The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2026

Published: Thu 16th Jul 26

This Order modifies the list of sports grounds in England that require a safety certificate under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.

It designates the Crown Oil Arena in Rochdale and the LNER Community Stadium in York as requiring certificates following the promotion of their resident football clubs to the Football League.

Conversely, it removes the designation for Holker Street in Barrow and the Football Stadium in Harrogate because their resident clubs are no longer members of that league.

These changes apply to the stadium owners, occupying sports clubs, and the local authorities responsible for issuing safety certificates.

Arguments For

The order states that the Secretary of State is of the opinion that conditions in section 1(1) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 are satisfied regarding spectator capacity.
The document notes that Rochdale AFC and York City FC have been promoted to the Football League Limited and occupy grounds with capacities exceeding 5,000, requiring formal designation for safety oversight.
The document explains that Barrow AFC and Harrogate Town AFC have been relegated and are no longer members of the Football League Limited, justifying their removal from this specific regulatory schedule.

Arguments Against

Local authorities or clubs may face administrative burdens or costs associated with obtaining and maintaining the safety certificates mandated by new designations.
Legal analysts might note that the designation relies on the Secretary of State's opinion of stadium capacity rather than a strictly automated or independent verification process.
Some parties might question the disparity in regulatory requirements between clubs based on league membership rather than purely on physical ground capacity.

Citation, commencement and extent

-(1) This Order may be cited as the Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2026, and comes into force on 6th August 2026.

(2) This Order extends to England and Wales.

This section establishes the official name of the order and sets the date it becomes legally active as 6 August 2026.

It specifies that the legal authority of the document applies to the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

Amendments to the Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2015

Schedule 2 (sports grounds designated under article 2(2)) of The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2015 is amended as follows-

(a) omit the entry for Holker Street, occupied by Barrow Association Football Club;
(b) omit the entry for The Football Stadium, occupied by Harrogate Town Association Football Club;
(c) after the entry for Madejski Stadium, occupied by Reading Football Club, insert-

'Crown Oil Arena, Sandy Lane, Rochdale, OL11 5DR Rochdale Association Football Club and Rochdale Hornets Rugby League Football Club';

(d) after the entry for Adams Park, occupied by Wycombe Wanderers Football Club, insert-

'LNER Community Stadium, Kathryn Avenue, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York, YO32 9AF York City Football Club'.

This section updates the list of stadiums that must hold a safety certificate.

It removes the grounds used by Barrow Association Football Club and Harrogate Town Association Football Club from the designated list.

Simultaneously, it adds the Crown Oil Arena (used by Rochdale AFC and Rochdale Hornets) and the LNER Community Stadium (used by York City FC) to the list of grounds requiring certificates.

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