British NFL fans kept safe by Stadium

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • event security
  • Crowd Safety
Posted on 14.01.2020 by Rosie, Stadium

Fans attending NFL games in London over the past two years have been kept safe thanks to Stadium’s security services and HVM barriers.

The fixtures had been held solely at Wembley since the NFL started hosting matches in the UK but, in 2019, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was added as a new venue for certain matches.

This meant Stadium had to come up with a new strategy to help keep fans safe as they travelled to and from the two very different stadiums when the games were held in October and November.

 

The Challenge

Although Stadium had deployed HVM barriers at Wembley before, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium presented a new challenge for the firm.

While Wembley features wide walkways leading up to the stadium, Tottenham’s new ground is located in the middle of narrow residential streets, meaning HVM deployment and crowd control had to be addressed differently for the two stadiums.

Stadium had to assess the road network and the pattern of crowd movement in and around Tottenham’s ground, and work out which roads had to be protected with HVM barriers.

And although Stadium had managed crowds at Wembley before, this did not mean Stadium could simply do what they did the year before.

Stadium needed to reassess their strategy for Wembley to make sure it was still providing the best possible protection for fans on matchdays.

 

The Work

After analysing the roads and the movement of crowds to and from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the firm decided to deploy HVM barriers at four strategic locations for both matches.

And for the two games at Wembley, Stadium deployed barriers at three locations around the perimeter of the ground.

The barriers were put up in the morning before the matches began, and were taken down once all the fans had completely dispersed from the two stadiums.

Each barrier was manned by Stadium staff to ensure steady crowd flow was maintained before and after each game.

 

The Results

More than 120,000 fans attended the two matches held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while more than 168,000 watched the two matches at Wembley.

The barriers and Stadium’s presence ensured all the fans were able to walk to and from both grounds as efficiently as possible, making their experience of the matchday as a whole much more enjoyable.

Fans, especially those attending matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, would sometimes approach security staff manning the barriers asking them what they were for.

It was explained to them that the barriers were used to prevent vehicle ramming attacks while also allowing fans to pass through easily.

Many of the fans who asked were very pleased that the event organiser for NFL had decided to invest in such measures.

Ultimately, the barriers did their job for all four matches – no incidents were recorded and fans were able to arrive at and depart from the two grounds with ease.

ICC Cricket World Cup – Fan safety at Lord’s

  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Perimeter Security
  • Customer Services
  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • Crowd Safety
Posted on 13.08.2019 by Rosie, Stadium

In 2019, Stadium helped protect fans at the iconic ‘Home of Cricket’ – Lord’s – at five key matches during the summer.

Stadium was tasked with providing hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers during four matches in the Cricket World Cup, and the Second Test of the 2019 Ashes between England and Australia.

Stadium has great experience in providing HVM barriers at football matches for many large teams in the UK, as well as at public events such as music festivals and Christmas markets.

However, this was the first time Stadium had deployed its barriers at a cricket ground, which presented a new set of challenges for the firm.

The Challenge

Lord’s Cricket Ground is located in a residential area in Central London, meaning it was very important to work with the needs of local people.

Stadium’s staff had to make sure all fans entering and exiting the ground were kept safe through their HVM barriers, while also ensuring they got in and out as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to those living and working in the area.

There were also challenges relating to the two different styles of matches Stadium was hired to cover.

The Cricket World Cup fixtures were all one-day games, which meant Stadium simply had to make sure everything went right for one day.

But the Ashes fixture – a traditional Test match – ended up lasting for five days, which meant Stadium had to make sure there were enough staff members to cover the five days and to stay vigilant throughout.

Both the Cricket World Cup and The Ashes attracted fans who are not originally from the UK, let alone London.

This meant Stadium’s stewards also needed to have excellent local knowledge about where the nearest Tube stations were, key locations within Lord’s such as the ticket office, and other important information.

