Not so obvious, because my answer informs the answer to the one asked. The behaviour of fans is a factor in the controls required, and age is one factor that can be used when predicting behaviour. Some controls could include extra stewards. It could be felt that a higher than usual proportion of younger visiting attendees could need extra stewards to help in the case of an emergency.
Age has nothing to do with. Can't recall the exact criteria but off the top of my head they are something like this-
Stewarding
i. Numbers of stewards and the Stewarding Plan:
Having appointed a responsible person to the role of Safety Officer it is essential that the Chairman and Directors give the Safety Officer the tools to effectively manage safety on a match day. It is a fact that the person responsible for safety will not be able to manage safety on his or her own.
This is why the Chairman and Directors must ensure that on the day of the match there are sufficient stewards on duty to look after the care, safety and security of spectators, players and match officials. Club senior management must not forget that when considering safety they must not overlook their responsibilities for the safety and wellbeing of players and officials whilst the game is under way.
The key question that is often asked is ‘How many stewards do I need on a match day?’
If there is a Safety Certificate in force for the ground then this will normally prescribe the number of stewards required before the turnstiles can be opened on a match day. The Green Guide recommends a ratio of 1 steward for every 250 of the anticipated spectator attendance at the game. But that ratio should only be applied once all the requisite number of static steward posts has been determined. These are positions in the ground where a steward will be required to be located throughout the duration of the game, for example at a stadium exit gate, and the number of static posts will vary from ground to ground. It is therefore important for the Safety Officer to determine the number of static steward posts required for both normal and high profile matches. This will normally be based on risk assessments carried out by the Safety Officer.
Every ground and crowd expectations will be different and whilst guidance is available on assessing the number of stewards required for a match the process is very simple as the following indicates.
The Safety Officer should firstly consider:
• In addition to the person in charge is there a requirement for any steward supervisors? It may well be that the person in charge is all the supervision required at smaller grounds. At larger grounds it may be that a steward supervisor is required for each stand.
The Safety Officer should then walk the ground with a plan and mark out:
• The number of static posts, such as entrances and exits, thatshould be permanently manned by stewards. These stewards would normally be positioned there to ensure that there is no unauthorised access to the ground and, in an emergency, that gates can be opened to allow fans to leave quickly.
• The number of gates in the pitch perimeter fence barrier that might need to be opened in an emergency. A steward should ideally be placed on each of those gates and each of those steward positions should be considered a static post.
The Safety Officer should then also consider:
• Is there a need for additional stewards to be placed on the pitch perimeter to prevent spectators gaining unauthorised access to the field of play?
• The number of stewards that would be required to respond to any incidents which might affect spectator safety or disrupt the normal operation of the ground.
The Safety Officer should then set out the steward numbers and their locations in a document called the Stewarding Plan.
As said earlier there is no master blueprint which will cover every ground or every event. That is why the Stewarding Plan must be ground and event specific and the best person to determine this is the person responsible for safety at the ground. Stewarding Plans will vary greatly from club to club. At some grounds, it might be determined that in addition to the Safety Officer only 3 to 4 stewards are necessary, but at the larger grounds 50 plus stewards might be needed. The important thing is that the Safety Officer records how he/she determined the number of stewards required in the Stewarding Plan.
