FSM
Feature
The Ever-Changing Role Of Security At Stadiums
By Theo Nicolaou, Director of SmartSec Solutions
It’s important to empathise with fans. For some, supporting a club is a life’s passion. For others it’s the chance to socialise with friends and family. Yet, it’ll be naïve to ignore that for another group of people they see it as an opportunity to have a drink or two and cause trouble. Regardless, football and sport in general can play a huge part in health and wellbeing and to have that release taken away overnight can leave a void in someone’s life. Therefore, when the time comes for fans to return safely, security personnel will need to adapt to any changed behaviours and display a serious amount of empathy and understanding. Much like workers returning to their office environments, for some time the matchday experience won’t like the one they left behind in March.
If Spanish football is anything to go by, then we could see fans back in UK football stadiums by the end of the year, but not without some serious restrictions. A draft protocol by Spain’s La Liga proposes enforced physical distancing in stands, staggered arrival times and registration for those who want tickets. It also recommends supporters avoid embracing and slapping hands. According to the draft, fans will have to sign up in advance, provide ID and details of any health conditions. A club will then decide who gets tickets based on the numbers and the size of the stadium. There will be no away supporters. Fans will be given one of up to five 15-minute slots during which they must arrive at the ground. At the end of the game, fans will leave the ground by row, with those closest to the exits departing first and they will be discouraged from using public transport. It will feel
regimented, and front line workers, such as security, will already be liaising closely with clubs and local forces to prepare for the eventuality of fans returning.
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