LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH ESSMA Article by Gavin Harper
The European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA) was founded in 1996 by former PSG President Lionel Dreksler. Since 2008, John Beattie (Stadium and Facilities Director at Arsenal FC) has been President of the Association. In 2011, ESSMA created its new Executive Committee and Advisory Committee with respected members from various European top clubs and federations.
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 The (temporary) lockdown across all Europe competitions has disrupted the industry. Even though, most competitions are gradually restarting again, the long-term consequences cannot be underestimated. According to ESSMA research the short-term challenges linked to matchday operations are focussed on selection of personnel that can attend, testing procedures & protection for staff and modified safety protocols.
ESSMA offers a platform to stadium professionals where they can share, learn and discuss topics related to ESSMA’s areas of expertise: Development & Construction, Operations & Ticketing, Sustainability & SMART, Safety & Security, Fan Experience & Hospitality and Pitch Management. In 2021, they will celebrate their 25th anniversary and hopefully kick-off the festivities during the annual ESSMA Summit, which should take place next January at Allianz Stadium. TLE Business recently caught up with ESSMA Managing Director, Cyril De Greve, to find out more about what they do.
Clubs should also take a look into improving the circulation/crowd management, sharing information towards their supporters and perhaps even thinking about decreasing the overall stadium capacity. From ESSMA’s perspective, the most significant impact has been the cancellation of their annual Safety & Security Workshop in Marseille, as well as monthly visits to members across Europe. To overcome this period without physical knowledge sharing opportunities, they launched a webinar series mid-March to stay connected with members. Later this month, they also plan to launch their fifth ESSMA Webinar where Borussia Mönchengladbach will share their experiences on organising matches behind closed doors. Topics of the previous webinars include:
ESSMA work closely with over 350 European clubs, stadiums, leagues and federation on the further development of the industry. With this strong European network, they discuss industryrelated topics, reach common insights and organise networking events to share knowledge and best practices. Several European rugby organisations including IRFU and LNR (Ligue Nationale de Rugby – France) and its members (Aviva Stadium, Stade Toulousain, Connacht Rugby, etc.) are part of the ESSMA Community. Furthermore, FC Barcelona, Arsenal FC, PSG, AFC Ajax, FC Bayern München and other top clubs are long-standing ESSMA Members.
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