Safety at sports grounds

The Council is committed to upholding its statutory duties in safeguarding its citizens and others in the Districts sports grounds, designated under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 (as amended) and the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987. Sports grounds are defined as a place where sports or other competitive activities take place in the open air, where accommodation has been provided for spectators, consisting of artificial structures or natural structures artificially modified for the purpose.

Designated Grounds

Under the provisions of the Sports Act, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport may require a safety certificate for any sports ground that has accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, or 5,000 in the case of Premier League and Football League grounds in England and Wales. These are referred to as designated grounds.

There are two designated grounds within the District; The Northern Commercials Stadium at Valley Parade, Bradford and Odsal Stadium, Bradford.

The Secretary of State de-designated Cougar Park, Keighley on 1 October 2015 as part of a national review and as a result of its reduced capacity.

Regulated Stands

Under the 1987 Sports Act, a Regulated Stand is defined as any covered stand at a sports ground with accommodation for 500 or more spectators, whether seating or standing.

There are three regulated stands within the District at Odsal Stadium, Bradford; Cougar Park, Keighley and Horsfall playing fields, Bradford.

Click on the links below to view the General and Special Safety Certificates for designated sports grounds. 

Please note that the certification of sports grounds is a dynamic process so from time to time, certificates are amended or renewed so this page may not contain the most up to date details.

If you have any enquiries with regard to sports ground safety or ground certification, please contact Building Control.