Stadium Accreditation Criteria - What's required for your club?
If your club operates directly below the English Football League System (EFL League 2), it forms part of the National League system (NLS) which spans from the National League through to the various county leagues across the country. The full National League System is made up of 84 divisions across 57 leagues and is broken down into 6 different steps.
Your step within the NLS is dependent on your current position within it and defines your ground grading provided by the FA. This is a series of requirements that your ground must meet to compete at your given level, the standards of which change as you progress through the leagues. The Pitching In Isthmian League forms 4 divisions across both grades 3 (Premier League) and grades 4 (North Division, South Central Division and South East Division) of this criteria.
The assessments procedure for the NLS is carried out by the Premier League Stadium Fund (PLSF) through StadiumPower, a new digital database which will log the standard of your club's facilities against the ground grading criteria of your division. Introduced in 2023, this new assessment method is intended to provide consistency in assessing stadia with an easily accessible digital record highlighting where your ground may need to improve and assisting with any funding applications to the PLSF.
HOW WILL MY ASSESSMENT WORK?
Your relevant FA Operational Committee (Steps 1 to 4) will highlight which teams are to be assessed each season. However, they may ask the PLSF to visit a club's ground should they believe that there may be any issues. A Stadium Accreditation Assessor will visit your ground to look at your current facilities and meet with members of both the club and the league. Accreditation decisions will no longer be provided on the day, instead, it is reviewed by the FA who will issue their decision via StadiumPower sent directly to your Club Secretary. If approved, your accreditation for that grade will last for three years.
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WHAT IF WE NEED CHANGES?
If further changes are required, clubs can submit for a 'change request' via StadiumPower, these changes may be accepted or additional inspections may be required by the Premier League Stadium Fund to be signed off in person.
WHAT DOES MY CLUB NEED?
Clubs should consider future proofing any new facilities to ensure they not only meet their required ground grading criteria for the current level but also plan for the levels above. Should your club achieve promotion, the deadline for your ground to comply with the ground grading criteria of your new division is by the 31st March the following year. The full guidance can be found on the Stadium Accreditation Criteria published by the FA, which covers what is needed for your grade from ground capacity to pitch requirements, below is a summary for clubs operating within the Pitching In Isthmian League (grades 03 & 04).
CAPACITY:
As your club progresses through the National League System, the required capacity of your ground will also increase with the need to accommodate approximately double your capacity from entering the Isthmian League to entering the National League North or South. All capacity calculations are administered by a competent person using the ‘Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds’ (Green Guide).
- Grade 2: (National League North & South): 3,000 capacity, 500 covered, 250 seated (any bench seating will not be counted towards any covered seating calculation).
- Grade 3: (Isthmian League Premier): 1,950 capacity, 500 covered, 250 seated (4 press seats required and it must be demonstratable that supporters can be effectively segregated and you can increase this to 3,000 in the future).
- Grade 4: (Isthmian League North, South Central and South East): 1,300 capacity, 300 covered, 150 seated (2 press seats required).
- Grade 5: No minimum capacity, 200 covered, 100 seated.
CLUBHOUSE:
- All clubs must have a clubhouse either within your site boundary or adjacent to the ground to provide refreshments and WC facilities, for both home and away spectators.
- Provision must also be made for visiting players, officials and match officials, It is acceptable if these areas are provided within concourses.
DIRECTORS AND GUESTS:
- To provide for your Club Directors, Committee Members and any guests, clubs should provide a minimum of 10 seats for both home and away directors in a prominent position within the main stand.
- A separate facility offering refreshments must also be provided through a separate room or partition of area accommodating a minimum of 20 people.
CAR PARKING:
- For grades 3 to 7, car parking facilities are required either on or adjacent to the ground and car parking may not be acceptable if this compromises the admission or safety of spectators.
BOUNDARY:
- Grounds must be three sided as a minimum and it must be possible for spectators to view the match.
- Clubs need to ensure that the match cannot be viewed from outside the ground, through erecting barriers of solid construction at a minimum height of 1.7 m.
- An area of hard standing of 900mm in width should surround the pitch for access/ circulation.
