When Crystal Palace won the FA Cup this year, it wasn’t just the event of a lifetime for fans of all ages; it the first major silverware the south London club has ever won in their 119-year history! So when SAFECROWDS GROUP were approached to handle the hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) and traffic management requirements for the victory parade and celebration, we knew it would be special on so many levels, and we were delighted to be part of the celebrations.
It is in the nature of victory parades that there is limited time to plan and implement the event, and the Crystal Palace FA Cup parade was no exception. After plans to hold the celebration at Crystal Palace Park changed and the event was relocated to the club’s Selhurst Park Stadium, we had just 72 hours to survey the location, devise a plan for traffic management and HVM, and submit our proposals to the authorities.
The parade element of the event was scheduled to take around 45 minutes and involved the team bus travelling up Whitehorse Lane, turning left onto Park Road, and then travelling down Homesdale Road, where the players disembarked and entered the stadium. The winning team were joined by fans for a free, ticketed ‘party on the pitch’ from 2.30pm, involving live entertainment, special guests, end-of-season awards, and a special appearance by the FA Cup trophy.
Our complex traffic management and HVM operation involved planning and implementing 15 road closures, beginning first thing in the morning with soft road closures to enable our team of trained technicians to install the HVM and traffic management. We installed three different HVM systems for the project, aligning the solution for each location with the level of risk and operational requirements on the day.
We installed the RB50 moveable HVM barrier from Highway Care, which is designed for fast installation and enables rapid protection of pedestrianised areas, while allowing emergency vehicles, carers and blue badge holders to enter the protected zone as required. This versatility was put to the test during the day, when our team needed to allow an ambulance through the cordon.
We also installed the ARX Stopper!™, our pedestrian permeable HVM solution, and our Mifram surface mounted HVM barriers, creating a ring of steel around the parade area and the stadium during the event.
Alongside the equipment we installed, we deployed an experienced and highly trained team, including traffic management operatives, HVM installation technicians, and response teams, ensuring effective communication with the Crystal Palace team, other supply chain partners, local residents and the police. With the Whitehorse Lane road closure in place for 12 hours and a ring of steel placed around the whole Zone Ex area, this was extremely important. Our teams worked with the club’s marshalls to respond to any residents’ queries and ensure that the celebrations were enjoyed by young and old alike as a safe and momentous family event.
In addition to our traffic management and HVM remit, we were also keen to add value for the club and go the extra mile to ensure the safety of the 50-60K people who enjoyed the celebrations. We provided an explosives sweep of the stadium prior to the event, using one of our canine detection teams to double check the safety of the venue for such a high profile event.
Rory McGoldrick, CEO at SAFECROWDS GROUP commented: “Our experience of large scale events meant that we were able to turn around a complex HVM and traffic management brief within just a few short days and deliver the project as a completely integrated project, in close collaboration with the club and other stakeholders. The feedback we’ve had from our client and counter terror policing has been fantastic and we are proud to have been part of such a special day for the club, the fans and the community.”
