NewsAssociation
Safety Managers Workshop
On 22-23 November 2023, the Safety Managers Workshop, organised by the Department of Event Organisation, Safety and Infrastructure of the Polish Football Association , was held in Łódź. The two-day event was attended by nearly 60 representatives of PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Fortuna First League and Second League clubs, as well as invited guests.
The Safety Managers Workshop began with a speech by Marek Dolinski, Director of the Events Department of Event Organisation, Safety and Infrastructure of the Polish Football Association, who introduced the participants to the programme of the event. After the official inauguration, statues were presented to recognise the efforts of the safety managers and the clubs in the previous season. The recipients were selected on the basis of the "Report on the organisation and state of safety of central level football matches for the 2022/23 season".
The agenda for the first day was based on a series of presentations by invited speakers – Łukasz Nalewaj (UEFA) and police representatives – Maciej Orysiak (National Police Headquarters), Mariusz Stoczkowski (Provincial Police Headquarters in Lublin) and Piotr Wolak (District Police Headquarters in Warsaw). The UEFA representative presented current theories related to crowd management, current trends, and risks involved with football matches organised under the aegis of UEFA. The second part of the day covered the topic of an integrated approach in cooperation between the Club and the Police when securing a football match.
The second day of the Workshop was opened by Dorian Dziubinski, Deputy Director of Match Operations, Security and Infrastructure of the Polish Football Association. His presentation started with a discussion of the proposed changes to the Polish Football Association's regulations regarding the safety and organisation of PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Fortuna First League and Second League as well as Fortuna Polish Cup matches with the participants. This was followed by an analysis of the most serious incidents at stadiums in the 2022/23 season and possible actions to be taken in the mentioned situations.
The Workshop ended with a speech by Marcin Kawka, during which he presented the role of SLOs in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Fortuna First League, Second League as well as the Fortuna Polish Cup, and talked about the difficulties faced by SLOs.
One of the most important goals set by the Workshop organisers is to create a space for discussion, consultation, exchange of experiences, and debate on the problematic situations faced by safety managers in the course of their duties.
This Workshop has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of events organised by the Department of Event Organisation, Security and Infrastructure of the Polish Football Association and, as planned, will be held on a regular basis.
