Stewarding at Emirates Stadium - the Arsenal way

Sharon Cicco, Event Safety & Security Manager, shared insights regarding the recruitment process at Arsenal FC, how they train their stewards and most importantly how they engage with their stewards and retain them.

In total, Arsenal FC is working with 850 in-house stewards. Out of these 850 stewards, on average 750 re-engage themselves each season to continue to work for the club.

Interview with Sharon Cicco:

“A good stewarding programme is all about getting the right people who are willing to work the Arsenal way. They need to have an affinity with the club, enjoy working at Emirates Stadium and should uphold our values.”

What is the number one quality stewards need to become part of the Arsenal team?

The most important quality that we are looking for in stewards is their level of communication. Our stewards should be able to communicate not only with our fans but also with other staff members within the club. If a steward can communicate, we can teach them everything else!

How do you retain your stewards?

We’ve always been fortunate to have a high retention rate. I believe it's because we've always engaged and hired our stewards directly as opposed to being contracted in from an agency. So by having our own Arsenal stewards, they've always felt that connection with the club.

To keep it to that level has been the challenge. More and more students become part of our stewarding programme and it’s of course normal that you lose them once their studies have been completed.

“In 2018, Arsenal FC conducted a ‘HAVE YOUR SAY’ survey amongst its stewards. 96% of all Arsenal stewards said that they were proud to work for the club.’

Is there a specific reward for stewards working during all home matches?

On average, we have around 100 stewards each season that commit to working every single gama. Meaning 100% of all our matches and major events which are organised at the stadium. We treat those steward very well and at the end of each season we take them somewhere special for example to Café de Paris, London Zoo, HMS Belfast,...

Access Sharon Cicco’s presentation on the ESSMA Knowledge Platform and learn more about the recruitment and training procedures at Arsenal FC.

Access her presentation on the ESSMA Knowledge Platform