Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Access ManagementIdentity ManagementVideo Surveillance

Sport Event Safety and Security: The Importance of Training Your People

By Stacey Hall
June 1, 2010

A key component in protecting critical infrastructures such as stadiums and arenas is the effective training of staff members. Training has been defined as “an educational, informative, skill-development process that brings about anticipated performance through a change in comprehension and behavior.” Training should center on incident management strategies, risk management practices, safety and security plans, policies, protective measures, and business continuity and recovery principles. Basically there are three things management wants employees to understand: 1) what management wants them to do, 2) why management wants them to do it, and 3) how management wants it done. According to the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), training should be conducted at three main levels: sport security command group (multi-agency leadership team), supervisory leaders and event security staff.

According to NCS4, sport security event training should be conducted at three main levels: sport security command group (multi-agency leadership team), supervisory leaders and event security staff. Source: NCS4


The Sport Security Command Group

Most of your training should be directed toward effective communication and cooperation among the various agencies represented in the sport security command group (CG). The CG is composed of specialists from five distinct areas: sport facility management, police, emergency management, fire/HazMat and emergency medical services. They should be trained in basic concepts relative to multi-agency collaboration, risk assessment, planning and response/recovery principles. The expectation is that the leadership team will be knowledgeable and skilled to coordinate the development of a sport event security management system at their respective venue, including security operations, planning and implementation. The main responsibilities for the supervisory staff are enforcing the policy and procedures, overseeing the training program, and evaluating personnel. For an effective security plan to achieve its objectives, a qualified and trained event staff is essential. The following outline provides an overview of each staff position:


•   Parking Attendant: ensures the ingress and egress from facility parking areas. They generally perform the following duties: vehicle screening, pre-event parking lot sweep procedures, control traffic flow and parking pass/credential control measures.

•   Gate Security: prevent unauthorized entrance to the venue and will perform the following duties: keep prohibited items out of the venue; secure perimeters around the venue; conduct security inspections; and verify tickets/credentials.

•   Ticket Taker: verify tickets (tearing or scanning) and credentials when turnstiles are not in use.

•   Usher: maintain a safe, orderly environment, and guide spectators to their seats.

•   Concessions/Maintenance: maintain a clean and safe venue, sell food, beverage and merchandise, and respond to spills and incidents.

•   Field (Playing area) Staff: maintain a safe and orderly environment and prevent unauthorized entrance to playing area. They will normally observe and report problems in crowd, protect the field, resolve problems for teams, and evacuate playing area if necessary.

•   Security Force: police officers and/or security guards employed to protect physical (facility) and human (people) assets.

 
Volunteers are an essential addition to event staff for major sporting events, typically representing more than 50 percent of all event personnel. For example, it is projected that 71,000 volunteers will be recruited for the London 2012 Olympics. The integration of full-time staff, part-time staff, temporary workers and volunteers is critical to the success of the event. There must be an understanding of roles and responsibilities. When determining the number of staff required for an event, several factors need to be considered, including 1) anticipated attendance, 2) number of events (for example, multi-sport vs. one-time event, 3) level of knowledge and expertise required for each specific role, 4) scheduling of shifts for personnel, 5) staff composition, i.e. full-time, temporary, and volunteer, and 6) potential threats.

   
Sport organizations should conduct exercises to test plans and promote awareness of staff roles and responsibilities during an incident scenario. An exercise is a focused practice activity that places the participants in a simulated situation requiring them to function in the capacity that would be expected of them in a real event. Next, developed necessary plans and policies and trained their staff members, they should consider testing their operational plans to assess their level of preparedness. Exercises improve readiness by evaluating operations and plans and reinforcing the concept of teamwork. Exercises help facility managers to:


•   Clarify roles and responsibilities

•   Improve interagency coordination and communication

•   Reveal resource gaps

•   Develop individual performance

•   Identify opportunities for improvement

   
There are seven types of exercises defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) (2007) and they are considered either discussion-based or operations-based. Discussion-based exercises familiarize participants with current plans and policies, or may be used to develop new plans and policies. Types of discussion based exercises include: seminars, workshops, table-top exercises, or game simulations. Operations-based exercises are more complex that discussion-based exercises.

