The venture, to be known as Rushmans CSG, will focus on raising the bar on the planning, training for and delivery of safety and security at sports events worldwide, it was claimed.

 

 

Rushmans, who are based in Marlborough in Wiltshire, has worked on hundreds of events on every continent. They include editions of the IRB Rugby World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup, Euro 96 and the Asian Games.

 

Controlled Solutions Group, meanwhile, which employs 100 full-time and 2,000 part-time staff in the UK, handles safety and security for a range of high profile football clubs, including Manchester United, West Ham, Everton and Queens Park Rangers FC and is contracted to Wembley Stadium, which will host the semi-finals and finals of the football tournament during the 2012 Olympics.

 

The company, which has its offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and London, has been responsible for safety and security training and delivery on many international projects and worked alongside Rushmans during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

 

Nigel Rushman, the chairman of Rushmans said: “Crowd safety and customer service are essential building blocks for every successful sports event and CSG is established as a leader in this field.

 

“Rushmans brings a wealth of insight and experience of the widest range of international events to the new company which will provide organising committees with a world-class resource to ensure that their events take place in a controlled environment in which the safety of spectators, participants and officials is paramount.”

 

Rushmans CSG will offer a 360 degree service, from consulting to bid committees on their safety and security planning, to training the full, part-time and volunteer staff that will be responsible for safety in and around venues.

 

The company’s safety programmes will be supported by its expertise in event security.

 

Mike Halligan, the chairman of CSG, said: “We are delighted to have concluded this joint venture agreement with Rushmans, a company we have known and worked with successfully for a number of years.

 

“The venture significantly extends our potential as a business internationally and will ensure that the strategies and systems developed and successfully implemented by CSG are available and tailored to

the specific needs of organising committees throughout the world.

 

“It is a sad fact that almost every year sees another tragic loss of life at a sports event somewhere in the world.

 

"This is often the consequence of inadequate procedures and training which themselves result from insufficient awareness and experience of safety issues.

 

“Rushmans CSG aims to help raise the bar on safety awareness and implementation enabling more nations, cities and individual venues to confidently bid for and stage world class events.”