Following the recent court case, in respect of a Prohibition Notice served on SWFC by Sheffield City Council, the court ruled that the wording of the notice was technically incorrect and so invalid.
Sheffield City Council has agreed not to immediately reissue a new notice on the understanding that the club provides formal alternative proposals to the Safety Advisory Group. These proposals include a crowd dynamics report regarding the Leppings Lane forecourt, entrances and exits in addition to a stewarding plan and risk assessment.
The club have completed these proposals and will present to the council at the earliest available opportunity - on Wednesday, 22 January. In the interim, we have agreed to maintain the status quo for this Saturday’s home fixture with Blackburn Rovers, meaning the current entry/egress arrangements will remain as per the former Prohibition Notice. While these discussions are ongoing no further tickets will be available for the North Stand.
The Prohibition Notice incorporates the following areas of the stadium:
• Leppings Lane turnstiles 1-10 that provide access for home supporters to the North Stand from the Leppings Lane forecourt
• Leppings Lane exit gates 1 and 2 that provide egress for home supporters from the North Stand to the Leppings Lane forecourt
• The blue gate adjacent to exit gate 6A that provides access and egress for home supporters in the South Stand from and to the Leppings Lane forecourt
The club would like to thank supporters and local residents for your ongoing patience throughout this process. Public safety remains the priority and all parties are hopeful of agreeing and implementing a revised strategy for the long term in due course.