Hi
Changed my name to be a little more appropriate to my Health and Safety role. We are doing some articles for the programme, one has already been in, another on Saturday I think. Will try to explain all the parties involved in making up the safety certificate, and how we got to the situation football is in, There are loads of factors and they go far beyond the club or even the council. The basic issue is that when you have a ground of this quality you cannot cherry pick the bits you like and the bits you do not, however much you disagree.
The regs if you choose to follow the best practice route (and to be honest it is unlikely that a certificate would be issued to any new £6.5m stadium that tried to be anything less) are national and allow us to move to conference level with only a extension of the dug outs required. I think as one example Margate had to move grounds and eventually had to accept not being promoted because the ground was not up to it a few years ago.
The idea that safety, standards and comfort is not dependant on the standard of football you watch is a brave one to follow, and obviously not always fully appreciated. I merely brought up a couple of things in discussion. I am looking through the Safety certificate at the moment, its actually issued under the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sports Act 1987, so this ratchatcher has no chance of changing anything and was quite correctly told that.
Any questions on what can be brought in or not to the ground is in the ground regs, thats the best answer I can give. (I know it does not mention Crack coccaine!)
We are one of the few teams at step 4 set up like we are, but everyone seems to know about us and something must be right as it has been announced that Princes Park has been shortlisted as a possible 2012 training venue.
At a recent meeting of Safety Officers, the Football Supporters Federation gave a talk on safe standing, very strong reactions from the top clubs, then it went into Rock concerts at football stadiums, beer, crowd surfing etc and how fans are being treated unfairly when compared to other audiences, not the case with bottle tops, as they take them off you at all events, not just football (well concerts anyway). To get both sides of the arguement of how football grounds are run and licensed its probably good to look at the websites of the Football Licencing Authority and the Football Supporters federation.
Well thats killed that thread!
One question: Banksy - what are you studying!!!
Cheers
Paul
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