Bolton have been given the go-ahead to stage matches at the University of Bolton Stadium until the end of the season by the region’s safety advisory group (SAG).
The beleaguered Championship club had been placed under a prohibition notice under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 by SAG, comprising of representatives of the local council, police and emergency services.
That was because SAG had deemed fans’ safety would not be guaranteed. However, the club have managed to “reassure” the group, meaning the notice has been lifted.
A spokesperson for SAG said: “We recognise that Bolton Wanderers Football Club is at the heart of our community and this has been a deeply regrettable situation.
“Partners are going above and beyond to put the plans in place to make sure games go ahead.
“Safety and security have always been our primary concern and we are pleased that the club has been able to reassure us that they are able to host the game in a safe manner.”
Last month Bolton’s match against Millwall was placed in doubt because of safety concerns after staff, including stewards and turnstile operators, were not paid their February wages on time. The match did, however, go ahead.
The prohibition notice initially covered Wanderers’ home games against Ipswich this weekend followed by Middlesbrough next Tuesday.
📰 A note from the Chairman. Ken Anderson addresses the club's supporters in his latest column on https://t.co/oVVl0dtnLo. 👉🏻 https://t.co/nLkHzcTfyR #BWFC 🐘🏰 — Bolton Wanderers FC (@OfficialBWFC) April 4, 2019
But SAG said “following rigorous examination”, the club have been able to meet the legal conditions of the general safety certificate.
Wanderers’ under-fire chairman Ken Anderson urged the relegation-threatened club’s supporters to turn out in force as the season reaches its climax, and thanked those who had worked to ensure that the games can go ahead.
In a message to fans on Bolton’s official website, www.bwfc.co.uk, he said: “I would like to thank all the agencies involved as well as the council for their support in this matter.
“I would also like to thank Shaun Harvey and the EFL as well as Michael James (Prescott Business Parks) for their support.”
Meanwhile, Bolton’s players have called upon the Professional Footballers’ Association and the English Football League to intervene over their unpaid wages for last month.
The squad has returned to training after refusing to do so while non-playing staff were waiting to be paid.
In a statement issued to the Bolton News, they said: “We are happy that our actions have resulted in the non-playing staff being paid their March salaries.
“Unfortunately, none of the players or management staff have been paid yet and we have now asked the PFA and Football League to deal with the situation on our behalf.
“We will now be focusing all of our attention on getting a result in Saturday’s huge game against Ipswich.”
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