New CEO appointed following a string of new client wins

Posted on 29.02.2024 by admin, Stadium

Leading event management and training specialist Stadium Traffic Holdings has appointed a new chief executive officer to drive continued growth on the back of new business wins.

Steve McCabe arrives as CEO of the Group, which comprises event services by Stadium, training by Intuitus Learn, and facility management services through Stadium FM.

His appointment marks a return to familiar territory, having previously been Finance Director for Stadium between 2013 and 2020, before moving on to work for a home services franchisor, and latterly Chief Finance Officer for health care services provider Coventry and Rugby GP Alliance.

Stadium is shaping up for a busy 2024 having won a string of new clients in the UK, including a significant contract to provide traffic management at a new stadium in the north west, as well as a large training contract with a major combined authority.

The firm – which is headquartered on Bodmin Road, Coventry, but operates globally – is also continuing its overseas expansion which includes active work in the Middle East on the back of launching a new event management and safety academy in Saudi Arabia.

It has also enjoyed growth in staffing levels and now operates with almost 1,100 staff across the UK, putting it in a position to take on further new clients in 2024.

Steve, who is originally from Coventry, said: “It’s great to be back with the company and exciting to be a part of a period of major growth, with 2024 very much a year where we are looking to capitalise on the strong infrastructure around us and take on further new clients and project work.

“We have increased business across our traffic management, training and facilities management departments, which has enabled us to recruit to the levels we had pre-Covid which is a great show of strength for the sector and Stadium as a business.

“We have ambitious goals for 2024, not just for our traditional events management offering, but also in expanding our award-winning training arm Intuitus.”

Stadium Founder and Executive Chairman David McAtamney, added: “We are planning for a big year in 2024 and Steve will play a crucial part in that.

“To have someone of his experience and knowledge in the sector, especially having worked with us before, will be a tremendous asset.

“His financial understanding of the business and the events and training side of our operations will be key to capitalising on our ability to deliver in the UK working alongside our Managing Director Carl Taylor in driving that growth, whilst – at the same time – allowing freedom for other parts of our team to continue our expansion overseas.”

Stadium was formed in 2009 and provides traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security staff for events.

The firm supports events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches, and sell-out concerts to high-profile conferences.

Its training arm, Intuitus, has established itself as the go-to provider of premium training services for customer safety and security both in the UK and internationally, building on Stadium’s extensive knowledge of the industry by delivering bespoke training programmes bespoke to each client.

Caption: Steve McCabe (right) with David McAtamney

 

For more information, visit www.wearestadium.com.

Stadium LLC to launch new training academy in Saudi Arabia

Posted on 11.05.2023 by admin, Stadium

A security training company has scored a new deal to open a training academy in Saudi Arabia on the back of playing a key role in last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Stadium LLC has agreed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Excellence Company that will see it train thousands of Saudi nationals in event management and safety at a new academy.

The partnership builds on Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global sport and comes on the back of Stadium providing training to some 8,500 operatives at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, helping to keep safe a cumulative 3.4 million spectators across eight venues.

The agreement, which originated through a Department for Business and Trade mission visit to Saudi, will help the country to host a myriad of international sporting events over the coming years – a central part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030, where the country aims to diversify the economy and reduce oil dependence.

Stadium LLC is a Qatar-based subsidiary of the UK’s leading security, safety and traffic management specialist Stadium, which supports high-profile events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches and is headquartered in Coventry, UK.

The Saudi Excellence Company is part of the Al-Ramez International Group and is one of the leading security and defence companies in the region, providing services to Saudi Government and Enterprises in Saudi Arabia, led by Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleichi.

The partnership formed as a result of Stadium’s key role in the World Cup where it provided safety training to thousands of operatives in Qatar, ensuring they gain formal qualifications including a Level 2 International Certificate in Spectator Safety, a Level 3 Certificate in Spectator Safety Supervision, as well as a Level 4 Diploma in Spectator Safety Management.

Its involvement in Qatar began five years prior when it delivered a bespoke training programme to 176 senior Qatari police officers in the UK, culminating in a major contract which saw Stadium-trained stewards operating at every World Cup game last year.

David McAtamney, owner and founder of Stadium, said: “This is a really exciting agreement which will help to play a key role in propelling sport and expanding industry in Saudi Arabia – a country which has a tremendous appetite for live events and is making significant waves in the world of sport.

