How Raven Controls are evolving event safety management standards

Raven Controls

Developed by resilience experts, Raven Controls is a digital management system which provides powerful real-time situational awareness that aims to ensure reassurance for all stakeholders and venue management involved in an event.

Event safety management standards have undoubtedly shifted overtime due in no small part to the changing nature of how live events are attended and consumed. Football has no doubt seen a major change in the behaviour of fans over the past few decades with specific standards of compliance needing to be adhered to, especially at multinational tournaments such as the World Cup and EUROS.

The reality of event safety management standards is that often improvements are driven in response to major disasters such as the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 and the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. Both of these were massive catalysts for changing safety management standards and influenced global recognition of the need to make improvements.

The approach from then on was dominated by a European approach which aimed at preventing and managing violence – as was dictated by the European Convention on Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sports Events. 2016 saw The Council of Europe Convention on Integral Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football introduced to add to the work that has been done since the adoption of the European Convention on Spectator Violence in 1985. The new convention advocated for cooperation between all public and private stakeholders involved in making events welcoming, safe and secure.

In a contemporary sporting landscape, Raven Controls is well positioned to suit the modern demands of event safety and security management and also meet the challenges created by the integrated approach being demanded by the new European Convention.

Raven Controls’ method of digital information logging (which is based on integrated emergency management principles) precisely highlights information flow and supports real-time notification alerts and subsequent escalation processes. Moreover, in terms of accountable decision-making, Raven Controls assures that policy decisions are recorded in real-time highlighting the justification and rationale for critical decisions.

Customers who utilise Raven Controls are assured not just a safe and successful event, but a comprehensive variety of accessible tools designed to assist in the smooth running of live events. It includes features such as the in-control dashboard which provides real-time critical information that is readily usable and can identify what is happening in an instant; Digital Logging to intuitively capture essential information; Checklists to provide staff with clarity; and instant notification alerts.

In addition, the Inter-Account Working component allows agencies and event stakeholders to maximise interoperability through Raven’s multi-agency situational awareness, whilst Raven Eye allows fans seeking to report issues happening during the event to get into contact with Raven through instant SMS messaging. Finally, Raven Mobile provides a guide to an event’s operations team through a remote setup aimed to provide consistency and staff reassurance.

The UEFA EURO 2020 tournament saw Raven Controls playing a central part in the coordination and communication aspects of the month-long event. Raven successfully coordinated real-time shared situational awareness across the 51 matches and 11 host cities and stadiums at EURO 2020, all the while streaming directly to the UEFA command centre in Switzerland.

Raven Controls consistently displayed a capability for capturing integral information and providing a direct link from the stadium and host city to UEFA HQ. The software available to Raven Controls at the time ensured that many policies, protocols and procedures in place were able to be effectively met and complied with.

Major tournaments such as EURO 2020 often offer a challenging adjustment period for newly-implemented technologies, however Raven’s intuitive and user-friendly system benefitted the intricacies and complexities of the tournament. Considering the tournament unfolded over 11 different countries – which subsequently included a variety of cultures, languages and customs – Raven Controls were able to consistently ensure that UEFA’s digitally embedded checklists were adhered to and that information was accurately reported and communicated.

In a live footballing event setting, Raven Controls no doubt provides a guarantee of maintaining consistent safety standards and assurance for venue management and workers. It will be fascinating to see if the technology is included as part of the organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Football Victoria roll out PlayFootball 2.0 for 2025

Football Victoria and Cleaning Melbourne

Football Victoria has launched PlayFootball v2.0, delivering a comprehensive upgrade to its national registration platform for clubs, players and referees nationwide in 2025.

The modernised system introduces significant improvements, headlined by a complete interface overhaul prioritising accessibility and efficiency for all stakeholders.

The platform’s user-centric design promises to streamline administrative processes across all levels of the sport.

Key enhancements to PlayFootball 2.0 will allow for a modern player and official identification system that will include a sophisticated reporting module.

A notable addition is the integrated Working with Children Check workflow, reinforcing Football Australia’s commitment to child safety protocols.

Football Victoria is spearheading the transition by offering comprehensive training programmes, with both face-to-face and virtual sessions available to club administrators and association officials.

These sessions have been specifically designed to ensure optimal utilisation of the platform’s enhanced capabilities.

Football Victoria Chief Executive Officer Chris Pehlivanis has spoken on this new update and how they see it as crucial for enhancing the footballing experience for participants and clubs.

