Safety Officer Course: The Importance Of A Safety Officer At Football Matches

An individual qualified in a safety officer course is an important figure in sporting events from primary school matches to the big leagues. As the world turns its attention to the Fifa World Cup in 2022, we have seen more and more news headlines sharing information about athletic injuries, stadium labourers being submitted to harsh working conditions, and fans going berserk before and after games all for the love of the sport.

And for the first time in a long time, Qatar’s cautious approach to the world cup’s planning has reminded us of the importance of having a person present with a safety officer course qualification to lead and support this event’s procedures. While our focus is always on the athleticism of the sport - the winners, the losers and the hype around the matches - it is also important to consider how much consideration and curated care goes into organising these international football events. This is why this article is going to assess the value of having professionals present with safety officer course experience.

For example, a key component that impacts the smooth running of these events is the safety officers who survey the conditions and organisation of the event before, during and after. Many of EMCARE’s safety officer course students and prospective students will be happy to know that this course can potentially lead to an exciting yet demanding career in football event organisation. If you’re excited to hear this too, and you’d like to know more, then read the rest of this article.

Why Football Matches Need Qualified Professionals

Football matches, and all else that they entail, are massive events that generally draw large crowds and riotous fans. At the Qatar 2022 world cup, it has been estimated that there are approximately 52 048 people attending each match. Overall, these attendance rates come to a whopping 468 433 people in attendance at the Fifa World Cup in 2022. This international event is clearly a massive attraction, and football fans from all over the world have undoubtedly been waiting to attend this event for almost four years.

Fifa World Cup Events are only held every 4 years, as this is meant to leave enough time for qualification tournaments and playoffs amongst national teams to occur. Similarly, the events are spaced out by four years so that World Cup hosts will have sufficient time to make logistical preparations in time for swarms of fans, spectators, press, and football players to attend. The host country will need ample time to determine how to host a stadium full of thousands of fans and enhance the surrounding city so that fans and tourists can enjoy what the city has to offer.

Naturally, these events are a massive tourist attraction, and hosting a successful Fifa World Cup can prove to generate a lot of income for nation-states hoping to put themselves on the map as well as the TV. Hence, it’s vital that these host countries use these four years as intentionally as possible so that they can make a good impression on the international sphere of football fans. The stadium must be well-structured and safely constructed, and the event must be well-organised to allow fans to enjoy themselves as much as possible, while still adhering to the host country’s cultural regulations, ethics, and laws.

If the host country cannot achieve this, they risk gaining a poor international reputation, and reducing foreign investment and tourist stimulus. In the big picture, this would be a massive loss and a shameful mistake for those host countries who are using the opportunity to gain better leverage and status in the international community.

This is why it is so vital for Fifa World Cups, or any football event and match for that matter, to maintain high standards of event organisation and planning. Without a solid security system, ample accommodation and excellent facilities to entertain guests and keep athletes comfortable, the host country will put themselves at risk of gaining international shame and criticism.

Prevent Injuries With A Safety Officer Course

Football Events Are A Breeding Ground for Injuries and Mishaps In The Absence of Professionals With Safety Officer Course Qualifications

At a football match with tens of thousands of people, there’s really no telling what could happen and how it could happen. Athletes are constantly faced with the risk of intensive injuries thanks to the high-contact nature of the sport, and fans are often blamed for inciting riots and stampedes in the face of competitive games and disagreements.

In this sense, it’s no wonder that there are so many accidents, injuries and mishaps that can take place at a football match. This is precisely why it is important for logistical planners, event organisers, host country representatives, and safety officer course-qualified professionals to be present to assess and mitigate accidents.

It’s not uncommon to see broken bones, twisted ankles, sprains, strained muscles, cramps and concussions on the sports field. Nor is it unusual to see excessive alcohol consumption to cause fights to break out and aggression to ensure amongst the people in the stands. Perhaps this is precisely why Qatar chose to ban alcohol consumption for fans, and place safety officers all over the stadium from noon till night. In these scenarios, anybody who has been trained in a safety officer course serves as a contingency plan and backup in the case of accidents and injuries.

Safety officers, like the many other professionals placed at football matches of this size and publicity, are vital parts in the cognition of a successful public match. They act as health and safety legislation compliance managers, and they work tirelessly to conduct safety inspections and risk assessments so that the worst-case scenario can be prevented. By developing and implementing health and safety plans, these safety officers work programmatically to ensure that the climate is controlled and risk-free.

Professionals Present at Football Games:

• Safety Officers
• Referees
• Athletic Trainers
• Paramedics
• Broadcast Engineers
• Press and Media Representatives
• Concessions Workers
• Dietitians for Athletes
• Human Resources Associates
• Public Relations Managers
• Stadium Ushers
• Statistician
• Commentators
• Police

Take A Safety Officer Course With Emcare Today

If you’re interested in becoming a safety officer, then EMCARE can help. We offer many different health and safety courses to students all over South Africa. With a safety course qualification under your belt, you could potentially work at large-scale events and matches like the Fifa World Cup.