“Saudi Arabia has a population of more than 35 million and over two-thirds of those are under the age of 35, and growing the security and events management industry in the country and creating jobs is key to unlocking its sporting potential.

“As a company, Stadium has been positioned as one of the UK’s leading event and training management specialists for some time now, with extensive knowledge and expertise in the facilitating of safe large-scale events, both on a national and international stage.

“We have been involved in delivering stewarding and training programmes to some of the biggest names in English football, ranging from Manchester United to Liverpool, and are proud to still be working with Burnley who are the very first English football club we won a contract with back in 2009.

“Our move into the Middle East began with the opening of our sister company Stadium LLC in Doha, Qatar, in 2020, and our plans to open a new training academy in Saudi Arabia is an exciting new chapter for us as we expand the business.

“Not only is this partnership with the Saudi Excellence Company a fantastic legacy for Stadium’s work at the World Cup in Qatar last year – which was widely hailed as one of the most successful and safety FIFA events ever held, and the third-highest attended FIFA World Cup in history – but it is also testament to the strength of the security and events management industry in Britain, which has been a world-leader for some time now.”

Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleichi, Chairman of The Saudi Excellence Company, said: “As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnesses an unprecedented expansion in supporting and hosting local and international sporting events, The Saudi Excellence Company intends to enhance security expertise in sports with our partner, Stadium LLC, in order to stay on top of this trend and develop a safe environment for such sporting events, as well as creating suitable and promising employment opportunities for young talent and retired security professionals.”

Business and Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “It is excellent news that Stadium has secured this deal with Saudi Arabia, building on a trading relationship where total trade was worth £17.3billion in 2022.

“This Government is working around the clock to help businesses grasp exciting new opportunities around the world, helping to boost exports, create jobs and grow the economy.”

Stadium secures major Mifram UK distribution deal

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Posted on 19.04.2023 by admin, Stadium

An event management specialist based in Coventry has won a major UK distribution deal for a security measure used to protect high-profile sites ranging from military bases to Premier League stadia.

Stadium has secured the UK distribution rights for Israel-based Mifram Security, with the deal including the leading modular barrier system, MVB 3X, as well as some new innovative products that are about to hit the market.

MVB 3X is used across the world to protect a variety of facilities, stadiums, festivals, events, military bases, hospitals and more, and has been rolled out at major Premier League football clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and world events such as New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The barriers have an innovative and unique design which means it can be assembled and dismantled by one person in just 10 minutes without the need for tools and is capable of stopping trucks weighing up to 7.5 tonnes and travelling at speeds of up to 40mph.

Stadium’s new UK partnership with Mifram comes at a time when the Government is cranking up legislation to keep people safe from the threat of terrorist attacks, with new rules on Protect Duty expected to be approved this year.

Known as Martyn’s Law – in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017 – Protect Duty will create a statutory duty for the owners and operators of publicly accessible locations to take proportionate measures to protect the public from terror attacks.

Carl Taylor, Director of Stadium, said: “This is a key year for the security sector and for many businesses across the country as Protect Duty will require venues and events accessible to the public to draw up plans to prevent terrorist attacks and keep the public safe.

“We’ve seen the demand for hostile vehicle mitigation has risen substantially in the past 12 months as many businesses and local authorities are now starting to prepare for the new rules, so we’re really pleased to work with Mifram to help distribute across the UK and meet growing demand. The deal includes both thesSale of Mifram products as well as rental-based services.

“The MVB 3X is a product we know very well having previously used it as part of our own roster, where it was recently used to secure three major concerts at Anfield in Liverpool last year, the London Marathon, and 2023 St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland.

“It ticks the box for so many given it requires minimum effort to install and provides maximum protection, so it’s unique in that regard.”

The PAS68 approved measure weighs only 24kg per unit and folds for easy carrying, with Stadium offering a free demo at its offices, in Coventry.

Stadium was formed in 2009 and provides traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security staff for events.

The firm supports events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches, and sell-out concerts to high-profile conferences.

Stadium expanding its team on the back of a busy summer

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Posted on 23.09.2022 by admin, Stadium

A Coventry security company is expanding its team after completing one its busiest summers ever – including playing a key role in this year’s summer games.

National event management specialist Stadium has opened 11 full-time positions at its headquarters on Bodmin Road, with a further 140 casual roles across the country.

