{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/football-spectators-act-1989/section-9",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/football-spectators-act-1989/section-9.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1989/37",
  "legislation_title": "Football Spectators Act 1989",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/football-spectators-act-1989",
  "path": "section/9",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "9",
  "heading": "Offence of admitting spectators to unlicensed premises.",
  "text": "(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, if persons are admitted as spectators to, or permitted to remain as spectators on, any premises during a period relevant to a designated football match without a licence to admit spectators being in force, any responsible person commits an offence.\n(2) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section it shall be a defence to prove either that the spectators were admitted in an emergency or—\n(a) that the spectators were admitted without his consent; and\n(b) that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of such an offence.\n(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable—\n(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum; or\n(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 9 wholly in force at 1.8.1993 see s. 27(2)(3) and S.I. 1993/1690, art. 2."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/37/section/9",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:45:53.047524+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}