Burnley issue warning about persistent standing at Turf Moor ahead of the new season

Vincent Kompany’s side kick off the new season on Friday night when they host reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

On the eve of the new campaign, the Clarets have released a statement to address the issue, warning a failure to comply could result in club sanctions or partial closures of the stadium.

Following recent inspections of the ground, it’s claimed the main area of concern relates to the lower tier of the North Stand.

“Supporters play a vital role on matchdays and we encourage passion from the crowd, however we do require fan support and co-operation regarding ground safety,” the Clarets said in a statement.

“Recent inspections by licensing officers of The Sports Ground Safety Authority – the body responsible for the issuing of licenses to sports grounds for all football matches played in England and Wales – have formally highlighted to the football club an issue of ‘persistent standing’ in the North stand, particularly in blocks 2,3 and 4 of the North Lower.

“They have described the term ‘persistent’ as situations where individuals in seated areas stand for prolonged periods of time rather than during short periods of play where it could be deemed unnatural to remain seated.”

The club go on to state they must be “rigorous” in upholding the all-seater conditions of legislation to provide safety for all spectators.

“In addition to the need to meet these licensing conditions, some of our supporters in these areas have complained to the club because they simply cannot stand for long periods due to age and/or health problems or are unable to see if they are located at the back of the stand,” the Clarets add.

“As a club we appreciate that at times of increased excitement supporters will stand.

“However, we urge all supporters to continue to be considerate of their actions, especially as the potential exists for the licensing authorities to reduce the capacity in the North Lower stand, should the situation not improve.

“Burnley Football Club look forward to your continued co-operation during the upcoming season, and as always, our team will be busy ensuring that all supporters have the best possible experience of a Turf Moor matchday."