It comes on the back of new contract wins and growing existing contracts, closing the curtain on a busy summer after working on a number of major projects.

Stadium began an action-packed summer by providing traffic and crowd management services for 26 concerts in 19 days in June, kept crowds safe at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the first time in July, and played a pivotal role in the summer games across August.

While more than 1.2 million tickets were sold to watch sporting stars in Birmingham and beyond this summer, Stadium worked in the background to support events ranging from bowls to basketball, and also trained more than 200 previously unemployed people in the local area as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Jobs and Skills Academy.

The programme was backed by £5 million in funding to help upskill local people by securing qualifications in sectors such as security and stewarding, and provide them with opportunities during the summer games.

Carl Taylor, Managing Director at Stadium, said: “It has been fantastic to be involved in one of the busiest summer calendars we have ever had at Stadium, particularly after long periods of disruption for our industry from the pandemic.

“Concert season has been particularly frantic due to several re-scheduled performances following Covid-19, on top of existing touring schedules announced by artists and promoters.

“We’ve won new contracts and expanded existing ones – such as our work at Silverstone this year – and we have been really proud of our involvement in this year’s summer games so close to home, working to help upskill the local workforce.

“This has enabled us to continue our growth and expand our team with a range of roles both in our Coventry headquarters and further afield, so we’re really excited for the future.”

Stadium is recruiting for 11 roles in Coventry including a Traffic and Event Parking Operations Manager and a Training Coordinator, two full-time posts in London, and another full-time position in Liverpool, with casual roles across the country.

It is particularly interested to hear from people who worked at the summer games.

The company was formed in 2009 and provides traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security staff for events.

It supports events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches, and sell-out concerts to high-profile conferences.

For more information on the new roles, visit www.wearestadium.com/join-our-team.

Twenty-six concerts in 19 days marks the start of a busy summer

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Posted on 11.08.2022 by admin, Stadium

The end of the football season in May is always a key date in the Stadium calendar.

Primarily it signals the successful end to another season of providing crowd management and traffic management to our clients, with the focus soon switching to preparations for the next campaign.

But as the door closes on football with live matches taking a break, another opens with a busy summer period often led by festivals, concerts and other large-scale sporting events.

That has certainly been the case so far for the Stadium team with 2022 representing one of the busiest summer calendars we’ve ever had.

It has been a non-stop summer for our team and it all began in June, which was an exceptionally busy month for us with 26 concerts in 19 days.

That took us from the very first event on June 4 at Detonate Festival in Nottingham; to the final event on June 22 for Red Hot Chilli Peppers at Emirates Old Trafford, the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Typically over the course of June we would normally support four or five events, but this year concert season has been frantic due to a number of re-scheduled performances following Covid-19, on top of existing touring schedules announced by artists and promoters.

For us it poses a challenge that we relish, and for our staff it offers variety in the work we provide.

Our team were as spread as Liverpool, to Bristol, Norwich and London. Logistically, for most companies, the scale and geographical spread of these events is a test.

Over the course of the 19 days we helped to keep more than 700,000 people safe, deployed 2,000 cones and put up 800 signs as part of our traffic management plans.

We relied on 20 vans, two HGVs, and put on more than 50 staff coaches.

We had a team of more than 700 staff from our vastly experienced pools across areas such as Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool and Burnley.

And during what has been a hot summer so far, our team used up more than 2,000 litres of water and sun cream to stay hydrated and protected from the sun.

To prepare for such a month takes a huge amount of planning and for us it was around 18 months.

Most of the work is put in before the team on the day have even set foot on site.

That is anything from working out traffic management plans, designing all the traffic management systems, applying for relevant traffic management orders, producing all the signs, getting equipment and vehicles ready, training the staff, planning for staff movements, and devising crowd management plans.

There’s also the additional challenge of working across different types of events, from stadium concerts to ones in greenfields.

Concerts in greenfields typically take longer to plan for that those in stadiums due to the fact systems are not already in place week in and week out.

Key to planning both of these however is site visits. It is vital managers that are running it are there in advance, working with the client to plan on site rather than from a computer.

It has truly been a colossal effort from everybody involved at Stadium to carry out such a significant month for us, but once the engines were fired up there was no stopping us and our team did extremely well.

This work is also really welcome and we need it to keep the staff busy so they are ready for the new season.

