Match day security at Leeds United FC

With the Premier League advising football clubs to consult their local police force about guidance for match day security, Crowdguard has experienced an increase in enquiries about both risk assessment and deployment of hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) systems from football stadiums.

One such recent enquiry has been from Leeds United FC, which has led to successful deployment of our ARX Stopper!™ and RB50 systems in Zone Ex locations on Lower Field Road, in the shadow of the Elland Road stadium.

Our brief from Leeds United FC began with vehicle dynamics assessment (VDA) for the club to help them assess their match day security requirements. Working collaboratively with both the club and Leeds City Council to analyse operational requirements alongside the outputs from the VDA, we developed a solution that would mitigate risk while achieving a key objective of minimising disruption to traffic and pedestrians.

The solution was to deploy 14m of the ARX Stopper!™ surface-mounted HVM system on pavement locations on the approach to the ground an hour before kick-off, along with 12m of the RB50 system spanning the road area. Both systems are designed for rapid deployment and de-rigging by trained technicians, enabling the Crowdguard team to put the security measures in place in just 30 minutes.

Once all the fans were inside the stadium, the Crowdguard team de-rigged the security measures, enabling traffic to flow again. The same HVM equipment was then installed in a different location on Lower Field Road in time for fans leaving the stadium at the final whistle.

The collaborative approach to considering both risk and operational matters, specification of suitable HVM equipment, and smooth matchday deployment have all contributed to improved Zone Ex security at Elland Road, while minimising disruption for both match goers and local residents.