EuroLeague security managers meet

Security managers from all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs held their first collective meeting together on Monday as part of the EB Institute Annual Workshops to share best practices before the upcoming 2020-21 season.

To that end, the security managers first engaged in team-building activities to get to know each other better. From there, they discussed a series of presentations that started with an overview of EuroLeague BOCS (Business Operations & Club Services), with a particular focus on customer service as reflected through security services and the Euroleague Basketball In-Arena Code of Conduct.

Next, the security managers heard about how Genius Sports works with Euroleague Basketball to disrupt the unauthorized collection and distribution of unofficial data – known as “scout-spotting” – during pre-season, pre-match, tip-off, live game and post-game.

A review of the 2019-20 season from the perspective of arena safety and security included video analysis of concrete situations that occurred during the season and group discussions about them.

A case study prepared by Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade showed how the club developed solutions to overcome specific security challenges and outlined future steps being prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Because the safety of all participants in a game is the most important of all, these types of meetings, networking between the clubs and sharing experiences, are necessary,” Vuk Stevanovic, security manager for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, said. “Our club has a huge amount of fans who support our team in a very specific way, giving us additional power to win the games. On the other hand, in recent years there were several breaches of the code of conduct. So, last season the club was challenged to eradicate some bad habits. Through constant communication with the fans, both direct (meetings) and indirect (posts on social networks, socializing with the players, etc.); with the support of EuroLeague Basketball; and thanks to great cooperation with the stewards agency and police, we made a huge improvement in the security and organizational aspects of each game.”

League-wide pandemic response guidelines were the subject of a later presentation that also focused on customer experience standards at arenas. This dovetailed with a detailed look at the competition bylaws as they pertain to health and safety protocols.

“In addition to planning a new season during this coronavirus period, we got useful advice from other teams and Euroleague Basketball directors,” Sabri Erol, security manager for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, said. “Everybody shared opinions, which was gratifying. In my first year at this job, I learned how I I can secure our arena against misbehavior thanks to the advice of other experienced professionals, so I am thankful for meetings like this and appreciate being part of them.”