The Work

Stadium worked directly with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), who run Lord’s Cricket Ground, to make sure they understood where the chokepoints for people and vehicles were likely to be before, during and after the matches, and therefore where the best places to deploy HVM barriers would be.

After their discussions, Stadium deployed ATG Access Surface Guard barriers at two key strategic points for both matches to allow crowds to flow and provide access to authorised vehicles only.

These were installed on the two roads adjacent to Lord’s cricket ground and both deployments were manned by experienced Stadium staff during each match.

Stadium’s staff also provided help to fans who needed directions to their seats at Lord’s, or to the nearest bus stops and Tube stations when they were leaving the ground.

When the matches had finished, Stadium were able to disassemble the barriers very quickly and pack them away, meaning residents living near the ground were able to get back to normality.

The Results

MCC were very pleased with the fans’ experience at each Cricket World Cup match and the Ashes fixture thanks to Stadium’s professionalism before and during the matches.

Fans were kept safe during every game, and were able to enter and exit the ground smoothly thanks to Stadium’s staff giving them clear guidance.

The barriers made sure no unauthorised vehicles were able to access the perimeter around the ground, and when required, were easily opened up to allow access to authorised vehicles.

And local people were satisfied with the low level of disruption despite the large number of fans attending each fixture.

Fever Tree Championships

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • CSAS Operatives
  • Traffic Management
  • Crowd Safety
Posted on 08.03.2019 by admin, Stadium

The Fever Tree Championships is an annual professional men’s tennis tournament held at Queen’s in West Kensington, and acts as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

This means it regularly attracts many of the world’s best players, who are looking to get used to grass courts before playing at SW19.

In turn, thousands of fans flock to Queen’s to see the players in action, and therefore a high level of security is needed to keep them safe and ensure they have a good time.

Stadium was originally hired by organisers in 2018 to provide services for the tournament, and because of their success, they were hired again in 2019.

 

The Challenge

The Fever Tree Championships is a week-long tournament with play happening all day, and as such requires a comprehensive security plan to ensure everyone is kept safe.

It is located right in the middle of a residential area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, meaning the area is more difficult to secure than sports venues located out-of-town.

It also means residents who are going about their daily lives need to have disruption kept to a minimum while also ensuring fans and players can access the club easily.

Finally, the number of high-profile vehicle ramming attacks towards the end of the 2010s meant Stadium had to make sure Queen’s was safe from this threat.

 

The Work

After assessing Queen’s Club and the roads around it, Stadium decided to deploy hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers at four locations – two at the main entrances to the club, and two at areas of particularly crowded spaces.

Because residents lived within the contained area, their roads effectively became pedestrianised and free of cars inconsiderately parking by their homes.

Within those four deployments, Stadium made sure to have vehicle access points, which allowed authorised vehicles such as emergency vehicles, residents, and tournament staff through.

Stadium’s operatives stayed at the access points at all times to enforce compliance, and were in regular radio contact with tournament organisers to update them on any problems that may have arisen.

Stadium also devised a traffic management plan to ensure congestion was kept to a minimum, and visitors are directed swiftly to the club to enjoy the tournament.

When the tournament finished, Stadium took down the temporary barriers very quickly, meaning residents could get back to normal as soon as possible.

 

The Results

All fans attending the 2018 edition of the Fever Tree Championships were able to have a great time thanks to Stadium’s effective security measures and traffic management plan.

Residents living in close proximity to Queen’s also had a much better time than usual, thanks to Stadium preventing vehicles from driving down, and therefore parking, on their streets.

The tournament ran smoothly all week, which meant Stadium was retained by organisers to provide its services again for the following tournament in 2019.

 

Testimonial

Bill Howell, a Baron’s Court resident, said: “I am pleased to say that, during the whole of the Fever-Tree tennis tournament at Queen’s Club, it was pleasing to note that the team from Stadium – who were responsible for erecting and dismantling the HVM barriers – took the time to consider the residents in Perham Road, with amicable exchanges and procedures discussed in depth.

