensing requirements for football matches accurately reflect Everton Football Club's new stadium location. This prevents confusion and potential legal issues.

  • Compliance with Regulations: Updating the order ensures continued compliance with the Football Spectators Act 1989, maintaining public safety and order at football matches.

  • Administrative Efficiency: The change simplifies administrative procedures related to stadium licensing, streamlining the process for the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and Everton Football Club.

Arguments Against

  • Minimal Impact, Minimal Justification: The amendment is minor and could be argued as insignificant enough not to warrant a separate order. The resources devoted to creating and enacting this order could have been applied elsewhere.

  • Potential for Omissions: While updating one entry, other locations may also need updating, requiring further amendments in the future. A more comprehensive, perhaps periodic, review of all stadium information might be more efficient.

  • Oversight Burden: The amendment puts the burden of ensuring accurate information on the relevant parties. Failure to update the information could be interpreted as non-compliance, though this is unlikely to be an enormous issue.

  1. Citation, commencement and extent (1) This Order may be cited as the Football Spectators (Seating) (Amendment) (England) Order 2025, and comes into force on 2nd August 2025. (2) This Order extends to England and Wales.
  1. Amendment to the Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2022 (1) The Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2022[2] is amended as follows. (2) In Schedule 2 (premises to which the requirements in Schedule 1 must apply), for the first column of the entry for Goodison Park, occupied by Everton Football Club, substitute— Hill Dickinson Stadium Bramley Moore Dock, Liverpool L5 9SR