A busy summer and 26 concerts in 19 days is not only good for our staff, and us – it is good for our industry.

The industry has come back bigger and better than before, and there’s still so much more to come from us this year.

— Carl Taylor, Managing Director at Stadium

Stadium appoints new Managing Director

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Posted on 10.05.2022 by admin, Stadium

Leading national event management specialist Stadium has appointed a new managing director to accelerate the firm’s UK expansion.

Carl Taylor will lead the UK operations of Stadium, which is headquartered on Bodmin Road, Coventry, but operates globally, and employs more than 1,000 staff.

He brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in the events industry for the past 18 years, and will play a crucial role in Stadium’s involvement in the summer games.

He joins at a key time for the firm, which recently launched one of the biggest recruitment drives in its history with almost 300 jobs available in the West Midlands.

Carl said: “I’m delighted to be joining Stadium and working alongside such a respected team, which has developed an excellent reputation within the events industry.

“It is also a company which has seen a tremendous amount of growth in recent years, and I feel that ambition – and the core values of honesty and integrity – align perfectly with me.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there, meeting our clients, and getting on the ground with all of our teams.”

Carl, who is from Northampton, joins from OCS Group where he helped support preparations for the summer games.

Prior to that he was Head of Events at Carlisle Support Services, working alongside organisations including AELTC, Lord’s Cricket, and Cheltenham Racecourse.

Stadium Founder and Executive Chairman David McAtamney, who continues to lead their global operations, said: “It’s great to have someone of Carl’s experience on board.

“I have no doubt his industry knowledge and contacts will be a great asset for us and our clients, during what is already shaping up to be a busy year.”

Stadium was formed in 2009 and provides traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security staff for events.

The firm supports events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches, and sell-out concerts to high-profile conferences.

Security industry must be open on challenges

  • Blog
Posted on 30.03.2022 by admin, Stadium

It was great to meet some familiar – and new – faces at The Football Safety Officers Association 30th anniversary Conference and Exhibition in March.

This is a chance for safety officers to share experiences and best practice, particularly given the fact we all cater for the same fans, often encountering the same issues.

It is equally important therefore that we use it as a platform to discuss challenges, as it is only through being honest and open that we can overcome these together.

One of the biggest problems facing the industry at the moment is the massive shortage of safety stewards which is making recruitment more difficult than ever before.

Stadium has been in the industry for 13 years and in that time things have really changed. If we did a recruitment session 13 years ago, we’d have 80 people turn up, but we’ve had recent sessions with just 10 per cent of that figure.

Because we have been in various lockdowns for so long and the economy has now opened back up again, we now have more events than we have safety stewards across the UK.

The demand for safety stewards is very much there which is why we have launched a major recruitment drive at Stadium to fill almost 300 roles in the West Midlands.

Nationally we all need to look at why it is difficult to recruit at the moment. Rather sadly, one thing that our staff up and down the country have noticed is an undeniable rise in levels of anger.

Figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council for this season up to December show arrests at football matches have increased 38 per cent from the 2019/20 season – up from 655 to 901.

In the media recently there has been several instances involving fans at football matches. A man who threw a plastic bottle onto the pitch and hit a player during a Premier League game received a four-year Football Banning Order at the end of March, but a week before a fan who threw coins and assaulted stewards in an FA Cup game only received a £100 fine.

There’s a lack of consistency on punishment and more banning orders are needed to ensure fans – and safety stewards – do not have to endure this kind of behaviour. They could be your wife, your son, or your brother, and they must be protected while in their place of work.

At Stadium, we also work hard to offer incentives to our staff. That can include training to all of our new recruits, providing them with coach transportation if they are fulfilling a role that is further away from their home, and also providing them with variety of work. We have also just launched our ‘Introduce a Friend’ scheme, offering staff a bonus if they introduce a friend who completes their first three shifts.

As an industry, we can also not get away from the fact pay is also an issue, one that is heightened by the fact some football clubs pay more or less than others.

There are some clubs who cannot financially pay the living wage and only pay the minimum wage, but it can make filling those roles more of a challenge.

If we as an industry were to sign up to the national living wage that would then encourage more people to join, and retain more of those already here.

Without that steward a club cannot open their gates, they are not going to spot the fire in the stands and evacuate the fans, and they cannot put their game on.

For me the steward is ultimately the most important person on match-days and, as an industry, we have got to start recognising this.

