Mid-way through last season the club received notification that new legislation, regarding the stewarding of football matches, would mean that only trained and qualified personnel would be allowed to carry out stewarding duties on a match day.

In order for the club to ensure that it would comply with these regulations and, therefore, to further ensure that it would meet all of the safety requirements, it became necessary for a review of the existing match stewarding arrangements.

Business Operations Manager George Thomson explained, "our first concern was to ensure that we met all of the requirements, as laid down in the new regulations, with regards to match day stewarding. What we also wanted to do, though, was to see if we could achieve the objectives whilst using a locally based firm. We spoke to Paramount Event, run by Mike and Tony Grierson, and we started working towards making sure that we would have well trained and local stewards to cover our matches. I'm delighted to say that we are now in that position."

To round off what has been an ongoing process of training, the stewards were assembled at Brunton Park tonight to receive their NVQ Spectator Level 2 certificates. This qualification is the highest that a football steward can obtain and is the end result of a series of training evenings and live training events. In addition, candidates had to answer a written question and answer test, having been continually assessed throughout their training period. 

The certificates were handed out by United Owner Fred Story, with fellow directors Andrew Jenkins and John Nixon in attendance.

George Thomson added, "the club is proud to have a team of stewards who are now as qualifed as any in the land. We have received positive feedback from both the Football League and the FLA, who both now use us as an example of the way to proceed. It is fantastic to have a team of highly trained local stewards, who are part of our community, and who enjoy being part of our match days."

Carlisle United would welcome applications from anyone (over the age of 18) who would like to become a steward.

If you are interested, or would like more information, ring the Club on 01228 526 237 or write to us at Brunton Park, Warwick Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 1LL.

Alternatively, send an email to -

media@carlisleunited.co.uk

- stating your name, age, address and phone number and we will contact you with further details. No experience is required as full training will be given.