British NFL fans kept safe by Stadium

  • event security
  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • 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

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Perimeter Security
  • Customer Services
  • 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

  • CSAS Operatives
  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • 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.”

Godiva Music Festival, Coventry

  • Temporary HVM barriers
  • HVM deployment
  • HVM vehicle access points
  • HVM Rental Solutions
  • Perimeter Security
  • Stewards
  • Customer Services
  • Traffic Management
  • Car Park Management
Posted on 24.04.2019 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.