— Lorraine Baillie, International Director at Stadium

Stadium launches major recruitment drive

  • News
Posted on 11.03.2022 by admin, Stadium

A leading Midlands security company has launched one of the biggest recruitment drives in its history with almost 300 new jobs available across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Coventry-based Stadium has around 280 casual roles to fill as it prepares for a busy 2022.

Jobs range from spectator safety stewards, door supervisors, and customer service stewards, all of which will play a key role in sporting events in the West Midlands this year.

David McAtamney, owner and founder of Stadium, said: “There is lots happening in the sporting and recreation calendar this year across our region which is fantastic to see.

“The year is already lining up to be one of our busiest ever with new work home and abroad, but as a West Midlands company it is great to be able to offer so many jobs locally.

“We have won some exciting new contracts for 2022 and the fact we are continuing to recruit and expand is a fantastic show of confidence in our industry, especially after the past couple of years.”

Roles are on a casual contract basis, giving people flexibility to work around other commitments or work as much as they would like.

Some of the responsibilities include welcoming all visitors to the venues, dealing with queries and offering assistance regarding the event, and helping to direct flow of foot traffic.

Experience working within the field is advantageous but not essential, as Stadium will provide all training to support successful candidates.

Stadium has an excellent reputation within the industry and works on a national and international scale, providing traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and SIA security staff for events.

The leading security specialist supports a wide variety of events ranging from sell-out concerts, high-profile conferences, to Premier League football matches with clients including Liverpool Football Club, Burnley Football Club, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

For further details on the roles and to apply, visit www.wearestadium.com/join-our-team.

Another busy year – and plenty to look forward to in 2022

  • Blog
Posted on 20.01.2022 by admin, Stadium

We have ended 2021 just as we began – with another busy period.

Christmas and New Year is one of our busiest times of the year with a packed football fixture list.

Traditionally, Boxing Day is a big footballing day and it’s almost become part of the Christmas festivities, as people rush to sport to get out of the mince pies and turkey from the day before.

This period is always a welcome time for us at Stadium as we look forward to helping football clubs around the country host these events, making sure everybody has a safe and enjoyable time.

Over the course of the year, we have been tremendously busy.

We started the year supporting Covid testing sites up and down the country, committing resource to a new network of lateral flow testing sites.

July and August marked the start of the football season as crowds returned.

In the summer, we were proud to play our part in big events right here in the heart of Coventry such as the Godiva Festival and Coventry Moves – the signature event of UK City of Culture.

Like everything, it felt very much like turning on a tap. We had a huge rush if events and people wanting to experience them.

Our industry was badly affected by a lack of staff returning after 18 months of Covid, although it is an issue which has challenged many different sectors. But things are evolving all the time, as they have again in recent weeks with the new variant.

On December 16, Liverpool’s home tie with Newcastle was our first game which required proof of coronavirus vaccination or a negative lateral flow as part of new Government legislation on crowds of over 10,000 people, so we added additional resource to the team at Anfield to ensure this was achieved quickly, efficiently and safely.

All we can do is follow the guidelines and we are encouraging our staff to get their vaccinations to help keep themselves, and others, safe.

Looking ahead to 2022, we are already planning for a huge year in the UK with further sporting and music events, and we are delighted to be playing our part in Her Majesty’s Jubilee celebrations.

Overseas, we are looking forward to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where we will be providing a range of stewarding training in Doha to around 20,000 Qatari people.

This is one of the biggest contracts in our company’s history, which has been borne out of the fantastic reputation that the business has forged for itself over the past 12 years.

It gives us great pride our expertise is being recognised internationally.

The knowledge we are passing on will ensure that thousands of spectators will be able to attend one of the biggest showcases in 2022.

We were recently visited by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who showed great interest in our work in both Qatar and here in the UK, which is very encouraging.

It is further encouraging that we have won some exciting new contracts for 2022 and we are continuing to recruit and expand, with a drive for around 200 new staff.

This is a fantastic show of confidence in our industry.

To already be winning new business, and taking on more new recruits, expanding our staffing numbers to more than 1,000, means we can start the New Year with real vigour.

— David McAtamney, Owner & Founder of Stadium

Events after the pandemic…

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Posted on 16.09.2021 by admin, Stadium

These have been strange times for everyone as we have all had to endure the impacts of Covid on our personal and professional lives.

