The Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), an ESSMA Stadium Partner, organised its annual research meeting on 20-21 September, at the STRI Headquarters in Bingley (United Kingdom). The event was open for all ESSMA members, with specific attention to our group of pitch professionals, including the Groundsmen of Twickenham Stoop and Leicester City FC, as well as Pitch Partners such as Tarkett Hybrid Grass and Campey-Imants.
Some sixty members of the European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA) assembled for the sold-out Fan Entertainment Workshop in Turin, Italy, on 3-4 October. The venue for the two-day event was Allianz Stadium, home of Juventus FC. Francesco Gianello, Head of Stadium, Juventus FC provided details on the 41,507-seat Allianz Stadium, which was inaugurated in 2011 at a cost of €105m, and replaced the club’s former home, the Stadio Delle Alpi.
In the run-up to the ESSMA Safety Management Workshop that will be organised in Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park from 7 to 8 November, ESSMA interviewed two of the Borussia Dortmund hosts: Dr. Christian Hockenjos (Director of Organisation) and Kai Ruben (Security Manager). Both of them are profoundly involved in Borussia Dortmund’s match day operations and are the ideal experts to talk to when it comes to safety management at Germany’s largest football stadium.
Celtic FC have confirmed that planning permission in principle has been granted in relation to recent development proposals to create a hotel, museum, retail and ticket office facilities. The club’s vision aims to deliver benefits to the club and their supporters to further regenerate the East End of the city.
Venues and Venue Management have evolved significantly. ESSMA’s Corporate Partner 3D Digital Venue builds 360-degree 3D interactive ticketing solutions that aim to enhance fan experience which will increase season ticket holder renewals and provide special viewing experiences for potential VIP consumers. By using the technology, fans are able to experience the view in 3D of their allocated seats in the stadium.
On 3-11 March 2018, CAFE will organise its annual CAFE Week of Action - Total Football Total Access, which is an annual event to celebrate the wider inclusion of disabled people within football.
On the 5th and 6th of September, the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) organised a pitch workshop for pitch managers of the first and second German professional leagues. The event aimed to exchange knowledge and discuss upcoming trends and technologies as well as to award the best pitch of last season in first and second division. The Allianz Arena was host for the event, welcoming 58 participants from 32 Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs. ESSMA was invited by the DFL to explain the services Groundsmen could benefit from and invited Reece Watson, Head Groundsman at Emirates Stadium, to share a presentation on data gathering and management.
Yesterday, Wednesday 20 September, UEFA announced the host venues for the 2019 finals of the Champions League, Women’s Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup.