Another busy year – and plenty to look forward to in 2022
We have ended 2021 just as we began – with another busy period.
Christmas and New Year is one of our busiest times of the year with a packed football fixture list.
Traditionally, Boxing Day is a big footballing day and it’s almost become part of the Christmas festivities, as people rush to sport to get out of the mince pies and turkey from the day before.
This period is always a welcome time for us at Stadium as we look forward to helping football clubs around the country host these events, making sure everybody has a safe and enjoyable time.
Over the course of the year, we have been tremendously busy.
We started the year supporting Covid testing sites up and down the country, committing resource to a new network of lateral flow testing sites.
July and August marked the start of the football season as crowds returned.
In the summer, we were proud to play our part in big events right here in the heart of Coventry such as the Godiva Festival and Coventry Moves – the signature event of UK City of Culture.
Like everything, it felt very much like turning on a tap. We had a huge rush if events and people wanting to experience them.
Our industry was badly affected by a lack of staff returning after 18 months of Covid, although it is an issue which has challenged many different sectors. But things are evolving all the time, as they have again in recent weeks with the new variant.
On December 16, Liverpool’s home tie with Newcastle was our first game which required proof of coronavirus vaccination or a negative lateral flow as part of new Government legislation on crowds of over 10,000 people, so we added additional resource to the team at Anfield to ensure this was achieved quickly, efficiently and safely.
All we can do is follow the guidelines and we are encouraging our staff to get their vaccinations to help keep themselves, and others, safe.
Looking ahead to 2022, we are already planning for a huge year in the UK with further sporting and music events, and we are delighted to be playing our part in Her Majesty’s Jubilee celebrations.
Overseas, we are looking forward to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where we will be providing a range of stewarding training in Doha to around 20,000 Qatari people.
This is one of the biggest contracts in our company’s history, which has been borne out of the fantastic reputation that the business has forged for itself over the past 12 years.
It gives us great pride our expertise is being recognised internationally.
The knowledge we are passing on will ensure that thousands of spectators will be able to attend one of the biggest showcases in 2022.
We were recently visited by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who showed great interest in our work in both Qatar and here in the UK, which is very encouraging.
It is further encouraging that we have won some exciting new contracts for 2022 and we are continuing to recruit and expand, with a drive for around 200 new staff.
This is a fantastic show of confidence in our industry.
To already be winning new business, and taking on more new recruits, expanding our staffing numbers to more than 1,000, means we can start the New Year with real vigour.
— David McAtamney, Owner & Founder of Stadium