   
Operation-based exercises validate plans and policies, clarify roles, and identify resource gaps in security operations. Operations-based exercises normally involved the deployment of resources and personnel. Types of operations-based exercises include drills, functional exercises, and full scale exercises.

   
Training should be ongoing and conducted pre-season, during season, and post-season. The sport organization may utilize training resources available to plan and manage sport event security training. Federal and state agencies provide free training, including FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and Department of Homeland Security.  The for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) recommends that trainees consider completing the following courses:


•   IS-100, Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS): This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. It also explains the relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The primary audience for this course is persons involved with emergency planning, response or recovery efforts (http://training.fema.gov).

•   IS-200, ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents: ICS 200 is designed to enable personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS-200 provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within the ICS. The primary audience for this course is persons involved with emergency planning, response or recovery efforts (http://training.fema.gov).

•   IS-700, National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction: This course introduces and overviews the National Incident Management System (NIMS).  NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents. The primary audience for this course is individuals with emergency management responsibilities including prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation (http://training.fema.gov).

•   IS-800B, National Response Framework, an Introduction: The course introduces participants to the concepts and principles of the National Response Framework. This course is intended for government executives, private-sector and nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and emergency management practitioners (http://training.fema.gov).

•   AWR 167 – Sport Event Risk Management: The for Spectator Sports Safety & Security (NCS4) in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and with cooperation from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) developed a Sport Event Risk Management Workshop to be delivered to NCAA institutions. The workshop is focused on building multi-agency collaboration capabilities among university sport security command groups (http://www.ncs4.com/workshop.php).

•   Sports Venue Safety and Security Training for Event Staff (for ushers, gate security, ticket takers, and parking attendants): NCS4 developed training courses to enhance safety and security efforts by building security awareness and improving capabilities for planning, emergency response, and evacuations. The Sport Venue Safety and Security Staff Training program can serve as a primary training program, supplemental training program which serves as a compliment to existing training, and as screening device for potential venue staff (http://www.ncs4.com/training.php).   

 

Sources: Sennewald, 2003, Sport Event Risk Management, 2009, Sport Event Risk Management, 2009; Stevens, 2007; Contemporary Services Corporation, 2007, Introduction to Exercise Design, 2008.

KEYWORDS: event management Security security training

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Dr. Stacey A. Hall is associate director, National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security and an assistant professor of Sport Management at the University of Southern Mississippi

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    New Security Technology
    By: Charles Denyer
Manage My Account
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Sureview screen
    Sponsored bySureView Systems

    The Evolution of Automation in the Command Center

  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

Popular Stories

Rendered computer with keyboard

16B Login Credentials Exposed in World’s Largest Data Breach

Verizon on phone screen

61M Records Listed for Sale Online, Allegedly Belong to Verizon

Security camera

40,000 IoT Security Cameras Are Exposed Online

Fountain pen

Trump Administration Executive Order Changes Cybersecurity Policy

Security’s 2025 Women in Security

Security’s 2025 Women in Security

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

July 17, 2025

Tech in the Jungle: Leveraging Surveillance, Access Control, and Technology in Unique Environments

What do zebras, school groups and high-tech surveillance have in common? They're all part of a day’s work for the security team at the Toledo Zoo.

August 7, 2025

Threats to the Energy Sector: Implications for Corporate and National Security

The energy sector has found itself in the crosshairs of virtually every bad actor on the global stage.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • weather-disaster-unsplash1170.jpg

    Four disruptions to plan for in the event of severe weather

    See More
  • Event Security

    Ensuring safety and success: The critical role of event security

    See More
  • Silhouette of woman at computer

    The deepfake dilemma: The importance of deepfake awareness training

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • security culture.webp

    Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

  • 150 things.jpg

    The Handbook for School Safety and Security

  • facility manager.jpg

    The Facility Manager's Guide to Safety and Security

See More Products
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing