The Ever-Changing Role Of Security At Football Stadiums
By Theo Nicolaou, director of SmartSec Solutions
It’s important to empathise with football 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.
Handling security of empty football stadiums is the same as handling security of empty buildings. The fundamentals are the same and forward thinking is key. None of us know how long this is going to go on for so health and safety risk assessments whilst buildings are at low occupancy levels to ensure a safe return for fans and employees is vital.
What this demonstrates is that the security industry has also been fundamentally changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst football fans would previously turn to security to ‘step in’ if trouble was afoot, they will now rely on security to keep them safe in more ways than one, not least from a health and safety perspective.
Strong customer service skills and a personable approach will be key. These are sensitive times and security officers need to be properly trained on how to handle them. People flouting the rules need to be treated firmly, but with respect. We have ensured that all our officers have undertaken Covid-19 training to understand the main social distancing practices but also how to police them sensitively but confidently. Social distancing guidance will change as Government advice changes and there will also be Club-specific rules both within and outside stadiums, especially if public transport is in close proximity. Good customer service skills, including the ability to manage difficult and aggressive people, is a constant.
The role of the security officer has moved from being invisible and seen by some as unskilled to being rightly recognised as a critical worker in the fight against the pandemic. Our security officers have been on the front-line throughout this time. But the industry itself has also changed – and will continue to change. The key now is how to best adapt and plan for the future.
People have been in lockdown for a long time and when they return to football stadiums it will be a completely different experience to the one pre-pandemic. Some people will understand that and follow the new rules without question. Others will find this challenging and push back, especially if they’ve had a drink or are being egged on by their peers. It’s easy to see a situation where people may become aggressive and it will often be the security officer who has to manage these issues. Empathy will be important. But at the end of the day, security personnel will always look to keep everyone safe.
