A manned guarding contract for Sunderland AFC, the Premier League club’s the Stadium of Light, pictured, and its training site, the Academy of Light, has gone to Axis Security.
The contract was awarded after a competitive tender. Axis is managing ten security officers securing the 49,000 all-seater stadium and its satellite training base for the club’s professional players and Academy pupils aged eight to 18. The officers’ main responsibilities include control of the entrance and exits, CCTV monitoring, regular site patrols, and responsibility for the fire alarm control panel and response. They also fulfil the reception duties at the stadium, meeting and greeting corporate visitors, managers and club staff. Besides football fixtures, the Stadium of Light is also a venue for music concerts, live events and corporate entertainment.
Its Academy of Light is a purpose built complex with 18 football pitches, treatment and medical facilities, a restaurant, and classroom space for the youths; it has players, coaching staff, administration staff, medical professionals and teachers using the facilities every day.
Paul Weir is Security Manager for Sunderland AFC. He says: “Safety and security is key to the smooth running of the sites. We have established routines and procedures to follow so if, for example, an alarm is activated or something is spotted on the CCTV the officers must respond before it escalates, so their vigilance is very important. The officers work to a high standard and have a supportive management. So the relationship now feels like we are in partnership with a company that is committed to us. When it came to their tender, it was the one that impressed us most. They also looked after our existing staff by transferring them across under TUPE without any issues.”
Jonathan Levine, Axis Group CEO says: “We are pleased to be building trust and extending our employee benefits package to the dedicated team of officers working on site,. It is a busy and challenging site where security and safety are of the utmost importance, and Paul and his team can trust us to deliver a service that is genuinely ‘best in class’.”
