# The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2026, Note: Explanatory note


(This note is not part of the Order)
By section 1(1) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 (c. 52) the Secretary of State may designate as a sports ground requiring a safety certificate under that Act any sports ground which, in the Secretary of State’s opinion, has accommodation for more than the specified number of spectators.
By The Safety of Sports Grounds (Accommodation of Spectators) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/499), the specified number of spectators is 5,000 in respect of those sports grounds in England and Wales at which association football matches are played and which are occupied by a club that is a member of the Football League Limited or the Football Association Premier League Limited. Sports grounds meeting these conditions may be designated under article 2(2) of, and Schedule 2 to, The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/661, “the 2015 Order”).
This Order amends the 2015 Order so as to reflect the following recent changes—
As a result of relegation, Barrow Association Football Club and Harrogate Town Association Football Club are no longer members of the Football League Limited.
By virtue of promotion, Rochdale Association Football Club and York City Football Club are members of the Football League Limited occupying sports grounds whose capacity exceed (in the opinion of the Secretary of State) 5,000 spectators.
An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/829/note (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/safety-of-sports-grounds-designation-amendment-england-order-2026/note
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.