Off-site Sporting Event Risk Assessment

Typical hazards & measures

• First aid and emergency response — Bring a stocked kit and cold packs, assign a trained first aider at pitch side, agree host emergency contacts and ambulance access routes, set a visible meet point, rehearse a stop-play and clear-route protocol with staff, and complete incident forms after interventions.
• Fatigue, timings and late return — Build buffers into itineraries, cap cumulative minutes per pupil, rotate squads during tournaments, notify families promptly of revised arrival times, carry warm layers and snacks for delays, and ensure staff cover extends to any expected overrun.
• Pick-up and drop-off interface — Marshal bays and cone pedestrian lanes, impose a five-mile-per-hour site speed, hold teams inside until called forward, stagger coach arrivals, reserve disabled bays and emergency access routes, display clear signage, and coordinate staff on radios to reduce queue pressure.
• Walking routes near traffic — Reconnoitre the full route and select safe crossings, place staff at road edges and junctions, brief pupils to walk two-by-two with phones away, use high-visibility in low light, avoid car-park cut-throughs, and pause at waypoints for headcounts and behaviour checks.
• Behaviour, spectators and conflict — Display and reinforce codes of conduct, seat spectators clear of run-off areas, brief pupils on respectful play and protest limits, position staff between rival groups if needed, pause or abandon events in case of abuse, and record and debrief all incidents.