Responsibility & Preparedness: Putting People First On Matchday

Keeping people safe on matchdays is a shared responsibility. It doesn’t sit with one organisation, one department, or one set of measures. It’s collective, layered, and rooted in preparation – not reaction.

For those of us involved in public safety, particularly around football and large sporting events, responsibility means understanding risk, acting proportionately, and always putting people first.

Preparedness is About Understanding, Not Alarm

Preparedness is often misunderstood as being about worst-case scenarios. In reality, it’s about understanding how people move, gather, and behave, and then taking sensible, proportionate steps to reduce vulnerability where it exists.

Matchdays create predictable patterns: arrival peaks, queues, congestion, excitement, distraction. These moments matter. They don’t automatically mean heightened risk, but they do demand thoughtful planning.

At Crowdguard, we see preparedness as a process, not a product. It starts with understanding the environment, the crowd, and the operational reality, then aligning solutions that support safety without changing the character of the matchday experience.

Nothing excessive. Nothing intrusive. Just what’s appropriate.

Our Responsibility at Crowdguard

As a specialist Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) solutions provider, our responsibility goes beyond supplying equipment. We are accountable for how security decisions are shaped, not just how they are delivered.

That means:

– Giving honest, independent advice, even when the answer is “you don’t need more”.

– Designing proportionate risk mitigation, based on real-world threat and vulnerability.

– Ensuring solutions integrate with existing operations, traffic management, and stewarding.

– Protecting openness, flow, and accessibility, not undermining them.

As Platinum Sponsors of the Football Safety Officers Association (FSOA), we are proud to support the professionals who carry day-to-day responsibility for stadium and crowd safety. That partnership reflects a shared belief: that good safety outcomes come from collaboration, experience, and continuous learning – not box-ticking.

As Crowdguard founder Deborah Ainscough puts it: “Crowdguard isn’t just a business to me, it’s a commitment to making public spaces safer through better, smarter solutions. I set out to create a company where integrity and attention to detail aren’t optional, but fundamental. Every day, our team lives those values, and that’s what makes Crowdguard truly exceptional.”

That commitment shapes every conversation we have with clubs, safety officers, and local partners.

The Responsibility of Football Clubs

Football clubs hold a unique position. They are not just venues but are community anchors, and places where thousands of people gather with a shared purpose. With that comes responsibility.

Clubs are expected to understand how their matchday footprint extends beyond the turnstiles – into surrounding streets, public spaces, and temporary pedestrian zones. Areas often referred to as Zone Ex aren’t static perimeters; they are living environments that change hour by hour.

Preparedness here isn’t about over-securing. It’s about:

– Understanding where crowds naturally concentrate.

– Recognising where vehicle access and pedestrian movement intersect.

– Working with partners to manage risk at ingress and egress.

– Making informed, defensible decisions based on evidence and experience.

When done well, protective measures fade into the background. Supporters feel safe without feeling controlled. The focus stays where it should be, on the game and the fan experience.

The Role of Supporters and the Public

People-first crowd safety also recognises the role of the public themselves. Supporters are not passive participants in safety, they are part of it. Simple awareness, calm behaviour, and knowing what to do if something doesn’t feel right all contribute to a safer environment.

Campaigns such as ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ and ‘Run. Hide. Tell’ aren’t about creating fear; they are about shared understanding. They empower people with clarity, not anxiety. Preparedness works best when everyone understands their part: staff, partners, and the public alike.

People First, Always

At its core, crowd safety is not about barriers or hardware. It’s about people. People arriving with friends, leaving with families, and people managing security behind the scenes with a layered approach.

Responsibility and preparedness mean designing security that respects that human reality. That’s why our approach has always been Plan. Provide. Protect. Not just to protect spaces, but to protect experiences, trust, and confidence.

Because when people feel safe, informed, and respected, public spaces remain exactly what they should be: open, welcoming, and alive.

Image: Crowdguard