6.5 OFFICES AND BACK OF HOUSE
This section deals with those areas that accommodate the administration and servicing of the stadium.
Firstly, it looks at offices and meeting rooms to facilitate the administration of the stadium, then it covers the main areas required to service the stadium. Together, these are known as “back of house” because they are not visible or accessible to the public.
“ACCOMMODATE THE ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICING OF THE STADIUM”
6.5.1 OFFICES AND MEETING ROOMS
The provision of office space will vary according to the size and intended purpose of the stadium.
The following spaces are likely to be needed in most stadiums:
• Stadium management offices (senior and general management)
• Stadium management meeting room
• Stadium facilities office (in smaller stadiums likely to be combined with stadium management offices)
• Stadium safety and security office
• Stadium safety and security meeting room (see VOC requirements in Sub-Section 5.4.3)
• Match delegate/director office (as per local competition requirements)
These core office spaces should be located in an area easily accessible to the main areas of the stadium. They should be properly equipped with desks and chairs, and be adequately lit, temperature-controlled and ventilated. They should have appropriate power and internet connectivity. Sanitary and welfare facilities should be provided. It is recommended that permanent working spaces be designed in accordance with a recognised framework of standards that consider health and well-being.
The office spaces and meeting rooms need to be accessible for disabled people and people with limited mobility.
A staff briefing area
Although there is no purpose in significantly over-providing office spaces, there are valid reasons for going beyond the minimum basic requirements at the start of the stadium’s life.
• Firstly, event organisers often require office space during events and the preceding period, so if it is planned to use the stadium for multiple events, such space should be factored in. International football matches at both club and national-team level will require additional administration space.
• Secondly, as the stadium and its operations grow organically, it is much easier to fit these into existing office spaces rather than build new office accommodation.
6.5.2 BACK-OF-HOUSE AREAS
Adequate storage and delivery space should be provided. These are typically required to accommodate the following functions:
• Stadium maintenance
• Pitch maintenance
• Field-of-play equipment
• Cleaning equipment and products
• Uniform storage
• General storage facilities
• Kitchen facilities
• Logistics spaces and entry points
• Kit storage
• Laundry
• External compound
Stadium maintenance will usually need access to a workshop which is sometimes on-site. A specific risk assessment is likely to be required for this working space.
Depending on the intended usage of the stadium, additional storage space might be required for the following:
• Furniture (allowing for indoor spaces to be reconfigured and used for different formats of events, conferences and reception functions)
• Catering goods and equipment (usually involving dedicated chilled and frozen storage areas)
• Movable seats to transform standing terraces into stands with seating
Loading bays and service lifts should also be provided near to the main storage areas to facilitate the delivery and onward distribution of these goods. A loading bay will also be required adjacent to the waste compound.
Stadiums with large hospitality areas require significant space to service them. Service routes should be provided to ensure that equipment and operational staff do not have to use the same circulation routes as spectators and guests on matchdays (refer to Sub-Section 5.6.5 for information relating to vertical circulation).
Service areas that operate on non-matchdays such as cleaning points, furniture storage and office space should be in discrete positions that ensure they do not impede on matchday operations. The considerations that stadium projects should make in respect to kitchens and service hospitality areas are described in Sub-Section 5.6.7.
6.5.3 WORKFORCE
An effective workforce is essential to the successful operation of any stadium. The size and intended use of a stadium will dictate its staffing requirements, however, unlike most workplaces, the size of the workforce can scale up dramatically on matchday and the days preceding it.
Workforce and volunteers take a break
The requirements of the core stadium management and maintenance teams are outlined under office space in Sub-Section 6.5.1. This sub-section deals with the need to provide adequate facilities for operational event staff.
The groups of staff who could be involved include the following:
• Stadium stewards
• Security staff
• Parking and access management staff
• Food & beverage concession staff
• Hospitality staff
• Access control staff
• Cleaning staff
• Event organisational staff
• Volunteers
• Commercial activation staff
• Ball kids
• Police and other emergency services
• Medical staff
• Stand-by engineers and other technical support staff
Staff restaurant
All of these staff will require appropriate facilities depending on the amount of time they are on-site and local employment regulations. Consideration should be given to the following:
• Entrance and exit points
• Transport which might include car parking, cycle parking or drop-off and pick-up points
• Check-in and check-out facilities
• Changing rooms and lockers – these should be separated according to male and female
• Uniform distribution
• Sanitary facilities
• Welfare facilities – depending on working patterns, but where staff are working for more than a few hours, a dedicated break area should be provided with appropriate cover and at an ambient temperature
• Staff restaurant – the need for a staff restaurant will depend on the size of the stadium and the working patterns operated. It is often practical to provide a staff restaurant so that staff do not need to leave the site in search of refreshments. It also ensures staff eat out of sight of other client groups, including ticketed spectators
• Prayer room (subject to local customs)
• Office space – will be required for those managing these staff
• Medical facilities should be available – these can be combined with spectator medical facilities, but if so they need to be in close proximity to main staff areas and have appropriate opening hours
All workforce facilities should be accessible to disabled people and people with limited mobility.
Consideration also needs to be given to whether the workforce can include persons who are not considered full adults according to local legislation. For example, teenagers often undertake casual part-time or weekend work before they reach full adulthood. Some degree of safeguarding and potential separation needs to be factored into the provision of changing areas and the mixing with other adult staff groups. The same applies to other groups containing minors, such as ball kids and mascots.