In the final episode of the Balance S4 mini-series on safety and service at sports events, we speak to Julien Van Belle, from the Football Unit of the Ministry of Interior of Belgium. In his interview, Julien van Belle discusses the importance of combining safety and service measures for effectively managing football matches and other sports events, after attending the Balance S4 Training of Trainers session on Safety at sports events that took place in Athens, Greece, on 21 March 2025.
Running from January 2024 to December 2025, the joint European Union - Council of Europe project Balance S4 supported Council of Europe member states in reinforcing the implementation of the safety and service pillars of the Saint-Denis Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events at a national level, in order to achieve the right balance with the security pillar.
According to Julien van Belle, “the football experience starts from the moment the fans leave their home until the moment they arrive at the stadium. And, at the end of the match, when they are back home, possibly taking public transport”. This is also known as the ‘spectator experience’ and is one of the cornerstones of the management of sports events. Understanding and addressing the needs of everyone while committing to creating a safe environment is key to organising a successful event. This is not an easy task, ultimately involving risk management through steps such as calculating a stadium safe capacity and an evacuation capacity, structuring an operations manual and providing vigilance throughout the entire event.
Julien van Belle also reminds us that such co-ordination can only be achieved through the collaboration of different stakeholders. This is especially important when we consider that the 'spectator experience' involves defining specific action areas both inside and outside the venue. A successful event can only be achieved through comprehensive staff training, transparency, and communication with partners.
“I believe that the most important thing is to be able, after receiving this training, to pass it on in our own countries, and to spread the good word and best practices”. The Balance S4 project worked closely with national delegations of the Saint-Denis Convention to share and implement this knowledge throughout Europe and aimed to assist in the development of new safety and service training programmes at a national level.
Click here to watch the full interview
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