Profiles

In years gone by the thought of spending thousands of pounds on a purpose-built safety headquarters would have seemed out of the question.

But since tragedies like Hillsborough, safety at sport events has become of paramount importance.

Best view in the house

Today the best view of the action in Trent Bridge isn't bought by those in corporate hospitality. It's reserved for the people tasked with ensuring no one gets hurt while watching Nottinghamshire and England play cricket.

The two-tier centre of operations is located in the new Bridgford Road stand. It's dominated by a bay window that cost thousands of pounds but offers an unrivaled view of the Trent Bridge playing surface and, more importantly, the seating for spectators.

Malcolm Whitt is in charge of a team of senior police, fire and ambulance staff.

"[The role has] developed along with the way sport has developed. Before my time, the safety officer was sat on a chair in one corner of the ground.

"It then developed into a small enclosure in another part of the stadium. It went into a control room at the start of this century and now we have this wonderful facility."

The control room is located below the big screen

Day to day

The control room is based on research that looked at the way the Emirates (Arsenal) stadium, Twickenham and the Oval operated.

Malcolm says: "The principles are exactly the same - to safely manage people visiting the ground to watch sport.

"When you get to the major matches our stewarding numbers increase. We have a police, ambulance and doctor presence. We gear up according to the size of the crowd."

For a domestic county championship game that can be as little as 12 stewards. But for a major match, such as a World Cup encounter, that will expand to a full safety team plus 400 stewards.

No time to play

The main problem Malcolm and his colleagues face is from drink; people either become aggressive or ill from drinking too much.

All in all, it doesn't leave much time to enjoy the game of cricket.

"I would like to think I get an opportunity from time to time. I have a deputy and we share the work during the day.

"But in actual fact it would be wrong to say we see much of the cricket. We're always busy in the control room.

"It's a very enjoyable job. I wouldn't call it an heroic job so much as one we enjoy doing to ensure people enjoy coming to Trent Bridge."