Safety of football matches – a conference of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism
Improvement of the situation in football stadiums can only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation with all stakeholders including, primarily, football fans, said Mr Adam Giersz, Adviser to Sports Minister Andrzej Biernat, while opening the conference Safety of football matches on 9 October 2014 at the Novotel hotel in Warsaw.
The conference was organised by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism as one of the initiatives related to the promotion of dialogue and cooperation with football supporters. The event was attended by numerous representatives of football clubs, fans, the police, sports associations, and central and local government authorities. In total, the conference gathered over 120 participants including Mr Zbigniew Boniek, President of the Polish Football Association, Mr Marcin Animucki, Vice-President of Ekstraklasa S.A. and Mr Ireneusz Raś, Member of Parliament.
The discussion focused on issues such as football fan projects, safety and security of supporters, and appropriate supporter service during sporting events. Thanks to the contributions of experts from Germany, Austria and the UK, the conference was an opportunity to learn about good practices and experience of different countries.
The conference participants emphasised that attempts to ensure safety and security in football stadiums solely by applying legal regulations will not bring positive results. Of key importance is good cooperation between all persons and institutions involved in the organisation and conduct of football matches. Dialogue and cooperation will not only help to understand the partners’ perspective but also to strengthen the attitudes of responsibility and respect.
Special attention was paid to the project Kibice Razem [Supporters Together] which aims to build permanent structures of cooperation with local football fan groups and to regularly support their positive initiatives, in particular their efforts towards making those groups more democratic and involved in actions for local communities. The project of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism is implemented in cooperation with football supporters, local governments and the Polish Football Association.