We all work in a $1.1 trillion industry, so when COVID-19 hit it meant more than just stopping matches. Jobs came under threat as games and leagues were postponed or cancelled across the world. Here at Accredit Solutions, we wanted to do our part to help the sporting world get up and running as fast as possible safely and sustainably, so at the start of the pandemic we reached out to many of our clients both in the UK and abroad and put a plan together to develop Accredit-GO, our pandemic response suite aimed at helping our clients return to running events in a safe and secure manner, both behind closed doors and with spectators back in the stadiums.
Accredit-GO leveraged our award-winning accreditation and facility management software. Built specifically to help those responsible for major events to comply with local and national COVID-19 regulations through the collection of health data and documents, and to get back to hosting live events in a safe, efficient and sustainable manner.
Since the launch, Accredit-GO has been rolled out by the National Basketball League, trialled by several Premier Football teams and earlier this year used at the British Academy Film & Television Awards and the BRIT Awards in London. Further afield Cricket Australia implemented it for their 2020/21 season across 9 cities at stadiums including Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney Cricket Ground, and Adelaide Oval.
Reopening cricket in Australia
Back in June 2021, Cricket Australia took part in an ESSMA e-workshop about their experiences during COVID-19 and how they approached working in the new normal. They needed to find a way to protect an expected 10,000 staff and contractors spread across 161 matches in 9 different cities. To achieve this they focused on 3 priority areas:
- Communicating the new policies and operating models effectively to staff
- Collecting individual data of staff working at a match as well as being able to pinpoint specific entry and exit times
- Controlling entry based on a series of criteria that ensures the safety of all staff, contractors and fans
The solution
With their priorities clearly defined, Cricket Australia approached us and with Accredit-GO being a natural fit we quickly rolled it out to meet their priorities. Accredit-GO allowed them to:
1. Educate their staff
Legislation and best practices were constantly changing and these changes needed to be communicated to every staff member and contractor. Video tutorials covering new procedures were embedded into the system, with smart technology preventing skipping to the end, along with mandatory tick boxes ensuring confirmation of the new terms and conditions.
A new classification was added of “Pre-approved” to allow oversight of who had and who hadn’t completed their compulsory training.
2. Enhance data collection
Staff and contractors were invited to provide appropriate medical information, COVID-19 test results, and later vaccination certificates, on top of the standard set of accreditation information. Staff were only able to provide this information on the day they were meant to be working to minimise the chance of developing symptoms before coming onsite.
3. Control access
A new pre-approved category was added to ensure staff couldn’t gain access before submitting all mandatory information and completing the training. This, along with replacing the barcodes for encoded secure QR codes allowed Cricket Australia to grant access only when all accreditation conditions had been met.
Onsite capacities were managed by controlling who had access when. Track and trace was implemented by recording exactly who has been where when and with whom. With exit scanning in place, Cricket Australia now had a complete overview of who had entered, in which part they had been, and who had left. This allowed for 100% tracking, invaluable should a COVID-19 instance appear at one of the games.
The result
Accredit-GO allowed Cricket Australia to run all 161 matches across 9 cities and deliver a complete season. Despite the threat COVID-19 posed, all but 5 matches were held with fans in attendance, a unique position when many other leagues across the world were behind closed doors, postponed or cancelled.
In short, Cricket Australia met their priorities and delivered a safe and successful season for their staff, players and fans. Emily Bartlett, from Cricket Australia, said “The Accredit Platform has allowed us to flex our procedures in different states and cities, and adhere to our strict bio-security plan to keep Australian venues safe and covid-free. The ability to collect daily health data via QR code and conduct video inductions before arrival has really delivered a very streamlined accreditation experience for everyone involved.”
For more information on the Accredit Platform and how we can help you ensure a safe environment for your staff and contractors please get in touch.
