‘An important step towards sustainability’
The FA has announced that approval has been reached with the Government and the Sports Ground Safety Authority for non-league clubs to admit spectators on the same principles as elite clubs, in a move which could prove to be a vital lifeline to struggling sides.
The change means that clubs throughout non-league can now admit up to 4,000 spectators (in Tier 1 areas) or 2,000 (in Tier 2 areas), or 50% of their capacity, whichever is lower. In Tier 3 areas clubs are now able to admit 15% of their capacity.
While the move will allow clubs at Step 3 of non-league and below to admit more spectators, there are still hurdles to overcome to ensure the sustainability of clubs at all levels.
Adrian Seddon, chair of the board at fan-owned FC United of Manchester told us: "We welcome the move to allow us to... raise our capacity to a level appropriate to our circumstances. This is an important step for us towards sustainability at a time when we are operating at 18% of our average crowd from last season and with no ability to raise revenue through food and beverage sales"
