On Monday, The Times sent stadium operators into a spin with its headline ‘Clubs told to meet anti-terrorism plan’ following the publication of the 6th edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds.
Government-funded and published by The Sports Ground Safety Authority, the ‘Green Guide’ is recognised as the ‘gold standard’ for expert advice and technical specifications on ensuring a safe environment during sporting events.
So what’s new?
Containing its first revisions for ten years, updates in this latest edition focus heavily on the need to manage crowd safety in the event of a terrorist attack, following the dreadful incidents outside the Stade de France and at the Manchester Arena.
- As reported by The Times, stadium operators must produce a plan to protect supporters and workers in the event of a terrorist attack either inside or outside the facility, in order to receive a licence in the future
- Stadium operators will be required to look at installing barriers to prevent attacks by cars or vans — and to ensure that they do not block evacuation routes
- Management responsibility is extended from ‘all spectators’ to ‘all people present’ at the ground and includes all ground staff, sub-contracted staff, media personnel, medical providers etc.
- ‘Exceptional egress’ is introduced, to illustrate possible responses to a terrorist threat or attack occurring inside or outside the ground. One example given is ‘invacuation’ – where the stadium is locked down to protect those inside
- New guidance is offered for the movement of people in the area immediately beyond the outer perimeter of the sports ground, an area described as Zone Ex
- There is need to understand, monitor and control crowd densities on circulation routes and acknowledges the useful impact of crowd simulation modelling
- There is a recognition of the increased use of, and dependence on digital technology, such as access control, crowd modelling, CCTV systems and communications
As providers of world-leading accreditation technology for several premier league football clubs, stadium operators and international sporting tournaments, we are happy to talk through any access control or accreditation challenges you may be facing in the wake of these tighter security measures.
Contact us today to find out how we may be able to help or take a look around our website for further information on what we do and who our clients are.