ACCESS & TURNSTILES:
- It is advised that any new or upgraded facilities accommodates for all users in accordance with the 2010 Equality Act and Approved Document M of the 2010 Building Regulations. This includes providing suitable entrances and exits, access around the ground, specific wheelchair accessible viewing areas and accessible WCs.
- Turnstiles – Clubs should consider turnstiles for both home and away supporters
- Three turnstiles are required for grades 3 and 2 are required for grade 4, within well-lit areas.
- Barcode readers are accepted depending if an emergency exit procedure is in place.
- Exits - clubs must also provide clearly signed exits, unobstructed emergency services access and consider emergency lighting.
- PA System - Your club must have a public address system which can be heard by all spectators during a match.
WALKWAYS:
- Your club must provide a safe walkway for players and match officials from the dressing room to the field of play.
- For grades 3 and 4, there is a recommendation for all grounds to implement a safe walkway for players and match officials using protection designed products through the use of permanent structures or retractable tunnels.
PITCH:
- The pitch must accord to the minimum dimensions of 100m X 64m.
- All pitches must have a maximum gradient of a 1:41 falls, however, if installing new or making significant changes to your existing pitch, the design must follow the FA Pitch Performance Quality Standard for natural grass pitches.
- If installing an artificial grass pitch this must be to FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf and FIFA Quality Performance Standards.
- Consideration should be given to that FIFA Quality Pro Standard Certificated 3G Football Turf pitches are required for grade 2.
PITCH PERIMETER BARRIER:
- A solid infilled pitch perimeter barrier is required which is either fixed at a height of 1.1m or a continuous A-Frame is accepted in front of a standing terrace.
- There must also be a 1.83m minimum run off area between the touchline/ goal line and the pitch perimeter barrier.
- Any area in front of spectator seating may have an alternative barrier as long as it can be shown that no one can stand within this area to watch the match.
DUGOUTS:
- Covered dugouts clearly demarked for both home and away teams are necessary, these should be a minimum of 3m apart and on the same side of the pitch.
- They can be portable as long as they are fixed when in use.
- These must accommodate a minimum of 8 people seated. However, for grade 2 seating for 11 people is required which must be in place ahead of the start of the following season.
FLOOD LIGHTING:
- All flood lights must be to the average Lux rating of 120.
- If installing new flood lights, these must be to British Standards and have an average rating of 200.
- These are tested every 2 years and are retested if any work is carried out which may affect a previous reading.
CHANGING FACILITIES:
- Grades 2 to 4 of the Stadium Accreditation Criteria states that players changing rooms must have a minimum floor area of 18m2.
- 4 separate showers, a toilet and washbasin are also required which are excluded from the area calculation of the Changing Room.
- A Medical Room must also be provided with easy access to the changing rooms (not directly from them) that can be used by both players and spectators.
- A separate Medical Room is required for those looking to achieve Grade 2.
- For Match Officials, separate changing areas for male and female officials with a minimum floor area of 6m2 excluding the separate shower and toilet cubicle that must also be provided is required to meet grades 2 - 4.
TOILET PROVISION:
- There must be an adequate number of toilet facilities according to the capacity of that specific area of the ground. Refer to the Sports Ground Safety Authority - Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds for further guidance.
- Whilst the below is a guideline, it is encouraged to also consider disabled users and facilities for young families and children.
- When segregation is in place there must be a suitable number of facilities for all and must be in addition to any toilet facilities provided in your clubhouse.
- For those seeking to achieve grades 2 and 3, four urinals and two WCs are required within for male spectators with two WCs required for female spectators.
- Two men’s urinals are required for those looking to achieve grade 4 of the Ground Grading Criteria with two WCs required for female spectators.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
We are an award-winning architectural practice based in Guildford, Surrey, with over 35 years of experience across various sectors, including sports.
We have extensive experience in all the key components of football stadium design including stands and terraces, hospitality spaces, changing rooms, pitch design, gyms and studios, across all stages from feasibilities and masterplans to design, planning, construction and project management, stretching back over 30 years.
We would be happy to have a chat to see how we can assist your club to unlock its potential. Please feel free to contact me directly at 01483 301661, or email at opullan@lytle-associates.com.
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