Martyn’s Law

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn’s Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April. This important legislation aims to boost safety and preparedness across the UK by requiring certain venues and events to have clear plans in place should a terrorist incident occur.

What’s Changing? 

If your premises can hold more than 200 people, you’ll be required to:

Notify a new government regulator, and put in place simple, practical procedures for staff to follow in the event of a terrorist attack, either at your location or nearby.

How the RYA is Representing you

The RYA has been working alongside the Sport and Recreation Alliance to make sure this law is proportionate and practical—especially for smaller sport clubs and venues.

Thanks to this input, we’re pleased to see that several recommendations have been adopted, and we will continue to engage with the Government on this law as we move forward.

What should your club do now?

• Don’t panic—the Act isn’t expected to come into force for at least 24 months.
• Wait for official guidance—this will be issued once a new regulator is established.
• Expect low-cost requirements—think basic risk assessments and staff awareness training, not major security overhauls or new equipment.

So far, no third-party products or services have been endorsed by the Home Office or National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), and we advise clubs to be wary of unsolicited compliance offers.

We’ll keep you updated as more details become available. In the meantime, we recommend following updates from ProtectUK and Gov.UK

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as “Martyn’s Law” received Royal Assent on 3 April and aims to improve security and organisational preparedness across the UK by requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack. 

Under the Act, premises capable of accommodating more than 200 individuals will be required to notify the new regulator and have in place appropriate procedures which should be followed by people working at the premises if an act of terrorism occurred in the premises or nearby.

RYA Lobbying 

The RYA, in conjunction with the Sports and Recreation Alliance, has worked closely with the Government to ensure the new legislation is proportionate and does not adversely affect smaller clubs and sports venues.

A number of our recommendations have been taken on board and we are awaiting further guidance on how the legislation will be implemented. At this stage there are a number of details to be finalised and it should be noted that neither the Home Office nor the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) have endorsed any third-party products or providers in respect of compliance with this legislation. Further guidance will be available when more details are known.

What does this mean for your club? 

It is expected that the Act will take at least 24 months to come into force as the Government intends to establish a regulator and clubs should await the publication of guidance. 

The new requirements are expected to be simple and low cost and will likely include carrying out risk assessments and training staff, with no need for physical alterations to premises or the purchase of special equipment.  It is not expected that any third-party products or services would be required by the vast majority of premises and clubs should be cautious of any third-parties offering compliance services.

The RYA will provide further updates when more information is made available by the Government. For further information, clubs may wish to follow Protect UK and Gov.UK.