“We are looking forward to participants having a streamlined registration process while simplifying administration for our Clubs from 2025. FV will work closely with Clubs to ensure they are well supported through the transition and familiar with the benefits of the new system,” he said via press release.

A crucial update to the registration process will require participants to settle both Football Australia and Football Victoria Governing Body Regulation Fees at the point of registration through PlayFootball v2.0.

To help participants adjust to the change, however, PlayFootball is offering 4 different payment models:

  • All Fees Upfront: Club and Regulation fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Regulation Fees Upfront: FA and FV fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Scheduled Payment: FA, FV, Association and the first portion (¼) of the club fee is paid online at the point of registration
  • Subsidised Payment: Club subsidises payment and pays for Governing Body fees on the participant’s behalf at the point of registration

Player eligibility is rewarded upon the successful payment of these governing body fees.

This new program was tested by inviting four Associations, including 34 Clubs and 4,839 players to attend feedback sessions with FV and FA and beta test the new platform.

The invitation for Clubs to explore the What’s Changing Playbook has opened and for further information on all the changes coming to PlayFootball v2.0.

The platform’s updated rollout represents a significant milestone in Football Australia’s ongoing digitalisation strategy, aimed at reducing administrative burden whilst improving service delivery across the football community.

Bepro Cerberus: Revolutionising football data with optical tracking

Professional coaching has rapidly become increasingly intertwined with statistics to optimise maximum performance, driving the need for clubs to employ the latest data innovations to stay competitive.

Bepro is a football statistics and analysis company pushing the cutting edge of football technology, providing an all-in-one analytics platform for clubs across the world.

The company’s headline product – the Cerberus – an AI powered camera, allows for an extraordinary level of football data analysis when combined with Bepro’s software.

Founded in 2015, Bepro has a large reach across the world with offices in nine different countries and has served teams in the EPL, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, K-League, SPFL, and more.

Most recently, Bepro supported Spain’s ascension to the 2024 European Championship.

However, Bepro also works with a range of amateur clubs, supporting over 2,400 teams across 50 nations.

The Cerberus Camera

The fundamental core of Bepro’s philosophy is the use of video to provide context to statistics.

Bepro links all of its data work back to film recorded by either of its two FIFA grade cameras: the Fixed Camera System or the Cerberus.

Bepro’s cameras utilise AI to power optical tracking technology, enabling the camera to follow the ball without a camera operator. This allows coaches to work with their team instead of being distracted by handling equipment.

Both camera systems feature real time processing, meaning coaches and analysts can instantly assess footage. To enhance this, Bepro cameras can be accessed from multiple devices, and via Bepro’s mobile app.

Additionally, the cameras record in 4k panoramic video to capture more action in higher detail than regular cameras.

Bepro’s video service also supplies a 3D video player, providing coaches a greater level of video analysis.

Although both camera systems incorporate many of the same features, the Cerberus has the key advantage of being portable.

While many would fear a portable camera could run out of charge, the Cerberus features batteries capable of four hours continuous filming. Batteries can then be swiftly changed to ensure clubs do not miss out on valuable footage.

Furthermore, the Cerberus is a resilient platform and can continue to film excellently in poor weather and lighting conditions.

Adding to the Cerberus’ extremely versatility, it not only keenly tracks the ball, but can also film multiple perspectives at once. Through this, coaches can keep an eye on different angles of a training session or game.

Software and Data

Bepro offers three levels of software for clubs to use, ranging from a basic package for amateurs to highly sophisticated software for professionals.

When combined with Bepro’s most expansive package, the Cerberus truly shines.

This package utilises the camera’s optical tracking to gather extensive highly detailed positional and physical data of both teams, not always possible with GPS.

From 90 minutes of football, Bepro cameras can accumulate approximately three million data points, including statistics such as the distance ran, speed and sprint efforts of each individual player.

Through the package, clubs can create visualisations in their footage to showcase pressing patterns, passing triangles and more by spotlighting players or drawing lines and diagrams.

Coaches can then edit these video clips together and send them to players and staff to showcase areas for improvement or successful plays.

Conclusion

While new, the Cerberus has already made a significant impression on world football, becoming the first ever portable optical tracking camera to be certified by FIFA.

The camera passed its certification easily, illustrating its excellence by achieving “Well Above Industry Standard” in the majority of assessments, with no scores below “Above Industry Standard”.

As Bepro continues to develop itself as one of the premiere football analysis organisations, revelations such as the Cerberus will drive the sport into the future.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend