Featured image credit: PLMR Advent
An all-female led safety team helped to successfully deliver the football match between England and South Africa with 20,400 fans at the Coventry Building Society Arena on October 29.
The arena’s operations director Claire Harkness was safety officer for the evening and was supported by chief steward Katie Greenfield, deputy chief steward Emily Kelly, and external safety manager Elaine Wood.
It is the first time that the venue has run a major event with such a team, leading a group of 345 stewards that were operating around the stadium on matchday.
“This was a first for Coventry Building Society Arena but it certainly won’t be the last time we run an event of this scale with an all-female led safety team,” said Harkness, who has more than 29 years of experience in event management, venue operations, and event safety.
“It was a proud moment for me and the team, who worked tirelessly to deliver a brilliant event and ensure all visitors to the stadium for the Lionesses fixture were able to enjoy the match in a safe environment.
“From my experience it is incredibly rare to have a safety team led by all females but that shows how the events and venue industry is changing.
“Katie and Emily have been with the venue for a number of years, starting out as matchday stewards and now leading teams, and it has been wonderful to see how they have developed over the last 12 months.”
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