Off-site Sporting Event Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Weather and environmental exposure — Review forecasts and apply heat and cold plans, provide shade, sunscreen, layers and shelters, cancel or postpone for lightning, high winds or poor air quality, adjust start times where sensible, dry slippery routes after rain, and notify families promptly of changes.
• Venue emergency procedures — Confirm alarms, assembly points and shelter rooms on arrival, identify locked gates and alternative exits, align the school plan with the host procedures, brief pupils on the local signal before play, and keep all exit routes clear of bags and equipment.
• Playing surface hazards — Inspect pitches and tracks on arrival, remove debris and mark holes, agree no-play zones with officials, check for glass, sprinklers and unsecured goals, verify line markings and run-off areas, suspend play on saturated or frozen ground, and document defects to the host.
• Safeguarding around other adults — Identify school staff with badges, restrict access to team areas, supervise mixed-use corridors, challenge unknown adults politely but firmly, follow the host’s safeguarding procedures, keep pupils in groups at all times, and report any concern to the DSL the same day.
• 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.