“As I live practically on top of where the barriers were located by the main entrance, I was impressed after the initial assembly that the disturbance was kept to a minimum – bearing in mind that many sections of the barriers are heavy-duty steel.

“If this company continues to attend these events with this level of consideration and efficiency, it bodes well for both the residents and Queen’s Club in the future.”

BBC Biggest Weekend, War Memorial Park, Coventry

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Park & Ride Management
  • Perimeter Security
  • Car Park Management
  • Crowd Safety
Posted on 24.04.2019 by admin, Stadium

In 2018, Stadium helped keep fans safe at one of the largest music events ever to come to Coventry – BBC The Biggest Weekend.

Stadium was tasked with providing and installing hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers to protect fans attending the two-day festival at War Memorial Park, where the annual Godiva Festival is also held.

Stadium had already been hired by Coventry City Council to provide HVM barriers at previous Godiva Festivals, and its success meant the firm’s services were called upon once again.

 

The Challenge

BBC’s The Biggest Weekend saw a variety of acts play at different locations across the UK. War Memorial Park hosted a Radio 2 event on Sunday May 27, and a Radio 3 event on Monday May 28.

More than 40,000 people headed to the park across the two days due to big names like Liam Gallagher, Snow Patrol and Paloma Faith all performing.

This meant Stadium not only had to make sure all these fans were protected from harm by effective use of temporary HVM barriers, but also had to make sure they entered and exited the park safely and efficiently.

The firm also had to make sure fans using the Park & Ride service at Jaguar Land Rover’s Whitley site had a smooth experience.

An additional challenge came from heavy rainfall the night before, which meant areas of the car park were waterlogged and would have to be avoided by drivers.

 

The Work

Stadium worked with Coventry City Council and the BBC to come up with a bespoke strategy to ensure fans were kept safe and also had a good time.

At the car park, Stadium’s experienced staff visited the site over several times both in advance of the event and on the weekend. This was done to ensure the accessibility to the site was uncompromised and no significant queues formed upon entry or exit.

Staff also ensured cars parking at the site avoided the waterlogged areas caused by the previous rainfall.

After discussing the needs of the festival and the site’s potential chokepoints, Stadium deployed ATG Access Surface Guard at three locations around the park and additional Rosehill Security Rapid Defender barriers at the much wider main entrance.

This allowed a high density of attendees to enter and exit the site at any given time, but also secured the entrances completely from hostile vehicles.

The combination of ATG Access Surface Guard and Rosehill Security Rapid Defender was needed at the main entrance due to its width.

When the event finished on Monday, Stadium’s staff were able to remove the barriers very quickly. This meant War Memorial Park was soon ready to be used as normal once again.

 

The Results

Both the Sunday and the Monday went very smoothly for fans. The Park and Ride service at Whitley ran well thanks to Stadium’s extensive preparation and regular monitoring over the two days.

Despite the high number of fans attending, all were able to enter the park and depart very efficiently and safely thanks to the HVM barriers chosen and Stadium’s staff making sure the crowds kept moving.

And although the potential for disruption was high, Stadium’s experience in working at these kinds of events meant it was kept to an absolute minimum.

Wolverhampton Wanderers & End of Season Promotions Parade

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Perimeter Security
  • Stewards
  • Traffic Management
  • SIA Security Services
Posted on 13.05.2019 by admin, Stadium

When Wolverhampton Wanderers FC were promoted to the Premier League in 2018, Stadium was hired by the club to provide security for their promotion parade after having worked with the club since 2017.

Initially, Stadium were hired by the club to provide stewards and SIA security personnel on match days, but were soon asked to provide a traffic management strategy on match days also.

Due to Stadium’s success in keeping Wolves fans safe on match days and improving their overall experience, City of Wolverhampton Council hired the firm to provide security and barriers for its promotion parade.

