Sector Skills Council SkillsActive has updated and approved Levels 3 and 4 of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) in spectator safety.

First introduced in the mid-1990s following the Bradford and Hillsborough tragedies, the NOS in spectator safety serve two purposes: as benchmarks of good practice and to offer realistic targets for training. They have also proved effective in reducing the costs of policing spectator events.

The NOS have been used to underpin qualifications at various levels, including higher education courses and foundation degrees. The updated standards will now be available for use in both new and existing qualifications.

Chief executive of the Football Licensing Authority John de Quidt said: “We welcome the approval of these updated standards and the opportunity for us to work closely with SkillsActive and industry colleagues on this major step forward in training, to underpin crowd safety.”

SkillsActive worked with a number of key partners from both the sporting industry and other regulators to ensure that the new standards represent current best practice in stewarding and spectator safety.

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