Meeting 143
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Minutes of the hundred and forty third meeting of the Football Licensing Authority held on 8 October 2007 at Ascot racecourse

Present

Mr AJ Speed - Chairman
Mr B Batson
Miss P Carvell
Dr J Dickie
Mr J Garner
Ms J Summerell
Mr J Woodrow
Mr J R K de Quidt  - Chief Executive

In attendance

Mr KD Sears
Mrs N A Rutherford

 

Apologies were received from Dr B Robertson

1          Minutes of the previous meeting

1.1       The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed by the Chairman.
 
2          Matters arising

2.1       Members repeated their wish that, when the FLA’s role and powers were extended, it should be renamed the Spectator Safety Authority rather than the Sports Ground Safety Authority.

            Action: The Chief Executive to put this to DCMS.

3          Chief Executive’s reports            (FLA(07) 22) (23)  (24)       

3.1       In discussion of the reports the following items were raised:

3.1.1   The revision of the 4th edition of the Green Guide was progressing. Comments from the public consultation exercise were being considered by the editorial group. It was envisaged the revised draft would be circulated to the Board in sections so as to avoid Members having to absorb and approve the entire text at one time.

3.1.2   Fans standing in seated areas continued to be a major problem.  In discussion the following points were made:
           

  • While it was a legal requirement for a ground to only admit spectators to seated accommodation there was no such requirement to make fans sit.  This was was covered under ground regulations and any breaches should be controlled by the football authorities.
  • Consideration should be given to a change in legislation to bring this issue directly under the remit of FLA. 

 

  • The perceived lack of progress in resolving this issue was both undermining the FLA’s position and damaging its reputation. There appeared to be no appetite by any organisation to solve the problem.
  • The FLA should collate evidence to counter any argument to reinstate standing.

 

            The Chairman responded with the following statement which he asked to be recorded in full:

‘Whilst I find myself agreeing with all that has been said.

We must continue to work with our partners in the leagues, clubs and local authorities and our view remains that it is safer for spectators to sit down. The FLA is however a government funded NDPB and it’s my job as Chairman to ensure that we avoid trying to micro-manage or being placed in a position where we are seen as leading any sort of campaign - This will result in the FLA being regarded as merely another pressure group at a time when Government are resistant to greater regulation and when fire and safety legislation is moving away from prescription towards a risk management model.

I refer you all back to the strategy discussed at this meeting last year. The aim was to arrive at a point where the licence is “Risk Assessment” based rather than prescriptive. In parallel with the new fire safety risk assessments which have replaced fire safety certificates based on prescription.

It is my view that the FLA’s role in the persistent standing issue should in future be focused on helping clubs and local authorities get the risk management right (through technical and practical guidance etc) on a club by club, match by match basis rather than a micro-management instructive approach where we have a central view of the issue and try to make clubs/local authorities conform.

This is entirely in accord with the legal advice we obtained last year on where the liability lies in the event of a serious incident and which we passed on to the clubs and local authorities. They have the responsibility and their risk assessments should not be a mere academic exercise. The FLA should not be acting as a safety net by giving instructions or leading campaigns because the liability then shifts from the clubs and local authorities to us and through us to Government.

So whilst agreeing entirely with the principal that fans should be seated I am of the view that neither Government nor the FLA should intervene on the persistent standing issue.

Thinking more widely - it seems to me that the persistent standing issue is a good test case for how the FLA might deal with similar issues in the future especially once we get our expanded advice giving powers. It fits well with the aim of getting the clubs and local authorities to take more responsibility through the risk assessment process.
In this model the FLA will make sure that the club/local authority has the tools to do the job (i.e. manage the risks and have the systems in place to make sound decisions) but not get into a position where it effectively takes the decisions for them.

It’s my hope that the FLA will find this strategy useful.’
           
            It was agreed:

  • At the next meeting the Board would agree how this strategy should be taken forward.

 

  • The Inspectors’ match day report should include a new section titled key issues to be brought to the attention of the Board, this would include evidence of standing and the consequences.
  • The FLA should expand its present electronic press cuttings contracts to include traditional press cuttings.  Members wished to receive cuttings of key issues.

 

Action: Mrs Rutherford to update matchday form
              Mr Sears to arrange press cuttings

4          Any other business

4.1       Regular Board meetings were essential to the organisation.  It was therefore agreed that the Board would meet every month. Cancellations would require a collective decision.   The Chief Executive would circulate a draft agenda two weeks prior to the meeting to which items could be added by Members.

            Action: The Chief Executive to circulate draft agenda

 

 

4.1.1   The dates for meeting in 2008:

Tuesday 8th January             Tuesday 1st July
Tuesday 12th February                     Tuesday 5th August
Wednesday 12th March*                8th/9th September joint meeting
Tuesday 15th April*                         Tuesday 14th October
Tuesday 13th May                             Tuesday 11th November
Tuesday 10th June                            Tuesday 9th December
* denotes changes in dates

4.1.2   Consideration would be given to identifying guest speakers who could be invited to speak at future Board meetings.

4.2       Members expressed a wish to visit clubs either on a matchday or non-matchday. It was agreed that Mrs. Rutherford would provide dates of Inspectors intended visits. It was important that Inspectors update their diaries regularly. They would be reminded to do so at the next inspectors’ meeting. The Office Manager would be asked to investigate whether Members could receive a copy of the diary electronically.

            Action: Mrs. Rutherford to provide dates of match/ground visits.

  The Chief Executive to remind inspectors to update their
   diaries regularly.

   The Office Manager to investigate practicalities of sending
   diary electronically.

5          Date of the next meeting

5.1       The next meeting would take place on Tuesday 13 November at 10.30am

 

FLA Secretariat
October 2007

 

Signed

Date


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