 

The Challenge

When Wolves were promoted to the Premier League, the club wished to share their success with their fans by having the team parade around Wolverampton City Centre in an open top bus.

Around 80,000 attendees were expected to turn out to watch the parade, so it was crucial Stadium developed an effective strategy to make sure the team and everyone attending enjoyed the event in safety.

It was important to block off the bus’s route from vehicles, while also allowing fans to get relatively close to the bus so they could cheer on the players and enjoy the event.

The bus also had to follow the route at a certain speed for the safety of the crowd, which was another challenge for Stadium.

Finally, it was crucial to ensure fans leaving the parade once it was over did so in a safe and efficient manner.

 

The Work

After meeting with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and City of Wolverhampton Council to discuss the route, it was clear a lot of protection was needed to keep fans safe.

Stadium had to deploy a record number of hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers across the route to secure it – 130m of ATG Access Surface Guard barriers were deployed in six strategic locations in the city centre.

This meant unauthorised vehicles were unable to access the route, but fans on foot were still able to get relatively close to the bus and the players so they could cheer their success.

The bus was escorted around the route by one of Stadium’s trucks, which made sure the bus travelled around the route at a particular speed, allowing fans to be able to see and cheer on their favourite players for enough time.

It also prevented fans rushing around to see the parade, which could have caused safety issues.

Once the parade was over, Stadium’s experienced stewards ensured fans dispersed in an orderly and safe manner, preventing any serious crowd build-up which could have presented safety issues.

And when all fans had safely left, Stadium was able to dismantle the barriers and pack them away very quickly, meaning Wolverhampton city centre could get back to normal as soon as possible.

The Results

The parade ran incredibly smoothly thanks to Stadium’s preparation and its effective deployment of HVM barriers.

All fans were able to easily see the players and enjoy the day, which contributed to a fantastic atmosphere.

Fans were able to leave smoothly thanks to Stadium’s stewards making sure there were enough exit points.

 

Burnley FC

  • Perimeter Security
  • Stewards
  • Customer Services
  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Traffic Management
  • Car Park Management
  • Crowd Safety
Posted on 24.04.2019 by admin, Stadium

Stadium has been working with Premier League football club Burnley F.C since the company was founded as StadiumTM in 2009.

The company is the primary provider of crowd management and traffic management requirements for the club at the Claret’s home stadium Turf Moor.

Stadium’s traffic management services were first put to the test in a friendly against Leeds United in August 2009 and the company has since added the deployment of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) barriers.

Services are also provided inside the stadium, ensuring crowd safety and providing customer services for spectators enjoying the match.

The Challenge

The Clarets’ home stadium Turf Moor regularly attracts more than 20,000 fans when it hosts a fixture, and it is important that fans have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Stadium’s team had to provide a viable traffic management solution to ensure fan safety and smooth flowing traffic around the stadium on every match day.

Turf Moor is situated just outside of the town centre in Burnley, in a built-up area and the stadium is surrounded by tight terraced streets.

This makes traffic management even more of a complex issue, in comparison to modern football stadia built in vast, wide open spaces.

These tight streets also make parking around the stadium difficult, which enhances the importance of being able to provide clear directions to official car parks and ensure safe parking practice on arrival.

To add to the challenges of the built-up environment around the ground, football fans can also be unpredictable on a match-day and will abandon pavements and walk on the roads.

Football matches are also high-risk events, with thousands of people on the streets at one time, who will need to be protected in the event of a car ramming attack.

Once inside the stadium, the range of challenges continue, with crowd safety taking precedence, whilst still protecting the fan experience.

The Work

It was key that on match day’s Stadium’s impact was effective but not disruptive to the experience of fans – some of whom will have travelled from around the country to attend.

Stadium deploys more than 100 of its fully-trained and experienced staff around Turf Moor on a match-day.

The traffic management team are responsible for the implementation of a match-day traffic management plan at the stadium.

