Martyn's Law by premises type
Martyn's Law for Sports Grounds
Where this is up to
It's law. Not in force yet. The SIA is already rehearsing.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent in April 2025. The duties are not yet in force: they commence after 3 April 2027, and the SIA says it is working toward spring 2027. The notification rules arrived in July 2026, so you now know what the SIA will ask for. The regulator is running voluntary pilot inspections while it builds the regime; statutory inspections and enforcement start only when the duties do. The work now is recording your scope, your procedures, your staff awareness, and the notification data.
- Apr 2025 The Act received Royal Assent
- Apr 2026 Home Office statutory guidance first published
- Jun 2026 SIA regulatory guidance consultation closed; the final version is due in autumn 2026
- Jul 2026 Notification rules, deadlines, and data requirements published
- Spring 2027 SIA target for commencement; after 3 April 2027, exact date not set
Worth doing now
- Confirm the number behind your tier, and keep the method you used to reach it.
- Draft the four procedures (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication) and brief your team.
- Gather the notification data: responsible people, licences and certificates, and the sites and socials you advertise on.
- Start building records now, so they're there before duties commence.
Sports Grounds
Why access control decides your answer
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Open land may be excluded
Open-access parks, recreation grounds, and pitches without controlled access can fall outside the premises duty. Clubhouses, stands, bars, and fenced areas still need their own assessment.
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Controlled access changes the answer
Turnstiles, ticket checks, gates, stewarded entry, or a fenced perimeter can make the match-day premises much easier to define and count.
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Match-day peaks drive tiering
Expected attendance, staff, stewards, volunteers, teams, contractors, and spectators should be recorded together for ordinary match days and larger recurring fixtures.
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Match-day and event mode differ
A normal fixture, cup tie, awards night, concert, fan zone, or hospitality event may change who controls the site, which areas are in use, and how many people are expected.
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Briefing evidence is central
Steward, volunteer, contractor, and staff briefing evidence may be the most practical way to show procedures are understood.
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Sits alongside Green Guide practice
Martyn's Law does not replace sports-ground safety duties. Duty Room keeps the terrorism-protection evidence record beside your existing match-day safety systems.
Worked example
How capacity adds up for sports grounds
Capacity check
- Spectators
- 170
- Players
- 36
- Coaches and officials
- 11
- Volunteers and bar/catering staff
- 13
- First aid and contractors
- 2
Reasonably expected at the same time
232
Fenced grassroots rugby club match day
A controlled club match with spectators, players, officials, volunteers, staff, and contractors above 200 needs a standard-tier record. An open public pitch without access control may have a different answer, so start with the premises-scope note.
This is a controlled community-club example, not a stadium or designated-ground example. Designated grounds should map Martyn's Law beside their safety-certificate and Green Guide records.
Capacity checker
Your busiest moment is what counts
Sports ground capacity check
Count match-day or event-day use, then keep the result alongside your safety-certificate and operations records.
Source: Home Office capacity methods
The statutory guidance points to supplementary document A for ways to assess the “greatest number of individuals reasonably expected to be present at the same time.” Its example methods are non-prescriptive; whichever you use, include workers, and consider immediate-vicinity areas for procedures rather than the threshold count.
Read supplementary document A →What to keep on file for Sports Grounds
- Premises-scope note explaining open access, controlled access, turnstiles, fenced areas, clubhouses, stands, car parks, and fan zones.
- Capacity assessment for ordinary fixtures, large fixtures, non-sport events, players, officials, staff, stewards, volunteers, spectators, and contractors.
- Procedure pack covering gates, stands, concourses, hospitality, changing areas, queues, exits, and public-address communication.
- Steward and volunteer awareness records with fixture dates and briefing owners.
- Exercise or debrief log after drills, incidents, or major fixtures.
- Notification data sheet: the general safety certificate or regulated-stand certificate with its dates and issuing authority (the notification asks for these directly), the club or company details of everyone with control, and the peak-number method for ordinary and large fixtures.
- Enhanced-tier document and senior individual record where expected numbers reach 800 or more.
Martyn's Law resources for Sports Grounds
Martyn's Law questions for Sports Grounds
Are sports grounds enhanced tier by default?
No. Enhanced tier depends on whether 800 or more people may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. Many sports grounds will need a careful, documented assessment.
Do stewards and players count?
The assessment includes individuals expected to be present at the same time. Record how players, officials, stewards, volunteers, staff, contractors, and spectators were treated.
Are open council pitches in scope?
Open-access pitches and recreation grounds can be excluded where there is no controlled premises. Assess any clubhouse, stand, bar, fenced area, or controlled event separately.
Does Duty Room replace Green Guide or match-day safety systems?
No. Duty Room keeps the Martyn's Law evidence layer that sits beside your existing sports-ground safety, stewarding, and event-control records. If a small grass-bank or community club has no safety certificate and does not work to the Green Guide, Martyn's Law does not require you to start one; you keep the Martyn's Law record on its own.
What is a designated sports ground?
For sports-ground safety certification, designation is generally for grounds with accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, or more than 5,000 spectators for England and Wales Premier League or Football League grounds. Those venues should map Martyn's Law alongside the safety certificate, operations manual, Green Guide practice, and any enhanced-tier assessment.
Who is responsible: the club, landlord, council, or event organiser?
It depends on who controls the premises or event for the relevant use. Many grounds involve a club, a landowner or council, a stewarding contractor, and event organisers, so the record should name who controls what and how they coordinate rather than assume a single answer.
Do volunteer stewards need formal training?
There is no statutory requirement to buy a specific course. People who may have to carry out the procedures do need to be made aware of them, so a dated steward and volunteer briefing record is usually the most practical evidence.
Compare another Martyn's Law scenario
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Hotels
Rooms, events, departments, night operations, and evidence across mixed-use hotels.
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Pubs and bars
Big-match peaks, beer gardens, door teams, function rooms, and staff-awareness records.
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Exhibition and conference venues
Venue, organiser, exhibitor and contractor handovers in one evidence trail.
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Cinemas
Staggered showtimes, packed foyers, and who is in the building at once.
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Community venues and halls
Recurring hires, volunteers, and the committee minute behind the call.
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Music Venues
A full room with the lights down, plus crew and security working it.
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Places of Worship
Service peaks, the place-of-worship rule, and volunteer awareness.
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Restaurants and cafes
Covers, terraces, private dining, and the staff who push a busy service past 200.
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Shops and retail
Peak footfall, seasonal staff, and surge days like Black Friday, not annual totals.
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Theatres
Seated houses, foyers, backstage crew, and evacuating mid-performance.
Duty Room is operational compliance software: workflows, checklists, and evidence. It is not a substitute for professional legal, regulatory, or compliance advice. You are responsible for understanding and meeting the obligations that apply to your business.