GROUND FORCE
Clubs rush to root out dangerous cladding
FOOTBALL clubs across the country have begun carrying out inspections to see if their stadiums have been built using the kind of cladding thought to have contributed to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
As revealed by Sportsmail yesterday, the government-appointed Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) wrote to all 92 Premier League and EFL clubs after the blaze which killed dozens, asking them to check if the material was present at their venues.
The type of cladding at Grenfell Tower has been in use since the mid-2000s. It was installed in 2015 at the Kensington tower block in which at least 80 people are thought to have perished.
This newspaper identified 61 clubs who have either moved to a new stadium or refurbished their grounds since 2000 asking if they had carried out inspections and for the results of those examinations. Many chose not to respond.
Brighton and Hove Albion say they have identified cladding at their Amex Stadium made by the manufacturer that supplied Grenfell Tower.
Officials, however, say all the materials comply with building regulations and pointed out that a football stadium could not be compared with a tower block, adding that they have sophisticated fire detection and suppression systems, 24-hour staff and multiple escape routes in emergencies.
West Bromwich Albion have identified a potential problem at the Hawthorns which they say is in a small area no more than two metres high. Club officials are speaking to experts to find out whether action is needed.
Watford say cladding is present at Vicarage Road and are undertaking ‘a full of review of fire and safety’ to establish if they also need to take action.
Manchester united say they believe there are no concerns at Old Trafford but are using fire engineers to carry out checks. Arsenal are yet to find similar cladding at the Emirates but say checks are continuing.
Across north London, Tottenham say the facade of their new stadium, now being built next to White Hart Lane, will not feature cladding.
Officials at Wembley say they carried out a review in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze and found no similar materials were present.
Further down the leagues, a number of clubs have already staged inspections and will be making further enquiries.
Sportsmail has seen an email from the EFL to their clubs making them aware of yesterday’s story, informing them they may be contacted by this newspaper and suggesting that, if they have not already ruled out the presence of such cladding, they should point out that they ‘will review fire risk assessments and, if required, will take the appropriate and necessary action at the earliest possible opportunity’.
Several clubs, including Gillingham and Plymouth, opted to use this response verbatim.
In 1985, 56 people were killed when a fire broke out at Bradford City’s Valley Parade.
The stadium has undergone a transformation since then and the West Yorkshire club say no issues with cladding have been unearthed at previous annual inspections.
A spokesman said they have asked surveyors to extend their comments on the fire resistance of the cladding which is in place when they inspect again in July.
Other clubs who confirmed that their stadiums contained no ‘Grenfell-type’ cladding include Manchester City, Aston Villa, Hull City, Fulham, West Ham united, Stoke City and Leeds united.
Ken Scott, the SGSA’s chief inspector, pointed out that sports stadiums presented a different case from apartment blocks in that people did not sleep there overnight.
However, he did state that football clubs should not be complacent.