This includes operating key road closures in the streets around the ground and ensuring that vehicles are directed to follow key diversion routes. Not all traffic going around Turf Moor on a match-day is heading towards the event.

The diversion routes operated are designated to provide the quickest, and safest, passage for traffic looking to head out of Burnley town centre.

By providing a joined-up approach around Turf Moor, Stadium staff direct traffic and operate the car parks. This approach ensures that traffic reaches the destination safely and is managed from end-to-end by experienced staff.

On arrival at the car parks, the car park stewarding team supervise the organisation of the vehicles which are looking to park.

To ease traffic flowing from the match, vehicles are required to be organised in a fashion where they can smoothly leave the car park with minimal difficulty.

Stadium stewards monitor and operate all of the turnstiles at Turf Moor, ensuring safe entry and a steady flow of fans into the venue. Stadium’s staff are trained in customer service care and place an emphasis on ensuring these measures do not impact the fan experience.

The match-day offer from Stadium has expanded from traffic management to the introduction of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) barriers to protect fans.

When first implemented in 2017, 38 metres of barriers were installed around the stadium.

The innovative barrier system allows pedestrians, emergency vehicles, VIP’s and suppliers to pass through safely which ensures a safe experience for all spectators and local residents.

The Results

Stadium has now been working with Burnley FC on match-days for more than a decade, which is testament to the effective work carried out by the company’s experienced staff.

The introduction of the HVM barriers set Burnley FC as a trailblazing club, becoming the first team to use the unique ATG Access Surface Guard barriers.

The innovative barrier system allows pedestrians to pass through safely, can be dropped in less than 30 seconds to enable vehicle access and are accessible for wheelchair users.

Godiva Music Festival, Coventry

  • Stewards
  • Customer Services
  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Perimeter Security
  • Traffic Management
  • Car Park Management
Posted on by admin, Stadium

Godiva Festival is one of the biggest annual music festivals to be held in Coventry, and regularly attracts up to 125,000 visitors over its three days.

Stadium has provided its services to the festival for a number of years, including in 2014 which saw a record number of visitors attend.

Each edition of the festival has seen Stadium refine its services to make sure the event is safe and secure for fans every year.

 

The Challenge

Godiva is a three-day music festival held in War Memorial Park in Coventry, and for a number of years gave free entry, which meant it attracted a huge number of visitors from the city, across the Midlands and further afield.

To help keep the festival running smoothly, site traffic needed to flow in and out of War Memorial Park with minimum disruption and public vehicles continued to flow around the park perimeter.

It was also very important to manage the high number of cars – around 3,000 – using the designated car park. Stadium had to make sure the cars were able to enter and exit the car park in a safe and efficient manner.

Finally, the increased prevalence of hostile vehicle ramming attacks in the late 2010s meant fans had to have extra protection in later editions of the festival.

 

The Work

Through working with Coventry City Council and the emergency services, Stadium was able to come up with several effective traffic management plans tailored to the different demands each year.

Elements of the plans included temporary road closures at strategic times and points, and creating a one-way route for site traffic to ensure they could enter and exit easily.

In later editions of the festival, Stadium would install hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers at four points around War Memorial Park to protect fans from harm.

These barriers would also allow authorised vehicles to access the festival, such as emergency vehicles, utility vehicles, as well as the acts performing at Godiva.

Once the festival finished, Stadium’s staff were able to dismantle the barriers and pack them away very quickly, meaning War Memorial Park could reopen to the public as quickly as possible.

 

The Results

Godiva has been a smooth experience for visitors for a number of years thanks to Stadium’s experience in traffic management, car park management, crowd management and temporary HVM barrier deployment.

Stadium have been retained for many years to provide their services at Godiva due to how effective they are.

Each year, tens of thousands of fans are able to access War Memorial Park, have a safe and fun time, and leave with no issues thanks to Stadium’s meticulous preparation and planning.