Hopefully we are now emerging from the other side of the pandemic and certainly life is getting back to somewhere near normal.

For our staff at Stadium, that means we have very much been out on the streets working on a series of events from the MotoGP at Silverstone through to the Godiva Festival in our home city of Coventry – and everything in between.

After everything we have been through, there were bound to be some changes in behaviour. I think we all hoped they would be for the better as we had all appreciated the efforts of the NHS and other key workers and had looked out more for our neighbours and relatives, as well as witnessing the trauma many have been through in losing loved ones.

However, rather sadly, one thing that our staff up and down the country have noticed, as events have returned, is an undeniable rise in levels of anger.

The anger in a section of people attending events is way outside any levels of normality. We have been undertaking work at events for more than a decade and we know what the norms are – but there has been a massive increase in anger.

As we are involved in road closures on event days around venues, we are, of course, used to people being frustrated. No-one likes their day-to-day life being inconvenienced, but our staff are highly trained and experienced in dealing with those situations.

We work to a plan which is approved by police and local authorities and is well publicised in the local area around each venue, so people naturally adapt.

Over the course of a year, if we have one minor incident where one of our staff is hurt, maybe brushed by a slow-moving car, then that is it.

However, during August alone we have had four instances where people have driven deliberately at my staff intending to do harm.

It is a combination of a variety factors – people have got used to there being no events for 18 months, roads have not been closed, they have been effectively locked up at home and have had all sorts of pressures to deal with.

Their mindset appears to have changed, and now we are free to return to some sort of normality, it has had an impact of people’s behaviour and tolerances.

I hope that, as things settle down, so will that level of behaviour. If not, it will mean more hostile vehicle mitigation measures being put in place which in turn means more disruption for people and no-one wants to see that.

I have to keep my staff and event-goers safe – that is the priority. Many of our staff have been without work as events have been cancelled and they, like everyone else, have had their lives impacted by this dreadful virus.

They are merely doing their job to ensure everyone remains safe and thereby allow events to happen. I would just ask people to show them the same decency, understanding and tolerance as they would anyone else working to ease us back to normality.

— David McAtamney, Owner & Founder of Stadium

Stadium joins national effort against Covid-19

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Posted on 29.01.2021 by admin, Stadium

A Coventry-based event management specialist has joined the national effort against Covid-19 by committing resource to a new network of lateral flow testing sites across the city.

Stadium, which is based on Bodmin Road, Coventry, is providing around 80 of its experienced events staff to help facilitate lateral flow covid tests for asymptomatic individuals, which produce results after 30 minutes.

The new testing sites that Stadium staff will be supporting include Coventry Transport Museum, The Alan Higgs Centre and Moat House Leisure & Neighbourhood Centre, with more sites to follow.

Coventry City Council, which is overseeing the running of the sites, enlisted the support of Stadium to help the sites collectively cater for up to 20,000 lateral flow tests a week.

Stadium’s staff will be assisting with the registration of visitors to each site and managing socially-distanced queues, as well as guiding individuals through the self-administered test and processing test results.

Scott Metcalfe, Managing Director at Stadium, said: “We are really proud to be able to play our part in helping the city of Coventry to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.

“All of our staff are experienced in safety management and working on large, high-profile events, making them ideally placed to provide the efficiency and attention to detail that the operation of these new testing sites require.

“Our staff have a crucial role to play in helping the city of Coventry to drive down the Covid infection rate, since the more people that are tested, the higher the chances are that asymptomatic carriers can self-isolate before infecting others.

“We’re extremely honoured as a business to be asked to support in this way, and hopefully more testing such as this can have a positive impact on reducing infections while the vaccine continues to be rolled out.”

Stadium, an event management specialist, has performed on the world’s biggest stages for the past ten years, ensuring that as audiences have been entertained, they have shared experiences in a safe and secure environment. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government restrictions affecting venues and stadia, Stadium have re-assigned their staffing resources to support the national effort.

Councillor George Duggins, Leader of Coventry City Council, said: “We are very grateful to have the support of Stadium. Community testing is an important component in stopping the spread of Coronavirus, but we need willing people to come forward and join our dedicated workforce in order to make this happen.

“Stadium have shown their willingness and commitment in putting others first in the fight against coronavirus by playing their part in this work. We are delighted to have them on board and through their help, continue to deliver these vital tests to Coventry people.”